Loss of Explorer 8

[Peter Ellis]

Recently I had a message about changing my Internet default to another

supplier. I did not make a change and, at first, there were no changes.

However, halfway during the day my connection stopped working.



I couldn't trace the program in my system so I can't un-install and when I

try to install again am advised that I already have the Explorer 8.



Perhaps I've lost the link on the Start lisitng.



How can I get the Explorer back - with Google Chrome which I am now using -

I do not get the page layout I am used to and favourites are nowhere to be

found.

 

[Jeff Strickland]

"Peter Ellis" wrote in message

news:4D72DCC5-A13B-4814-8BDF-86D342E451D2@microsoft.com...

> Recently I had a message about changing my Internet default to another

> supplier. I did not make a change and, at first, there were no changes.

> However, halfway during the day my connection stopped working.

>

> I couldn't trace the program in my system so I can't un-install and when I

> try to install again am advised that I already have the Explorer 8.

>

> Perhaps I've lost the link on the Start lisitng.

>

> How can I get the Explorer back - with Google Chrome which I am now

> using -

> I do not get the page layout I am used to and favourites are nowhere to be

> found.



Click START>PROGRAMS and scroll the list to Internet Explorer. Hold the CTRL

Key while you drag IE to the Desktop.

 

[Leonard Grey]

You are very likely describing the results of a malware infection.



When you see a window like that, you must be careful not to click on it

-- even if it has an 'X' or some other button which claims to close the

window. The safe way to dismiss a window like that is through Task Manager.

---

Leonard Grey

Errare humanum est



Peter Ellis wrote:

> Recently I had a message about changing my Internet default to another

> supplier. I did not make a change and, at first, there were no changes.

> However, halfway during the day my connection stopped working.

>

> I couldn't trace the program in my system so I can't un-install and when I

> try to install again am advised that I already have the Explorer 8.

>

> Perhaps I've lost the link on the Start lisitng.

>

> How can I get the Explorer back - with Google Chrome which I am now using -

> I do not get the page layout I am used to and favourites are nowhere to be

> found.

 

[Rob]

Leonard Grey wrote:

> You are very likely describing the results of a malware infection.



You mean the recent KB976002 malware?

 

[Peter Ellis]

Jeff



I tried this but when I access it - the small blue circle is seen for a few

seconds then nothing.



Looking at the properties it advises that the program is in C:\program

files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe. When I open the file location it goes

to iexplore An Application but by clicking on this I get message windows does

not recognise this type of file extension.



How can I remove any malware - I use Microsoft Security Essentials.

"Jeff Strickland" wrote:



>

> "Peter Ellis" wrote in message

> news:4D72DCC5-A13B-4814-8BDF-86D342E451D2@microsoft.com...

> > Recently I had a message about changing my Internet default to another

> > supplier. I did not make a change and, at first, there were no changes.

> > However, halfway during the day my connection stopped working.

> >

> > I couldn't trace the program in my system so I can't un-install and when I

> > try to install again am advised that I already have the Explorer 8.

> >

> > Perhaps I've lost the link on the Start lisitng.

> >

> > How can I get the Explorer back - with Google Chrome which I am now

> > using -

> > I do not get the page layout I am used to and favourites are nowhere to be

> > found.

>

> Click START>PROGRAMS and scroll the list to Internet Explorer. Hold the CTRL

> Key while you drag IE to the Desktop.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> .

>

 

[Peter Ellis]

Rob,



How can I remove such malware. I use Microsoft Security Essentials which

has prevented other other invasions



Peter



"Rob" wrote:



> Leonard Grey wrote:

> > You are very likely describing the results of a malware infection.

>

> You mean the recent KB976002 malware?

> .

>

 

[Rob]

Peter Ellis wrote:

> Rob,

>

> How can I remove such malware. I use Microsoft Security Essentials which

> has prevented other other invasions

>

> Peter

>

> "Rob" wrote:

>

>> Leonard Grey wrote:

>> > You are very likely describing the results of a malware infection.

>>

>> You mean the recent KB976002 malware?



It is official malware from Microsoft.

It has the same characteristics as most malware:



- it performs functions you do not want

- it is installed accidentally, often without your explicit permission,

or by tricking you into a choice you really did not want to make

- it cannot be removed by the end-user



Only in this case it is sent by Microsoft. So it will not be stopped

by Microsoft Security Essentials.



I think you will have to live with this. Read the instructions the

program presents to you and select a browser you want to use. And hope

that the nagscreen won't be coming back all the time.



(rumour has it that it won't do that when you select another browser

than IE, e.g. Firefox or Google Chrome)

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

"Peter Ellis" wrote in message

news:4D72DCC5-A13B-4814-8BDF-86D342E451D2@microsoft.com...

> Recently I had a message about changing my Internet default to another

> supplier. I did not make a change and, at first, there were no changes.

> However, halfway during the day my connection stopped working.





Perhaps your Home page changed? Use Internet Options to change it back to

About:Blank. Then retry. If you can't start IE normally then, you can

try No Add-ons mode. E.g. Run... (press Win-R and enter



iexplore.exe -nohome -extoff





>

> I couldn't trace the program in my system so I can't un-install and when I

> try to install again am advised that I already have the Explorer 8.





That could just be a deficiency in your Windows Explorer search setup. In

order to guarantee that something is not there I would use an elevated

Command Prompt (aka Administrator cmd window) in which you would enter these

commands:



cd /d c:\

and

dir/a/b/s iexplore.exe



That's assuming that you would expect to find it on the C: drive of course.

Change the drive letter in the first command if you have other drives or

partitions that you want to search as well.



>

> Perhaps I've lost the link on the Start lisitng.





That's possible. Right-click the STart menu's Start button and use

Properties, Customize... I'm on W7 ATM but I think that's where you can

find it. In that case it is also necessary to have IE checked in the

Control Panel's Add Remove Program's Add Remove Windows Components tool.

E.g. read the help description when you select that item.





>

> How can I get the Explorer back - with Google Chrome which I am now

> using -

> I do not get the page layout I am used to and favourites are nowhere to be

> found.





Perhaps Google changed to your default browser? Check with the Set

Defaults tool, also accessed via the Control Panel's Add Remove Programs

applet if you don't have it in your Start menu.





Good luck



Robert Aldwinckle

---

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Always state your full Windows version (e.g., WinXP SP3; WinXP 64-bit SP2;

Vista SP1; Vista 64-bit SP2; Win7; Win7 64-bit) as well as your IE version

when posting in an IE-specific forum or newsgroup. Please do so in your next

reply.



By "changing [your] Internet default to another supplier" do you mean that

you installed Chrome and it's become your default browser now?



When (approx. date) did you install Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE)?



What anti-virus application was installed before you installed MSE, was your

subscription still current, and did you uninstall it before you installed

MSE?



Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on the

computer (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought

it)?



[MSE Support Forums:

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/mse]



Applicable?...



Can I install MSE to clean up my already-infected computer?

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/msescan/thread/87058857-d181-4019-a723-efd9a49d9275

--

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002







Peter Ellis wrote:

> Recently I had a message about changing my Internet default to another

> supplier. I did not make a change and, at first, there were no changes.

> However, halfway during the day my connection stopped working.

>

> I couldn't trace the program in my system so I can't un-install and when I

> try to install again am advised that I already have the Explorer 8.

>

> Perhaps I've lost the link on the Start lisitng.

>

> How can I get the Explorer back - with Google Chrome which I am now

> using -

> I do not get the page layout I am used to and favourites are nowhere to be

> found.