jim909
04-17-2004, 04:16 AM
There is a very long thread about “iSearch” in this forum (http://forums.designtechnica.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4055&perpage=20&pagenumber=1) covering this topic, but it is a pain to read through it all. Here is my synopsis:
Problem:
“iSearch” is malware/spyware that can infect your computer just by visiting a website. You do NOT need to agree to its installation, it just appears like an unwanted zit in IE. It creates a new toolbar in IE that you can’t get rid of by conventional methods; that is, the IE toolbar options become nonfunctional and it doesn’t appear in Add/Remove programs etc. It may also (almost certainly) do other things such as blocking you from certain sites, changing your homepage etc. Some of these secondary problems may be caused from using the “removal tool” that the people who infected you with the damn thing provide.
Solution(s):
1) IF you are using XP or ME (or have some other form of “GoBack” software) and you have system restore running the easiest solution (and probably the safest) is to just try going to a restore point before you got infected. You should notice it quickly since the toolbar is very obvious in IE, and thus not have to go too far back in time. This worked well for me, removing the toolbar and leaving the machine operating as it did before. But there are still a number of references ( ~ 75 ) to iSearch in the registry - I'm not sure what, if anything, I'm going to do about those as they may be irrelevent.
2) If you don’t have system restore, or don’t have it running, you will need to either manually edit the registry (and maybe the Hosts file) or try some type of removal tool.
--- As to fixing the registry manually - see the original thread linked above.
Removal tools:
--- http://toolbar.isearch.com/uninstall/ - this is provided by the people at iSearch. For some people it appears to have worked fine, not so good for other people – see the long thread. Personally, I wouldn’t trust these SOBs. They are the problem, not the solution.
--- “cwshredder” and/or “hijackthis” – you can find these using Google etc. If you can’t get to the pages it may be that iSearch is blocking you. Look in the long thread for the poster “TNT THUMBS” for suggested alternate links to get these free apps.
--- http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ - if system restore didn’t work and you don’t want to wade through the registry manually this is the program ( AdAware ) that I would suggest trying first. It is free, is simple to use and has been around for a long time maintaining a generally positive reputation. Once again iSearch may stop you from going to the website, just download it elsewhere. WARNING: once you install it you absolutely need to get the latest update(s) in order for it to be effective. This can be done easily from the main AdAware interface.
Good luck,
Jim909
PS: please keep replies to a minimum in this tread (use the long one) since the whole point is to provide only a quick overview. Obviously any corrections, etc would be appreciated.
Problem:
“iSearch” is malware/spyware that can infect your computer just by visiting a website. You do NOT need to agree to its installation, it just appears like an unwanted zit in IE. It creates a new toolbar in IE that you can’t get rid of by conventional methods; that is, the IE toolbar options become nonfunctional and it doesn’t appear in Add/Remove programs etc. It may also (almost certainly) do other things such as blocking you from certain sites, changing your homepage etc. Some of these secondary problems may be caused from using the “removal tool” that the people who infected you with the damn thing provide.
Solution(s):
1) IF you are using XP or ME (or have some other form of “GoBack” software) and you have system restore running the easiest solution (and probably the safest) is to just try going to a restore point before you got infected. You should notice it quickly since the toolbar is very obvious in IE, and thus not have to go too far back in time. This worked well for me, removing the toolbar and leaving the machine operating as it did before. But there are still a number of references ( ~ 75 ) to iSearch in the registry - I'm not sure what, if anything, I'm going to do about those as they may be irrelevent.
2) If you don’t have system restore, or don’t have it running, you will need to either manually edit the registry (and maybe the Hosts file) or try some type of removal tool.
--- As to fixing the registry manually - see the original thread linked above.
Removal tools:
--- http://toolbar.isearch.com/uninstall/ - this is provided by the people at iSearch. For some people it appears to have worked fine, not so good for other people – see the long thread. Personally, I wouldn’t trust these SOBs. They are the problem, not the solution.
--- “cwshredder” and/or “hijackthis” – you can find these using Google etc. If you can’t get to the pages it may be that iSearch is blocking you. Look in the long thread for the poster “TNT THUMBS” for suggested alternate links to get these free apps.
--- http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ - if system restore didn’t work and you don’t want to wade through the registry manually this is the program ( AdAware ) that I would suggest trying first. It is free, is simple to use and has been around for a long time maintaining a generally positive reputation. Once again iSearch may stop you from going to the website, just download it elsewhere. WARNING: once you install it you absolutely need to get the latest update(s) in order for it to be effective. This can be done easily from the main AdAware interface.
Good luck,
Jim909
PS: please keep replies to a minimum in this tread (use the long one) since the whole point is to provide only a quick overview. Obviously any corrections, etc would be appreciated.