about;blank.....makes me want to SCREAM!!!!!

overdrawn

hi i have a dreaded pop up and home page thief called about blank.
it's taking over my whole pc. i've downloaded just about everything and nothing seems to touch it.

phil999 if you read this today please pm me if you can help-i'm going to bed now feel like i'm going a bit barmy !!!!!

hope someone can help,
thanks,
louise

dc

"about blank" is one of Microsoft's Home page settings on Internet Explorer, you need to change your Homepage to something like MSE

Go to the top line of this page, and right click on "tools", scroll down to the bottom line and click on "internet options". That will give a window, "General Options, in the top box type the net address of the site you want to be your Homepage and then click OK, this should sort your problem, cos at some time you must have clicked tue "use blank" box which makes " about blank" your Homepage.

HTHs

dc

Blackjack_Davy

about: blank is a browser hijacker and is the bain of my browsing life. Theres more about it on this thread and how to remove it (commercial software SpyFerret removed my last infection.) as it's a pain to remove manually:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=93742&highlight=about%3Ablank

John_Gray

You're both right, that "about:blank" is a quite valid "home page" setting (which incidentally, I use myself!), and it is a virus of the same name. I prefer the former...

John

peter_the_piper

I suggest first that you download Hijack this from the sites at the sticky at the top of the forum. You then install the prog in its own folder (important) and run a scan. Copy and paste this log into http://www.hijackthis.de/ and let it analyse it for you. If it says remove anything, stop now, if you are uncertain about modifying your computer registry. If you have 'about this' you will need expert help all along the way in removing it. Go to
http://www.d-a-l.com/help/showthread.php?t=605 and they will be able to help you and hold your hand whilst doing it.
Best of luck.
Peter

adr0ck

cant you just use firefox?

and get rid of internet explorer?

(may be easier than removing about blank)

redux

adr0ck wrote:

cant you just use firefox?

and get rid of internet explorer?

(may be easier than removing about blank)

I have my Firefox set to about:blank as homepage. Is there any reason to believe that Firefox is more hardened against the preudonym hijackers?

If not, then your proposal is not a solution at all. Leaving the hijacker in there and making Firefox the default browser and importing settings may have the same effect. I'm not saying it will, as I don't know, so perhaps you could clarify this.

The real solution is to use anti-spyware software to get rid of problems, not a defeatist shrug about it.

Browntoa

I agree, the spyware is still there in the background eating up processor speed , you may also have keyloggers from the same infection picking up banking details and passwords

terrierlady

have you tried start page guard, a free programme that guards the chosen homepage for you its a free programme which we got from a lead on this site .

gunneradt

i think you might mean spyware guard available from https://www.javacoolsoftware.com - but if you didn't it's a good link anyway

adr0ck

redux wrote:

I have my Firefox set to about:blank as homepage. Is there any reason to believe that Firefox is more hardened against the preudonym hijackers?

If not, then your proposal is not a solution at all. Leaving the hijacker in there and making Firefox the default browser and importing settings may have the same effect. I'm not saying it will, as I don't know, so perhaps you could clarify this.

The real solution is to use anti-spyware software to get rid of problems, not a defeatist shrug about it.

it was a temporary solution i used for a while (obviously you don't import settings) i don't believe its a final solution.......but getting rid of about:blank is very difficult.....if your not a hardened pc user........personally i think its easier to wipe your hard drive and start again