Gentlemen,

on one of my Vista boxes the internet has turned whacko after the latest patches.

Issue:

The browser takes me to seemingly random pages, always taken from my favorites or history. Sometime it works regular again, then not. The pages however do not contain any type of adult content, clickoramapopupwindowbombs or other usual suspects of browser highjacking.

I wouldn't bother you with this, but how do you enter this issue as a result yielding search string into google?

The chances of virus, worm, trojan... infection are very slim (triple firewalled, double virus checked...).

This computer also has the problem of being frequently unable to connect to the web via the router. All other boxes run well on the same router. So while box.a cannot do anything, all others can happily connect. The number of connected boxes doesn't bother the problem box in terms when and if it decides to work.

Might this be a mysterious DNS issue (all things DNS and network are beyond my grasp)?
I know it sounds harsh, but please no "wipe all and reinstall" suggestions, unless of course you think this is the only real solution.

I'll be happy to provide additional information if necessary.
Thanks in advance.

What browser are you using? Internet Explorer?

If you think something is wrong with the browser itself, you might try running Firefox or Opera just to see if it is in fact Internet Explorer at fault.

I have but "Choo" remedies.

1) When something bad happens, I restart the computer with my fingers crossed.
2) Or, I update the thing that's going wrong with my fingers crossed.
3) I panic with my fingers crossed.
4) I learn to adapt to the thing that's going wrong. With my fingers crossed.
5) I purchase a baseball bat after the problem persists with my fingers crossed.
6) I purchase a new computer after new problems occur with old computer. Fingers stopped crossing at that point.

Other than that, I couldn't find anything on Google that would be helpful.

I suggest trying out a linux live cd, particularly Ubuntu as it has good hardware detection. If the problems occur using the live cd then it's probably a hardware fault.

I'm guessing you're on wireless? If you are, it's going to be a problem with that, I get connection drops for no reason but not the erratic browser shenanigans.

Although with that much security I'd have to agree that the chances your browser was hijacked are a bit slim however never underestimate a lucky scriptkiddie. With that in mind you can try two things.

1. Clear the cache manually (you've probably done this but just in case). Be sure to manually remove it by going to C\Documents and Settings\(User Name)\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files (everything above your user name is going to be a hidden directory)
2. Try a different browser like FireFox3 or Opera and see if those browsers continues to act wacky.

One last thing you might try is simply resetting your internet options to default.

Hi there,

under Vista there exists an option called "Priority & VLAN" which cause a lot of troubles if they are activated and you dont have a gigabit ethernet line.
If they are enabled, i would give it a try and disable them.

rich_is_bored wrote:

What browser are you using? Internet Explorer?

If you think something is wrong with the browser itself, you might try running Firefox or Opera just to see if it is in fact Internet Explorer at fault.

It is an any browser issue. I suspect something DNS (since it works, but everything is getting wrongly directed).

kit89 wrote:

I suggest trying out a linux live cd, particularly Ubuntu as it has good hardware detection. If the problems occur using the live cd then it's probably a hardware fault.

Hardware is fine.

kat wrote:

I'm guessing you're on wireless? If you are, it's going to be a problem with that, I get connection drops for no reason but not the erratic browser shenanigans.

I'm on the wire (LAN). The wireless works fine btw.

Bittoman wrote:

Although with that much security I'd have to agree that the chances your browser was hijacked are a bit slim however never underestimate a lucky scriptkiddie. With that in mind you can try two things.

1. Clear the cache manually (you've probably done this but just in case). Be sure to manually remove it by going to C\Documents and Settings\(User Name)\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files (everything above your user name is going to be a hidden directory)
2. Try a different browser like FireFox3 or Opera and see if those browsers continues to act wacky.

One last thing you might try is simply resetting your internet options to default.

Thanks, went through that as first routine. Even browsers never ever intalled before point to seemingly random sites.

-Reboot your router

-Flush your dns cache:

Code:

ipconfig /flushdns

in the console

-Check DNS lookups on your machine:

Code:

nslookup doom3world.org

in the console

Replace doom3world.org with an URL that is causing you problems...see that the output is consistant. Compare output with a web site that provides DNS lookup for instance http://dns411.com/

'Wipe and reinstall' should not be needed...hopefully.

Check your hosts file to make sure it wasn't hijacked.

**edit**

The linux live CD isn't a bad idea really as it will give you a fresh start to see if for a fact there is something fishy going on. The real boon here is that any rootkits or trojans or other hijacked files can't remain hidden when you're browsing it outside of windows.

I've had this issue too once, turned out it was a flaw in the logitech keyboard driver. There were search buttons in there (never configured those extra buttons) and it turned out that every now and then the logitech software believed I was pressing search/favorites buttons. The result: Seemingly random pages loading from nowhere. :wink:

I'm in the "been there done that" camp.

Nothing anybody suggested here worked. Issue was Windows ITSELF, no hardware or 3rd party software. I proved that with a linux install that worked great.

all you can do is find the folders where the windows updates are stored (Win XP is c:\windows\). In Xp the folders are labeled "$NtUninstallKB873339$". $NTUninstall is in front of them all. KB##### is the update #. When you find those folders, sort by date/time, then find the latest update. Uninstall that one. Reboot. See if problem continues.

Repeat until you work again. But if auto-updates is turned on you'll never know as it will automatically update when you log in.

So make sure those are turned off! Plus, I've had issues when if updates X wasn't installed, update Y would break the system (uggggggggggggggggg). So I stopped getting updates for 2k years ago (maybe 4 or 5).

I'd write down the updates you uninstall, just so you know which one to NOT install. Also, those folders are normally hidden, so do whatever hoops Vista requires you to go through to get those to show.

BTW, for me it was a required update that did this (single to multi-core update when I popped in a X2), so I had to re-install XP anyway.

If you use multiple browsers & keep some exclusive for some things (I only use IE for things that require IE), you may even noticed sites from the others history loading. Really freaky.

Well, in fact it occurred after the last update.

I took some time looking around on the web and as it turns it it's most likely a Vista vs DHCP issue.
People in the network admin league battle this too and it appears to be a black swan - it pops up out of nowhere and sometimes can get resolved, sometimes not.

Solutions range from planets which have to line up over manually typing down endless config files to rebooting "till it works". I fear I'll be rebooting till it works, eventually when a reboot aligns itself with the correct planet line up.

I haven't been entirely positive on Vista, but by now I'm really concerned.

BNA! wrote:

I haven't been entirely positive on Vista, but by now I'm really concerned.

All hail the new era of PC's! Linux is calling you...

Issue resolved.

Windows Search 4.0 update was killing everything.
Thanks HappyFriar for pointing me towards the updates.

I compared the working vista pc not-yet-installed updates with the screwed up box.

that's not just vista, I had two system killer updates with 2k & one on XP with the exact same symptom.

Actually the issue comes back when the SearchIndex.exe goes online.

For whatever reason there is an esoteric balance between windows, the firewall and the anti virus program. If you disturb this balance for example by trying to work then it goes awkward.

I hated the new windows search. After the update the first thing I did was disable it completely. I like the idea but I don't even want Beagle running on my linux box and it does a lot of the same thing Windows Search does.

Gentlemen,

on one of my Vista boxes the internet has turned whacko after the latest patches.

Issue:

The browser takes me to seemingly random pages, always taken from my favorites or history. Sometime it works regular again, then not. The pages however do not contain any type of adult content, clickoramapopupwindowbombs or other usual suspects of browser highjacking.

I wouldn't bother you with this, but how do you enter this issue as a result yielding search string into google?

The chances of virus, worm, trojan... infection are very slim (triple firewalled, double virus checked...).

This computer also has the problem of being frequently unable to connect to the web via the router. All other boxes run well on the same router. So while box.a cannot do anything, all others can happily connect. The number of connected boxes doesn't bother the problem box in terms when and if it decides to work.

Might this be a mysterious DNS issue (all things DNS and network are beyond my grasp)?
I know it sounds harsh, but please no "wipe all and reinstall" suggestions, unless of course you think this is the only real solution.

I'll be happy to provide additional information if necessary.
Thanks in advance.

What browser are you using? Internet Explorer?

If you think something is wrong with the browser itself, you might try running Firefox or Opera just to see if it is in fact Internet Explorer at fault.

I have but "Choo" remedies.

1) When something bad happens, I restart the computer with my fingers crossed.
2) Or, I update the thing that's going wrong with my fingers crossed.
3) I panic with my fingers crossed.
4) I learn to adapt to the thing that's going wrong. With my fingers crossed.
5) I purchase a baseball bat after the problem persists with my fingers crossed.
6) I purchase a new computer after new problems occur with old computer. Fingers stopped crossing at that point.

Other than that, I couldn't find anything on Google that would be helpful.

I suggest trying out a linux live cd, particularly Ubuntu as it has good hardware detection. If the problems occur using the live cd then it's probably a hardware fault.

I'm guessing you're on wireless? If you are, it's going to be a problem with that, I get connection drops for no reason but not the erratic browser shenanigans.

Although with that much security I'd have to agree that the chances your browser was hijacked are a bit slim however never underestimate a lucky scriptkiddie. With that in mind you can try two things.

1. Clear the cache manually (you've probably done this but just in case). Be sure to manually remove it by going to C\Documents and Settings\(User Name)\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files (everything above your user name is going to be a hidden directory)
2. Try a different browser like FireFox3 or Opera and see if those browsers continues to act wacky.

One last thing you might try is simply resetting your internet options to default.

Hi there,

under Vista there exists an option called "Priority & VLAN" which cause a lot of troubles if they are activated and you dont have a gigabit ethernet line.
If they are enabled, i would give it a try and disable them.

rich_is_bored wrote:

What browser are you using? Internet Explorer?

If you think something is wrong with the browser itself, you might try running Firefox or Opera just to see if it is in fact Internet Explorer at fault.

It is an any browser issue. I suspect something DNS (since it works, but everything is getting wrongly directed).

kit89 wrote:

I suggest trying out a linux live cd, particularly Ubuntu as it has good hardware detection. If the problems occur using the live cd then it's probably a hardware fault.

Hardware is fine.

kat wrote:

I'm guessing you're on wireless? If you are, it's going to be a problem with that, I get connection drops for no reason but not the erratic browser shenanigans.

I'm on the wire (LAN). The wireless works fine btw.

Bittoman wrote:

Although with that much security I'd have to agree that the chances your browser was hijacked are a bit slim however never underestimate a lucky scriptkiddie. With that in mind you can try two things.

1. Clear the cache manually (you've probably done this but just in case). Be sure to manually remove it by going to C\Documents and Settings\(User Name)\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files (everything above your user name is going to be a hidden directory)
2. Try a different browser like FireFox3 or Opera and see if those browsers continues to act wacky.

One last thing you might try is simply resetting your internet options to default.

Thanks, went through that as first routine. Even browsers never ever intalled before point to seemingly random sites.

-Reboot your router

-Flush your dns cache:

Code:

ipconfig /flushdns

in the console

-Check DNS lookups on your machine:

Code:

nslookup doom3world.org

in the console

Replace doom3world.org with an URL that is causing you problems...see that the output is consistant. Compare output with a web site that provides DNS lookup for instance http://dns411.com/

'Wipe and reinstall' should not be needed...hopefully.

Check your hosts file to make sure it wasn't hijacked.

**edit**

The linux live CD isn't a bad idea really as it will give you a fresh start to see if for a fact there is something fishy going on. The real boon here is that any rootkits or trojans or other hijacked files can't remain hidden when you're browsing it outside of windows.

I've had this issue too once, turned out it was a flaw in the logitech keyboard driver. There were search buttons in there (never configured those extra buttons) and it turned out that every now and then the logitech software believed I was pressing search/favorites buttons. The result: Seemingly random pages loading from nowhere. :wink:

I'm in the "been there done that" camp.

Nothing anybody suggested here worked. Issue was Windows ITSELF, no hardware or 3rd party software. I proved that with a linux install that worked great.

all you can do is find the folders where the windows updates are stored (Win XP is c:\windows\). In Xp the folders are labeled "$NtUninstallKB873339$". $NTUninstall is in front of them all. KB##### is the update #. When you find those folders, sort by date/time, then find the latest update. Uninstall that one. Reboot. See if problem continues.

Repeat until you work again. But if auto-updates is turned on you'll never know as it will automatically update when you log in.

So make sure those are turned off! Plus, I've had issues when if updates X wasn't installed, update Y would break the system (uggggggggggggggggg). So I stopped getting updates for 2k years ago (maybe 4 or 5).

I'd write down the updates you uninstall, just so you know which one to NOT install. Also, those folders are normally hidden, so do whatever hoops Vista requires you to go through to get those to show.

BTW, for me it was a required update that did this (single to multi-core update when I popped in a X2), so I had to re-install XP anyway.

If you use multiple browsers & keep some exclusive for some things (I only use IE for things that require IE), you may even noticed sites from the others history loading. Really freaky.

Well, in fact it occurred after the last update.

I took some time looking around on the web and as it turns it it's most likely a Vista vs DHCP issue.
People in the network admin league battle this too and it appears to be a black swan - it pops up out of nowhere and sometimes can get resolved, sometimes not.

Solutions range from planets which have to line up over manually typing down endless config files to rebooting "till it works". I fear I'll be rebooting till it works, eventually when a reboot aligns itself with the correct planet line up.

I haven't been entirely positive on Vista, but by now I'm really concerned.

BNA! wrote:

I haven't been entirely positive on Vista, but by now I'm really concerned.

All hail the new era of PC's! Linux is calling you...

Issue resolved.

Windows Search 4.0 update was killing everything.
Thanks HappyFriar for pointing me towards the updates.

I compared the working vista pc not-yet-installed updates with the screwed up box.

that's not just vista, I had two system killer updates with 2k & one on XP with the exact same symptom.

Actually the issue comes back when the SearchIndex.exe goes online.

For whatever reason there is an esoteric balance between windows, the firewall and the anti virus program. If you disturb this balance for example by trying to work then it goes awkward.

I hated the new windows search. After the update the first thing I did was disable it completely. I like the idea but I don't even want Beagle running on my linux box and it does a lot of the same thing Windows Search does.