[Jack Simth]

Originally posted by Instar:
Not to change directions but dang, this WinShow browser hijack is still around *after* repeated removals (manually unregistering its files and deleteing them, to using Ad Aware 6).
I don't know how it keeps coming back... I'm really pissed at 8ad.com and 00hq.com
People like that make me sick... especially since I *never* agreed to use their software. I wonder if my startup items were modified to get the latest crapware from them.

I think my machine once had something similar - it turns out it was an HTML virus (or something - I just got rid of it, I didn't look at it). Virus scanners didn't catch it. It seems whenever you open certain browsers, it runs html files in certain locations - check your root directory (plural if you use more than one,) your Windows (I'm assuming it's Windows) directory, Program files, and the directory your browser runs in. The thing buried itself on my computer, changed the permissions on for Internet Options so I couldn't mess with them directly, and set my homepage to some website or another. Every time I opened my browser, it ran (either from the page it set my homepage to or through the stored Version) and put everything back the way the virus wanted it. I fixed the permissions through Control Panel, deleted the HTML by hand, and set my homepage back from a bookmark I keep for that purpose. That bug hasn't been back since. However, yours might be something trickyer. What worked for me might not work for you.

Also, you may want to check your startup menu - most of the stuff in there is usually pretty worthless, so go ahead and get rid of it by renaming the directory (usually C:\WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp) to something else - ...\Programs\DisabledStartup, perhaps - to allow revcovery of anything you actually want to start up on startup (for example, I've got a remote control utility for the TV tuner installed into my machine; that, I do want).