A search engine 'searchex.com' has infiltrated my home page setting so
that when I open up Microsoft Internet Explorer for the first time
after logging on: my preset home page URL appears in script at the
bottom of the page but before it can load it get usurped by
searchex.com and searchex.com then loads as the home page. If I press
'home' subsequently, all reverts to normal and my normal home page
loads.

How do I correct this?

Dear david24,

The "searchex.com"-problem has appeared very often among web users
recently. But a successful way to change the browser settings back to
normal has already been found. Two alternative solutions are proposed:

1.
- Use the Start menu to open the Windows search tool (Start -> Search
-> Files/Folders.
- Choose drive "C:" to be searched.
- Perform four searches: For "HmePge.dll", for "HomePage.dll, for
"IEBrw.dll", for "HotLink.dll". They should be found in the "System"
folder. (You can, of course, also locate them by opening the Windows
System folder manually).
- Delete any of those *.dll-files found on your system.
- Restart your computer.
- Check your home page settings and, if neccessary, renew them.
- Every should now be normal again.

2. The second, very similar, solution comes from a message board
dealing with spyware problems:

"Use Start/Find to locate HmePge.dll or Homepage.dll
Even better use find to search for *.dll in the windows directory
created in the last month - I bet you'll find 3 (hmepge.dll iebrw.dll
and hotlink.dll)
Make a note of the full path to the file e.g.
C:/WINDOWS/SYSTEM/HmePge.dll
Reboot in DOS mode.
At the C: type cd (change directory)WINDOWS then cd SYSTEM (you might
find you are already in C:WINDOWS/ when you reboot in which case you
only need to type cd SYSTEM) when you have reached the directory
containing the file to be removed type del HmePge.dll (assuming this
is the file name you found and want to remove)then hit the Reset
button to reboot again, and that should be the last you hear of
SearchEx - it worked for me..! At first I only deleted HmePge.dll and
regained control of my browser, but I have since removed the other 2
files as well incase it's doing something else less obvious inside my
machine!"

Source:
Donna, "Re: how can i get rid of this searchex homepage" Messageboard
posting (17 Feb 2003).

Additional sources:

Kim, "Re: Valintines Day card" Messageboard posting (16 Feb 2003).
http://boards.cexx.org/spyware/messages/3409.html

and.doxdesk.com: Parasite - Searchex
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/Searchex.html

Search terms used:
"searchex.com"
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&scoring=d&q=%22searchex.com%27%22&sa=N&tab=gw
"searchex.com'" (in Google Groups)
http://groups.google.de/groups?q=%22searchex.com%27%22&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&sa=N&scoring=d
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/Searchex.html
http://boards.cexx.org/spyware/messages/3427.html
"homepage.dll" searchex
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22homepage.dll%22+searchex&meta=

Hope this helps!
Regards,
Scriptor