Browser/search results problem?

midgetessa

Right, I'm no technical whizz, so be gentle.


Had a virus recently.....one that pretends it's an anti-malware thing to help you, I believe it's quite common. ''Anti-malware doctor'' I think it called itself. Anyway, using the Malwarebytes programme I thought I'd rid myself of it but my browser is acting funny.....by which I mean if I conduct a 'search' and then click on one of the links, instead of taking me to the link I'm often taken to some other site which like a useless internet search tool type of site or various other pointless sites. I don't know if this is a virus or what is causing it.

I use Firefox and google for searching. The search results appear as normal, it's when I click on a link the problems start.

Any ideas?

PHYTHIAN

Sounds as though your hosts file has been 'compromised'. Download HostXpert---there's a button where you can restore the MS hosts file to its original state

Might also be an idea to post a Malware Bytes and Hijack This log so that someone like AlienRik can advise you.

midgetessa

PHYTHIAN wrote: »

Sounds as though your hosts file has been 'compromised'. Download HostXpert---there's a button where you can restore the MS hosts file to its original state

Can you give me a link to HostXpert?

If I try to google it then I end up being re-directed elsewhere because of the problem.

PHYTHIAN

Sorry, I should have realised that shouldn't I .

Unfortunately, I'm in work at the moment and the sites I would normally use are ' Prohibited'.

Try these links and search the site, hopefully one of them will work for you

www.filehippo.com
www.cnetdownloads.com

Browntoa

Click Here to download HostsXpert
353kb +/- Includes help file (Win 98 through Vista)

midgetessa

Browntoa wrote: »

Click Here to download HostsXpert
353kb +/- Includes help file (Win 98 through Vista)

That link seems not to work.

PHYTHIAN

Thanks Browntoa.

Midgetessa...you could also reboot your computer, Press F8 continually on restart and 'start in safe mode with networking'.

midgetessa

PHYTHIAN wrote: »

Sorry, I should have realised that shouldn't I .

Unfortunately, I'm in work at the moment and the sites I would normally use are ' Prohibited'.

Try these links and search the site, hopefully one of them will work for you

www.filehippo.com
www.cnetdownloads.com

Can't find it on filehippo (which I can get to) and I can't navigate to cnetdownloads....even if I type in the address directly I'm redirected!

midgetessa

PHYTHIAN wrote: »

Thanks Browntoa.

Midgetessa...you could also reboot your computer, Press F8 continually on restart and 'start in safe mode with networking'.

OK, I'm now in 'safe mode with networking' (everything's gone big).

What's the next step or should that have sorted it?


EDIT: still getting rediricted to pointless sites if I try to go to cs downloads.

PHYTHIAN

The 'evrything's gone big' is normal for Safe Mode. You should be able to use your browser as normal and thus be able to download HostsXpert.

midgetessa

PHYTHIAN wrote: »

The 'evrything's gone big' is normal for Safe Mode. You should be able to use your browser as normal and thus be able to download HostsXpert.

OK, so I downloaded it (I think), then I clicked the button for restore Microsoft settings or whatever and some of the text to the right that was on display changed. I closed it and did a search but the same problem persists.

Now that I've downloaded it and closed it I can't find it again (don't know where it exists on my computer!).