About:Blank Removal

Thanks Verat...I removed the Search Assistant and the about:blank problem is GONE!!!!!!!!!!!....Thanks

 

About:blank is my home page and I don't have CWS or any spyware. Large numbers of computer users have about:blank as the home page. It has nothing to do with spyware.

I had a Dell field tech over here Monday installing a new modem and he saw that on IE and thought I had spyware!!!

I don't see how a legitimate setting for IE (or any browser) is spyware. I assume the about:blank you all are talking about is something entirely different from the legitimate setting for a browser? If so, I would suggest using some other wording so that the two are not confused.

 

After dealing with this problem for weeks with no luck, this was the simple solution. If you are reading this, save yourself the time by following these instructions.

 

i tried going in safe mode and using adaware. didnt work. this is ****ed. ive tried alot of the solutions posted and nothing is working

 

Yes, but have you tried this:- http://www.pchell.com/support/aboutblank.shtml

and this:- http://www.adwareaway.com/

If it works please let us know.

 

the pchell site will get rid of some of the variants, there are plenty of spyware programs that will remove "about:blank" and they will even scan for free and tell you if you have it. But its just the fact if you want to shell out the money to get the program or would you rather keep searching online for a supposed "free" scan that will remove it.(nothing worthwhile is free)

 

when i click the "link" (hxxp://www.oz.msie.tv) it brings me to this search thing. I barely know how to turn on my computer so i kinda need more help.

I HATE THIS DAMN HOMPAGE!!

 

me omg comon guys i need help i want to get rid of this stupid about:blank

 

me2* that site you guys gave takes me to a search engine

 

I used this.......



To remove about:blank open your browser then go to view source. Look for a string that looks like: res:%43%3a%5c (etc).

Make a copy of the complete string then go to http://www.simplelogic.com/devel oper/urldecode.asp

Paste the string in here and press "clean data" you should get some ***.dll file.
Write it down then shut down your computer and restart it but DO NOT go online yet.

Go into "Find files or folders" type in the ***.dll

when it appears move it to your desktop then delete it (or if you cant then rename it)

and finally scan your computer with any malware scaner e.g adaware
to delete any remaining parts of the program.

Now all you need to do is right click on your browser go into properties delete about:blank and type in what ever your homepage address was and click apply.

 

I'm reviving this post ---- I don't know if anyone cares, but the steps don't go anywhere. Perhaps they've removed the uninstall? If I do exactly what Sage has said, no joy.

Some of the comments in here mention how difficult this thing is to remove.

Here is a fire and forget way.

Run Hijack This, and Fix the about.blank entries, and remove unknown BHOs and filters.

From another profile (log off affected user profile) as admin - navigate to documents and settings\USERID\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

This needs to be done from a command prompt (Start, Run, CMD)
Once there, do a cd content.IE5

Then, type del index.dat

Reboot it.

Run HijackThis again, and remove the about:blank entries and unknown BHOs and filters.

Reboot it.

You should be clean.

 

Realize I'm resurrecting this thread, but it's near the top on Google searches, so I'll post the reply here. Realize I'm not exactly a "frequent" poster, so I'll plop down a simple fix that (so far) has worked for me. The real problem is that there's so many versions of this virus/hijacker, that the standard fix suggested on all of these forums no longer works (search for various .dlls, delete them, etc). Not sure why, but I guess the Russians that hacked that piece of crap together read these forums, too.

Here's what I did (for XP):

1) Install Firefox (or Opera8, or Mozilla).
2) Go to Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs
3) To the left of this screen is an option to "Add/Remove Windows Components". Click it.
4) Scroll down to Internet Explorer.
5) Uncheck it.

Worked for me...so far.

 

Hi all, recently, a friend of mine had this problem, 5 days ago, I made many thing to eliminate it and I couldn´t until I did this:
1.-disable restore
2.-run in this order: spysweeper(found some), hijackthis(all things that terminated with aboutblank),spybot search and destroy(found some), and CWShredder(it found an invisible dll.).
3.-restart the computer(CWShredder asks for it, that´s why I run it the last one.
4.-I did it once more from 1 to 3 (so that I did it twice).
5.-went to internet and there was no problem.(I saw that with one program it is not posible to eliminate it, because it restores itself if a little part of it stays in you PC, so that it is better to use many of them to eliminate all of it´s components, and no program does that in my experience. (I say this because before I run this programs separetly and it didn´t go, for example, I used CWShredder, eliminate the invisible dll, restarted and the problem once more, same for spysweeper and the others, so that I recomend to run all of them and the last one has to be CWShredder, and very important do it two or three times).
Then inable restore.
I hope this works for you.
(My friend didn´t have the uninstaller at add delete, that would be an easyer solution).

 

I have tried another angle.

1. Use the source code from the home page, identify the dll file the hijacker uses.

2. Locate the dll file on your machine, then in either safe mode or floppy boot, edit this file by selecting all then deleting and saving the file. Also do the same with the se.dll.

So far, this has worked for me, as the added programs find their associated dll, and leave the machine alone.

 

Hi. I had this version of CWS that was really tough to get rid of. I believe I got it from one of two different websites, ww*.isohunt.com or ww*.torrentspy.com (I know, I'm basically asking for it if I'm going to sites like that, but, I still think this might help further the cause for fighting adware). My computer has a program called SpySweeper by Webroot on it, and after hitting the sites, 3 notices came up saying 1. that a file "se.dll" in my c:\documents and settings\generic user\local settings\ directory was trying to install itself, and gave me the option to deny it. 2. The IE homepage was trying to change 3. The search pages were trying to change. So, I'd hit deny/remove on all 3 of those, and I would be OK for like 15 seconds, then it would try it again. Using Ad-Aware would pick up a CWS problem, but, it would come right back again. CWShredder found something, and removed it, and never found it again, but I still had the about:blank problem. AboutBuster didn't find anything. And the SpySweeper would find something (but not as much as AdAware) and remove it, but it came right back.

So, I ran all 4 programs, then restarted into Safe Mode. I found that se.dll file that SpySweeper detected, and deleted it. Then, I ran all 4 programs twice in Safe Mode. That found a whole bunch of nasty stuff, and removed it all. Then I restarted normally, ran each program once more, and they didn't find anything. (yeah, it took a while to do this) Now, I appear to have no problems so far, (fingers crossed).

I hope this helps somebody, Peace!

 

I dont see an uninstall software link anywhere on that site? Please help!

 

Hi dhull,

Please see Pieter's post here. Follow those instructions, then followup with posting a HijackThis log at one of spyware removal forums for a more indepth analysis by an experienced spyware Expert, to ensure all traces of the CWS infection is completely removed from your system.

As we no longer provide hijackthis log review at Wilders, you can find a list of sites that still do perform this type of log analysis and system cleaning in this link: ASAP

Two of the larger forums for HijackThis log processing, (meaning they process more log threads each day than many others) are: SpywareInfo.com and CastleCops.com.

Good luck,

snap

 

thank you, I will try that. I bought noadware, claimed to remove all variants of about blank. even sent them a diagnostic log, getting no help from them.
ty again for your reply.

 

Yes! safe mode worked for me too, very simple! Thanks for a hint!

 

Can someone tell me how to get rid of about blank I run microsoft antispyware it finds about blank but does nothin. I cant get rid of it someone tell me how to get rid of it please?

 

The best way is to follow the instructions in snapdragin's #68 reply.



snowbound

 

ty you everyone for posting, i had this problem once before had gotten rid of it and now its back. for those of you who have this problem also, all i have to say is watch where you surf. my husband isn't very web savvy so i am now battling this problem again. i have run almost everyone of the programs listed through out these postings, and i think those of you have run them all one after another in safe mode are onto something. my question is how to find the hidden file. i know that about:blank creates two files one you can find and delete and one you can't. and i remember the first time i did this having to go simplelogic and "cleaning" the string. how do i find the string?

thanks for all the help already listed and hope someone can help with what isn't?

ps microsoft antispyware is a beta program for those who didn't know that and so far i like it. it catches what its supposed to but this hijacker is evil in its self replication

 

please help, this is going to drive me crazy. i have followed every set of instructions given. nothing is working. i can't get home search assistant off of my computer or about:blank. evil evil evil.

 

Yes you can get this off your machine. But you should submit a HijackThis log to a suitable Forum. You can D/L HJT from here:- http://www.spywareinfoforum.com/~merijn/downloads.html

Then have a look at these tutorials:-

http://www.tomcoyote.com/hjt/

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtutorial=42

Then post a log here (but do please read the 'stickies' first):- http://castlecops.com/f67-Hijackthis_Spyware_Viruses_Worms_Trojans_Oh_My.html