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Can't get to "Google"! What gives?!?!?! (1 Viewer)

Scooter

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Got this message...

"Are you trying to get to Google?
Your computer is running software that doesn’t allow you to use Google"

Anyone know what's up with this????
 

NickSo

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Sounds like spyware... Do you have Lavasoft Adaware? Run the latest reference file of that and see if it finds anything.
 

John_Berger

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That's ridiculous. It very much sounds like your web traffic to Google is being hijacked somehow. I'll back up Nick that you have something installed that probably shouldn't be.
 

Henry Gale

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Here's the message, I got it too. Something seems fishy here, why are none of these addresses part of GOOGLE?

Jim


Are you trying to get to Google?
Your computer is running software that doesn’t allow you to use Google.
You’re seeing this page because your computer is trying to send you to a website that is pretending to be Google. Over the past few weeks, you may have seen a website that looks like Google, but launches pop-up windows and does not work like Google. That page is not affiliated with Google in any way and is intended to deceive you.

Why is this happening?
Most likely a program was installed on your computer automatically and without your knowledge when you downloaded an otherwise harmless piece of software. Or you may have been tricked into clicking on a disguised download button while visiting a website.

What can I do about it?
This problem can be fixed fairly easily, but will require that you make changes in a file that is part of your computer’s operating system. You should always be cautious when making these kinds of adjustments, as they may affect the performance of your computer. If you are not comfortable doing this yourself, you may want to print out this page and show it to someone whose technical knowledge you trust.

What steps do I take?
The first step is to remove the entry for Google from your hosts file. This entry is telling your computer where to send your computer instead of to Google.

In Windows, open the Notepad program. You can do this by going to the Start menu in the lower left of your screen, selecting “Programs,” then “Accessories,” then “Notepad.”

In the Notepad menu, click on “File,” then “Open.” You will see a new window asking which file to open. You may need to change "Files of type" to "All Files" instead of "Text Documents". The actual file to open is listed below:

If your computer is running Windows XP, Window NT, or Windows 2000, the file is located in the folder found by following this path:

My Computer >Local Disk(C) >Windows >System32 >Drivers >etc >hosts

If your computer is running Windows 98, Second Edition or Windows ME, the file is located in the folder found by following this path:

My Computer >Local Disk(C) >Windows >hosts

Once you have opened this file, remove entirely any line of text that contains “google.com”, “www.google.com” or other Google domains (such as “google.co.uk”). To remove the text, highlight it by dragging your pointer across the line while holding down the mouse button. Once the text is highlighted, hit the Backspace or Delete button, then save the file by going to the File menu and clicking “Save.” You can now exit Notepad.

What else can I do?
You might want to try software that attempts to detect and uninstall programs like this one. While we do not have a relationship with anyone who offers this software and we cannot endorse a particular product, the most popular programs for doing this seem to be Spybot Search and Destroy and LavaSoft's AdAware. The particular program affecting your computer is relatively new, so these products might not be able to detect and repair this type of problem yet.

The next step is to learn more. You can visit http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/ to review information about a number of known self-installing software programs. Several articles on the web may be helpful, such as

· http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...172507212.html
· http://news.com.com/2100-1023-877568.html
· http://news.com.com/2100-1023-257592.html

Investigate individual programs using search engines. Try keywords such as "spyware," "scumware," and "adware."
Once you’re informed, take action. Help your family and friends avoid these annoying programs. If you can find the site that installed this software on your computer, let them know how you feel about it. You might also want to track down companies that benefit from having your web visits redirected, and share your feelings with them.

Finally, it's quick and easy to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This U.S. government agency handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/ and click on "File a Complaint Online", or call 1-877-FTC-HELP. Or write to:

Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C. 20580

If your complaint is against a company in another country, you can file it at http://www.econsumer.gov/.
 

Henry Gale

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Worse than I thought, I'm actually gonna have to deal with this!
Deleted Google from my desktop for now and went to ALTA VISTA just to have some search engine....but Noooooo.


Are you looking for a search engine?
If you are seeing this page, it is because you have downloaded a malicious program that is keeping you from visiting the page you intended.

Please visit the following URL for information on fixing this problem:

http://www.tweakxp.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3367
 

Henry Gale

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So, are these instructions a booby trap, part of the virus, the end of life as I know it.....you know, .. CHAOS?

Jim
 

Dave F

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TweakXP is reliable. The instructions are sound, although they treat the symptom, not the illness. The instructions recommend deleting the hosts file, which is usually blank anyway. The real problem though is that something has altered the hosts file, and the instructions don't help with that part.

So, delete (or better yet, rename) the hosts file, and as others have recommended, run AdAware and Spybot.

-Dave
 

BrianB

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In the second post of this thread, NickSo said what to do - run AdAware & see what it says.
 

DaveGTP

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Adaware is an easy way to purge this kind of spyware crap off a system. Download the demo and run it, and reboot. Although we had an about.com search popup we could not get rid of at work. Ended up restaging the PC to get rid of it.
 

Robt_Moore

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Feb 27, 2002
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I just fixed this problem for someone today.

In your Windows folder, there are two files "hosts" and "HOSTS.SAM". I renamed them *.old and made two new dummy files (using notepad). Went online to check that everything worked OK, deleted the old host files that were renamed. Then updated Spybot, immunized, locked the host files. Made $25 for a few minutes work.
 

Cees Alons

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Robt,

HOSTS.SAM is a sample file that does nothing.
John Berger correctly stated that the HOSTS file should contain
127.0.0.1 localhost
(and, therefore, not be a dummy)
or else the PC (i.e. Windows) no longer works as it should in all cases.

Cees
 

Kimmo Jaskari

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There is a new worm/trojan out there now that will alter DNS settings on machines as well and cause trouble and make you go to web pages you don't want to visit.

Anyone of you who are vulnerable to these things, for heavens sake go to Windowsupdate already and download patches already. Nobody gets these unless they have unpatched security holes in Internet Explorer, and I mean widely publicized holes that have been fixed for weeks and months with the proper patches.

If you're too lazy to patch at least once a week, switch browsers to Opera or Mozilla.
 

Ted Lee

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deleted - i'm in the wrong thread. kimmo - if you got this i apologize. you weren't directing this at me...
 

Kimmo Jaskari

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Reading my post now a day later it seems a bit... abrupt. :) Still, since I work with computers and have to worry about viruses and trojans daily I tend to get a bit paranoid - and grumpy about unpatched machines running without antivirus software.
 

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