Is Yahoo Or Some-One Messing With Your Computer ?

**gulp** · February 14th, 2004, 15:04

Hi,

I was browsing web-sites based on Jodie Foster biography. Suddenly I notice 2 icons on my desktop. One is "Music" and the other "Online Loans".

Now, when I click these 2 icons, IE5 opens 2 windows which opens to :

http://www.webforhumans.com/Music+Licence.ihtml

and :

http://www.webforhumans.com/Loans+Online.ihtml

Now, before the 2 pages can fully load, I check my browser' status bar and see it says :

connecting to site connecting to site 211.91.112.219

and then that changes to :

connecting to site cc.aboutclicker.com

and then finally the page loads but the web-page addresses are not cc.aboutclicker.com as they redirect to :

http://www.webforhumans.com/Music+Licence.ihtml

and :

http://www.webforhumans.com/Loans+Online.ihtml

So, what is your conclusion ?

I think that :

http://www.cc.aboutclicker.com

is the culprit which downloaded and installed these 2 icons on my computer with-out my permission or knowledge.
And when I click these 2 icons, http://www.cc.aboutclicker.com redirects me to
http://www.webforhumans.com so that they remain anonymous from me so that I cannot make any complaints to them. And maybe too that, http://www.cc.aboutclicker.com wants me to blame http://www.webforhumans.com ?

But, now when I click the 2 icons again, I am not taken to :

http://www.webforhumans.com

but to :

http://www.styleclickinc.com/Music+Licence.ihtml
http://www.idgsearch.com/Loans+Online.ihtml

Note that, these new 2 pages still show the same kind of web-pages even though their urls are different.

Now, my IE5 browser was set to open to no home-page.
On :
Tools > Internet Options > Address
I had in the past set it to : about :blank

I did this so that, when I open my browser, it opens to a blank page.
But today after those 2 icons have been presnt on my desktop, even though the setting is the same, every-time I open my browser it opens to a page full of links (search-engine) with-out a search-box. And there is no name of the site.
Nothing. No domain name mentioned either.
I think they did this so we cannot know who the culprit is.
I think it is an affiliate of a pay per click search-engine.
This affiliate presents me with pay per click links which he got from a pay per click search-engine and wants me to search on it so that he earns money per each click.

So, how is this possible ?
How can my browser setting show :
about:blank
but still open to a page whose url never shows-up on the browser abd shows a page full of links ?
Also, when I hover my mouse over the links to see the urls of the links to establish the domain name so I can see to whom it belongs this web-page, nothing shows-up on my browser' status bar. The culprit has hidden his links' urls from the browser' status bar.

Anyway, when I click on any of those links, (say shopping) I can see on my browser' status bar saying this :

connecting to site 211.91.112.219

and then that changes to :

connecting to site http://www/cc.aboutclicker.com

and then finally the page loads but the web-page address is not :

http://www.cc.aboutclicker.com

but it is :

http://www.webforhumans.com/Shopping.ihtml

Maybe, http://www.again cc.aboutclicker.com redirects me to :

http://www.webforhumans.com/

Anyway, when I type :

http://www.cc.aboutclicker.com

to contact them to stop this nonsense, I am taken to http://www.yahoo.com !!!

Please check it out yourself.
Type :

http://www.cc.aboutclicker.com

and see if you are taken to http://www.yahoo.com.

I am getting really annoyed, right now.
It seems some-body is messing with my computer.
They are automatically changing my browser' home-page setting from blank to their page full of links which when I click will earn them money and they cleverly show on my browser setting that my browser is not set to their web-site or any web-sitae at-all but to :

about :blank

Now 2 days ago I faced another problem which I encountered which I am still encountering, with IE5.
The problem was that ever-time I open IE5, I get an error message twice.
(I still get it). It says :
"This program performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists contact the vendor"
and then it does open IE5 !

Anyway, last night, when I tried to un-install IE5 on the ADD/REMOVE last night,
it pops up the following 3 options :

Add a component
Repair IE
Restore the previous windows configuration

When I checked the 2nd option and re-started my computer after I was promopted to do so, the problem still remained.
I did not choose the last option just incase my windows settings change and I lose all my files and folders and documents from the hard-drive.
What the hell can I do ?
I am gonna download adaware and get to the bottom of this !
Also, I am gonna contact yahoo and ask for them to explain why
cc.aboutclicker is messing with my computer and why is cc.aboutclicker.com pointing to yahoo.com.
Maybe, yahoo is using their crookery service to attract more traffic ?
Why do not you try typing :

http://www.cc.aboutclicker.com

to confirm what I am claiming ?

Thanks

**Wojtek** · February 14th, 2004, 21:51

gulp is back!

ad aware

**tandoc** · February 14th, 2004, 21:53

possibly the next leamhost?

**Conscript** · February 14th, 2004, 22:04

definitley spyware...

Microsoft should really plug the holes in their OS/Browser that allow this sort of stuff.

**Webdude** · February 14th, 2004, 22:17

http://www.safer-networking.org/

It removes such spyware. Some spyware will re-instate their start page everytime you close IE. Not only does this program remove almost all of such things, it can even lock that setting in IE so that it CANT be changed....by any user or program..

Actually, screw it. I have written a number of registry files. Create a text file named homepage.txt. Copy the text below into it and save. Rename the file to homepage.reg. Set your homepage to what you want it to be. Now double click the reg file you just made and let it enter into your registry. Your homepage setting will now be locked..

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel]
"HomePage"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel]
"HomePage"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Policies\Explorer]
"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

**MATRIX** · February 14th, 2004, 22:40

Originally posted by Wojtek
gulp is back!
ad aware

Spam Aware

**darkcurves** · February 15th, 2004, 03:28

Wrong forum. How come there are so many computer related threads here suddenly.

**CareBear** · February 15th, 2004, 04:47

Originally posted by Conscript
definitley spyware...

Microsoft should really plug the holes in their OS/Browser that allow this sort of stuff.

Most spyware is something that you (un)knowingly install yourself. That makes it your fault, not the OS'es.

**GregT** · February 15th, 2004, 05:28

Clean it with Adaware, and start using a browser that is actually secure.

http://mozilla.org

Download FireFox.

**CareBear** · February 15th, 2004, 07:08

Originally posted by CoRN
Clean it with Adaware, and start using a browser that is actually secure.

http://mozilla.org

Download FireFox.

How is it more secure than IE as far as spyware is concerned?

**gulp** · February 15th, 2004, 08:54

is anyone gonna help me or what ?

**Robert** · February 15th, 2004, 09:07

Why in the name of my God do you write such long threads? WHo wants to read all of that all the time?

**CareBear** · February 15th, 2004, 09:36

Originally posted by gulp
is anyone gonna help me or what ?

People gave you several suggestions on what to do so far already. It doesn't help if you split one problem out over 5 threads. What all have you tried so far?