Spanish Google page????

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by bgfalconboy, Apr 8, 2008.

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  1. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    When I started up my firefox browser which is set to load the google/firefox start page , all I got was this weird spanish version of some kind, www.google.es or something. I have no idea whats goin there. Anyone else getting this?
     
  2. HURST

    HURST Registered Member

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    that's weird, unless you downloaded a spanish version of firefox.
    Currently there are 2 spanish version i'm aware of, Spain and Argentina.
    Argentinian version has homepage set to google.com.ar.

    Anyways, just change the homepage to google.com

    (www.google.es is legit, it's just a spanish version of google)
     
  3. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    Mine is www.google.be (be = Belgium = België), where I live.
     
  4. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    Well I most certainly did not download a spanish Firefox version. I've been using Firefox for years and have the latest english version. Everything was fine yesterday but today something weird must've happened. I was in logged into google mail a bit earlier , I logged off, and tried doing a search in the google search mini-bar in the top right but nothing would load. I went to my bookmark the firefox/google start page and all I got was google.es for no apparent reason or redirected there in error somehow.

    I hope I didn't accidently get a weird virus when I was looking through my spam folder in google mail earlier. Nothing in my spam folder was threatening enough to contain any viruses though. I tried getting google.com to show up in Opera the latest version and I got nothing but timeout errors.
     
  5. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    *update*

    Another odd thing I noticed too is when I went to Yahoo main page. Everything looks normal except I now notice this option under the search bar. Next the option of searching the web with the check circle the other check circle is for "spain only". Never saw that before that I can remember. Besides that, nothing else looks weird for Yahoo.com
     
  6. HURST

    HURST Registered Member

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    hhmmm
    have you checked your HOSTS file? maybe you are being redirected...
     
  7. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    I no nothing about how to check the HOSTS file but for whatever reason google.com and the firefox start page loads just fine now the way it was before. I did just install a windows update and restarted my computer before connecting online again today. So maybe that "fixed" it.

    Also the weird "spanish only" search option is also gone from yahoo as well.
     
  8. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    Ugh, for some odd reason the stinkin' spanish google start page has returned. I just recently disconnected my internet and connected again in an attempt to find out why tunefeed.com wouldn't let me sign up on the site. Gave me weird error's about my IP not being on their list of approved IP addresses or something to that effect.

    Some one mentioned checking the HOSTS file , since I'm no where near as brilliant as many of you are here please help me out here if this is a possible solution.
     
  9. HURST

    HURST Registered Member

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    mmmm maybe hosts has nothing to do with it, but you could check, just in case.

    assuming you are in XP, go to

    c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc

    there is a file named HOSTS

    open with notepad. It should look like this:



    the lines with # don't do nothing, are just info for the reader.

    the last line, without #, says that 127.0.0.1 is the localhost

    ANY ADITIONAL 127.0.0.1 LINE IS NOT THERE BY DEFAULT, which means, someone added it. As you say you know nothing about HOSTS file, if there is something there, delete it (unless someone else is the machine administrator).

    I recently was redirected to a chinese version of youtube, but it went away after a few days...maybe it's a problem with your ISP.
     
  10. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    Interesting. As far as my ISP, I'm using Sprint's mobile broadband service with a pantech px500 pc card for my internet connection. I wonder if I should add that to my sig.:doubt:
     
  11. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    Holy crap! I just went there as you said and found about a "billion" other 127.0.0.1 entries with bizzare websites next to them.

    I'll try to be more clear here. After the first 127.0.0.1 with local host next to it there's a # sign then this message " start of entries inserted by Spybot-Search & Destroy." After that its a whole slew of 127.0.0.1 entries with bizzare web address after them. I'm I to gather this is my problem? If so I should probably delete all these "other" 127.0.0.1 entries then?


    Also , if I am to delete these other entries , do I just delete the lines in notepad and exit?

    Let me also mentioned that I have since gotten rid of Spybot S&D and went with Spyware Terminator after that.
     
  12. HURST

    HURST Registered Member

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    Ok

    It seems that HOSTS file is legit

    let me explain...

    if a page is there, with the 127.0.0.1 entry, it means that every time you try to go to that page, the browser will go to 127.0.0.1, that means, localhost...or your own computer...as a result, you will not be able to go to that page.

    This is often used by malware, to block AV updates, windows updates, etc...

    but some LEGIT security applications, put KNOWN MALWARE SITES there, so you can't access them and get infected.

    You say you had Spybot S&D, so it seems a legit Hosts file.

    I would not touch it, unless you would like your original hosts file back.

    Anyways, if you decide to add HOSTS file to your security layers, I suggest you to download an updated version, since everyday new bad sites appear.

    you can download MVP HOSTS here:
    http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

    just FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS, its very easy.
     
  13. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    I'll try downloading a new HOSTS file. I did backup my old one with Spyware Blaster 4.0 .
    Ok, since my HOSTS is legit , what else could be causing these redirects to the spanish google page?
     
  14. HURST

    HURST Registered Member

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    I have no idea...:doubt:

    sorry I can't help you on this
     
  15. bgfalconboy

    bgfalconboy Registered Member

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    Ok, I just tried using CCleaner , that did't do anything about the spanish google redirect , but then I tried disconnecting and reconnecting my Sprint broadband connection , reconnecting , restarting FF and there regular US google shows up like its supposed to. Still don't know why I get these redirects though. I may have to do a deep online scan to find out if it could be something else.
     
  16. snowbound

    snowbound Retired Moderator

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  17. sgharris

    sgharris Registered Member

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    I too am having this problem. Just started yesterday. I'm also using Sprint Moblie Broadband with a Pantech PX-500 wireless card.
    Could it be something corrupted with the drivers? I'm just guessing, I don't know diddly about this stuff.
     
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