Whilst web-browsing last night I had some shitty site install some sort of browser hijack stuff on my PC.

I've run Ad-Aware twice and I think I have rid myself of most of it, but my desktop has a HTML document with a spyware removal link on top of the desktop image and under the icons, and I can't work out how to remove it.

This is causing CPU usage to spike slightly all the time. Deleting the HTML document doesn't help, this just causes my desktop to flash. The link is for a program called SmartSecurity. I can't find the program that is doing this, can anyone offer help?

spybot search and destroy may be able to remove it?....i use that and ad aware to keep my PC clean of shite

http://www.thetechguide.com/forum/index ... opic=10600

looks like a shitty one

Try a program called HijackThis. Be careful not to delete more then you need.

Thanks sparhawk, the tip on that forum has got my desktop back to normal.

I ran Ad-Aware again as well as Spybot (thanks Bassline) and all seems okay now, I'm not getting any pop-ups or redirections or anything else unusual.

did this thing hijack you via IE? or do you use a different browser?...and do you have ad-watch monitoring changes while your PC is on?...just curious if these where beaten in the way to hijack your desktop.

Just read the stories in the techguide site: BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAaaaaaa

I love windoze. I would never use it unless you remove 99% of my brain, but reading stories about ppl who reinstalled everything because they could not remove some malware ist just too funny.

nice to see you're not one to gloat about running linux

Yes, I was using IE to view AMG and forgot to switch back to Firefox whilst searching for something else.

I have AntiVir constantly monitoring my PC, but it didn't see it.

@wargand, don't over state things mate, its only people who either don't know better, or should, that have these kinds of problems.

Its not like linux is god (not doesn't exist, but perfect ), infact it may not be as unstable as windows (that doesn't mean it isn't bug ridden, even if its to a hugely lesser extent), but it totally makes up for it in terms of poor interface and poor HCI on every distro I've ever battled with. I mean are you claiming that its as simple to use as windows for novice users? I know your not, but this is why these people use windows, because other distros are so poorly designed that you need course in how to understand them and the goal is a reward of lesser value than the effort for these people. I still have my battles with fedora every weekday thanks to uni, and I know what I'm doing

Its a trade off, whether you want stability and effort, or whether you want compatability, interface and usability at the expense of stability and cost. Its a bit obnoxious to assume otherwise, that either one is infalable. I have to say, that I want both sets of criteria, and no os has yet provided it all, they hardly come close.

For ease of use i'd go with windows ever time, for a server, or an always the same tasks setup, linux is the best choice as its a pain in the ass to setup, but once it is little problems.

That said, if your an idiot, you'll break both... infact you probably won't since linux is unapproachable as a system without extensive training for these people.

I don't get into this kind of crap on windows cos I know what I'm doing (allegedly ). Its laughable to suggest otherwise, since well, its grounded only in your mind as a linux user. Sure I get an error once every couple of months, but its always my fault at the end of the day... if it isn't its hardware failure and that cripples any os, so its hardly winXP fault... okay not all the time

If someone uses a crap program, then they should expect crap in return. IE was abandoned after it won the browser wars, if you still use it you deserve everything.

Never said that and never would.

It might even have more bugs than Windoze, who knows? Fact seems to be that it is much better designed that those bugs rarely matter.

This is something I absolutely don't understand. Windoze seems to be easier than Linux. When you don't have enough knowledge of Linux you won't get far (though this isn't quite true anymore with modern distributions), if you don't have enough knowledge of Windoze, you are proud part of a bot-net, host of dozends of virusses and/or major part in SPAM distribution, though it appears to run fine.

I don't agree. The amount of initial learning is not that much different for Linux and Windoze. You just don't notice it because you usually get your Windoze preinstalled and preconfigured. Give a newbie a Linux package and a Windoze package to install on a naked computer. There won't be a difference. And in terms of rewarding, I find Linux (Unix) knowledge much more rewarding than M$-Knowledge. I first came into contact with Linux ~1992. Almost everything I learned then is still valid. What can you do today with DOS 6.2 knowledge? Windoze 3.1? 9x? With my Linux knowledge I can more or less relax after some learning efforts. Windozer have to be constantly on guard to learn about new malware.

Don't know fedora. But I often hear that it is not as simple and buf free as one would like it. I use Gentoo. Somewhat steep learning curve, but now maintainance is a breeze.

Really strange than someone really believes that Windoze is easier to use. Just go to the forum in the link above and read about their problems. It is not easier.

If you get your Linux preinstalled like most people do, the usually have less problems with Linux. I installed it for my mother and several older friends. They would never return to Windoze. They use firefox, OpenOffice, they can use their scanners, their printers und they can donload their pictures from their digicams. They don't need more. If they want games: No problem. Dual-boot with Windoze, but not net-access. Hey, I am not a fanatic. There are some fields where Windoze has advantages, but none of them involves the internet.

It all boils down to what we know, when I was at school we used RM Nimbus for a bit, then we went onto using systems with early versions of Windows, never once came across Linux or the like.

Everyperson I know in the real world uses MS, I honestly do not know 1 single person who uses Linux. Every single first time user I have come across has started on Windows, it is all they know, I tweak em up, set up a bit of security and they tend to cruise along with very few problems, and any problems they do get I can fix fairly quickly.

80% of the users I know just do a little surfing, a little gaming, maybe a bit of word precessing, Linux would just be totally beyond them.

As you know Wargand I tried Linux, I perservered with it for a while, I was getting the hang of it, but the non PC literate users in the house just could not get used to the change, it was just too diferent. And remember all the shit I had with Linux locking up everytime I moved the mouse to the right side of the screen? That all boiled down to Linux seeing the onboard grafix card and insisting on activating it, and no matter how many times I told it not to use it and also not to try to set up dual display, it always would at the next boot.

The biggest problem was that no matter who I asked, all these Linux gurus and support sites, not one person suggested it could have been the onboard grafix, I was basically left to figure it out myself. I know you tried to help and it was much appreciated.

Now I have a new rig, may give Linux a go again on a dual boot, I will PM ya buddy.

But this is it. Everybody starts with Windoze. At one time they simply forget how difficult it was at the beginning. When my mother bought herselve the first time a computer, she of course used Windoze. She could do nothing. She did not know how to double-click, she did not know how to get into the internet, she did not know when and how to save. When I mad e a backup I found letters in /system/win32/what_the_devil. Do you think this could have been worse with Linux? Give a computer illiterate a clean computer and a box Windoze and a box Linux there won't be a noticeable difference.


Absolutely not. I installed Linux for my mother. All she want to do is a little surfing, a little gaming (a very little) and a load of word processing. Because she got it preinstalled with a minimum course by me she can use it as good as Windoze. But she cannot save her stuff through the whole system, she is save from dialers, viruses and nearly 100% worms.


With KDE or GNOME the difference is not that much anymore. But of course, you are very limited regarding games. I never say or said Linux is perfect. It is in 99% the better choice over Windoze, but somethings still can be better done with Windoze.


Actually I am still not sure what really happened. Must be a very strange hardware setting/combination. Usually I expect that an onboard grafic card disables itself automatically when you insert a real one. But yes, there are hardware combinations, which make problems, which cannot be solved. If you have one of those, bad luck. Fortunately this gets better and better. The last problem was a WLAN card, which did not work. And don't bee disappointed from the 'Linux gurus'. They are only gurus, if they'd know everything they'd be called 'Linux gods'


Just seen you pm, will answer soon

Maybe some of it is the fact they want a PC to work, not have to spend too long learning to use it, and Windows is what ppl know. I can understand them not wanting to spend weeks getting used to XP, then spending weeks once again learning there way around Linux.



Perhaps things would be different if Linux came on PC's, but you just do not see them in high street shops. If my first PC had come with Linux installed no doubt I would still be using it now. As for viruses and the like, I have learned that many new users still have the stupid "it won't happen to me" attitude, and guess who they call when there PC catches fire? Yep, me, and I charge em cos I warned em. SO window being shit with viruses is cool for me

Part of there hostility may actually be my fault, I do not like ppl digging around in my PC, so there contact with PC's has been very limited, however they now have there own PC, my old one, so this situation may actually soon be rectified. I have told em if they shag it up then I will assist them in repairs, but not do it all myself, so maybe they will learn a little more.


I actually came to the conclusion it was more a case of bad luck than a fault with Linux, just a dodgy hardware combo as you say, my new system is much better built, I built this one myself LOL