Lost Video Island

Brooke · Expert Vidder Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 24129

I thought I'd ask you guys; I trust you all compared to forums with strange people I've never met before telling me to uninstall that and install this.

Okay; so recently I noticed Firefox as using a new search engine; which was powered by 'Googl'e called MyWebSearch; I don't like it; it's not a decent search engine; not like google. So I went online to try to figure out how to remove it when I read several places it was a virus.

That is the last fucking thing I need right now. I JUST got this machine back.

So I go to a few websites that are teling me the samething; use 'Hijack This' Never heard of it; wasn't sure I wanted to use it. So I'm using Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware right now.

They also said remove the programs which are a few,

* My Web Search Bar
* My Web Search (Smiley Central or other FWP product as applicable)
* My Web Search (Outlook Express, Outlook, IncrediMail)
* My Way Speedbar (Smiley Central or FWP as applicable)
* My Way Speedbar (Yahoo and AOL Messengers) (for beta users only)
* My Way Speedbar (Outlook Express, Outlook, IncrediMail)
* My Mail Stationary
* Search Assistant - My Way
* Search Assistant - My Web Search
* Fun Web Products Easy Installer
* WeatherBug Companion - powered by MySearch
* Webfetti

But I don't have ANY of these programs on my computer.

It's so frustrating.

I checked 'add/remove' and there not there.

Has anyone heard of this, is it a virus? It's not doing anything weird to my computer; it's searching like Google would just not good enough.

Polarbear · Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:55 pm Post subject:

Hijack this is just for like making a log of your system so people online can diagnose what is wrong. It sounds like you have a mild case of malware on your computer not too serious but it is defintely worth doing a SCAN to get rid of it and check if there are any other nasties lurking about. My favourite program to do this is Spybot and has never let me down: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

Have you checked the addons for firefox? It might be listed there as removable. Click the firefox start button in top left corner and then addons.
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tjmack1986 · Expert Vidder Joined: 30 Mar 2008 Posts: 3436

Have you downloaded any freeware lately? That search bar typically comes accustom with most freeware, and you can usually just say "Do Not Install" when you install the freeware you've downloaded.

However, in some instances the search bar will install anyway, and like Paul said, usually if you look on your addons it'll be lurking there, and just click disable, and ta-da!

As far as it being a virus, I've heard the same thing, but I actually have that tool bar on my computer (my brother has it on his computer) mainly because I'm too lazy to uninstall it, and both of our computers are running fine, my anti-virus hasn't picked it up as a threat, and neither has Malwarebytes... So I'm still iffy on if it's an actual virus.
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Brooke · Expert Vidder Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 24129

Thanks Paul.

That's the Thing, Tammy. It's not harming my computer. I have no problem with it. I almost don't think it is only because I can't find it on my computer; just the internet.

I haven't downloaded anything on this computer. (I just got it back).

Aislynn · Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:24 am Post subject:

Oh, that's so frustrating!

If you haven't downloaded anything that it could have been covertly packed in with, then it might have been left there when they reinstalled everything on your computer. Did they put Firefox on there for you or did you have to go download it yourself?

Anyway, if none of your anti-malware programs like Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware are picking anything up (I can also recommend Spybot as well, I've used it for many years in conjunction with Malwarebytes and it's pretty good at picking up things that other programs might miss

) nor is your anti-virus, then the other thing you can try is just to tell Firefox to stop using that as a search engine. This won't remove MyWebSearch, so if it's malware, it's still going to be there, but if it's simply a matter of that having gotten set as your default search engine, this should fix it. *fingers crossed*

Is it the search bar up next to your URL line that you're talking about is now set to MyWebSearch? If so, you should be able to click the symbol on the search bar itself (it has a little downward pointing arrow on it) and a list of other search engines will unfold. Just pick Google or whatever you want off the list and that should become the default for the search bar.

If it's actually physically stopping you from going to a search engine's page, such as google.com, then that's a whole other problem.

Hope you can get this straightened out ASAP!

Brooke · Expert Vidder Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 24129

The thing is it's powered by google.

So that makes it weird.

I removed it from what you were talking about and it still uses it as a search engine. None of my programs picked it up as adware/virus.

Aislynn · Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:03 am Post subject:

Brooke · Expert Vidder Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 24129

I don't use the side bar. I use the bar uptop...the main bar address bar if that helps.

I went back to my side bar; with the 'Google' and it doesn't appear to have 'MyWebSearch' but it still uses it. But coudl it be becuase I am using the main bar and not the google bar? I'm just SO used to using the main bar and not the toolbars.

(No...no...no. I know the questions help. I appreciate what you are diong.

Than you.

)

Aislynn · Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:09 am Post subject:

Sorry, I had to head out for a bit earlier.

Anyway, here's the top part of my Firefox:

Spoiler:

That bar to the right of the URL line is what I'm calling the search bar. Is that where you're talking about that you type in your search but when you send it, the tab that opens up is still the MyWebSearch one, even though it says Google?

Or do you just type a search directly into the URL line itself? I actually didn't know that was possible *blush* until I ran into it just now while I was looking up this problem but I just found somebody asking this at Yahoo answers:

Polarbear · Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:03 pm Post subject:

Aislynn <3

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/06/06/how-to-change-the-firefox-address-bar-search-provider/

That tells you how to change the address bar.
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Brooke · Expert Vidder Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 24129

I'm not finding it in my add-ons.

Thanks to everyone for their help.

Aislynn · Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:34 am Post subject:

Hey again, Paul, how are you?

Brooke, something else you might try is to uninstall Firefox and then reinstall it, watching to make sure that it's not installing anything you don't want at the same time (in case that was when MyWebSearch came crawling in

). When I had to install Firefox after the virus wiped out my computer a few months ago, it reset my home page to Bing and made Bing my default search provider.

I was able to get them both changed fairly easily, though, once I knew about that pull down search engine thing.

The only other option I've come across is to edit your about:config in Firefox to tell it to stop defaulting to MyWebSearch when you do an address bar search like that.

I can get you the exact instructions on that if you'd like to give it a try, just let me know.

It's also in the link that Paul gave you, though that's instructing you how to make the default search engine anything BUT Google, so you'll need to get the correct Google address to use to replace the MyWebSearch one.

I hope you'll be able to get that to knock it off, that's extremely annoying for something that you didn't want on your computer to be taking over like that!