lately my Google searches get 1/4 of the screen taken over by a popup
column down the left side of the page... most annoying.
is this About.com using a popup plug-in???? or google??? doing the
same???? I hate it.  Can you please tell me how to get rid of it?

Dear marky94301, 

Before I begin with my explanation of what might have happened, let me
state few facts:
- About.com uses pop-ups, quiet aggressively. If you enter an
About.com page, even trough a Google "cache", there might be a pop-up.
- EBay uses only their own popup (with advertisement to eBay
services). Popup actually appear after you leave the site and move on
to another site.
- Google doesn't use any pop-ups at all. 

If you get pop-ups on eBay that are not eBay related; or if you have
pop-ups on your Google searches, it might be that you suffer from a
"spy ware" or a "key logger". A spy ware is a programme, which is
downloaded to your computer (for example: when you download something,
like shareware programmes, this additional spy ware might be added by
them without you knowing). From your computer, it monitors your
surfing activities. If you type something in - for example, in
Google's "search" window, you'll get a popup, which is supposed to be
somehow related to the issue you typed in. Spy wares also send your
data to their client, in order to customise your ads for you.

I guess you're a bit disparaged right now - nobody likes to be spied
upon. Spy ware could be fought against. Regarding the current problem,
you have to identify the spy ware(s) on your computer, and kick them
out of there for good. Several companies do that for you or provide
info on how to do it; regarding future problems, you could find out in
the following sites how to avoid such problems:

What is spy ware? :: Spy ware Check - www.spychecker.com/spyware.html
- also removes spy ware; also has a database of Spy ware (aware)
products lets you know if it is a spy ware, or an innocent programme.
Highly recommended!

Opt Out -- Internet Spy ware Detection and Removal -
http://grc.com/optout.htm

Lavasoft - www.lavasoftusa.com/ - Another recommended and reliable
removal service.

Robert Vamosi, "What is spyware?" an article from ZDNet, June 28,
2001.
www.zdnet.com/products/stories/ reviews/0,4161,2612053,00.html 

SpywareInfo - www.spywareinfo.com/ 

Adware, Spyware and Advertising Trojans - Info & Removal 
www.cexx.org/adware.htm

SimplytheBest Spyware information -
www.simplythebest.net/info/spyware.html

Spyware Watch (UK) - www.spyware.co.uk/ 

Here are several commercial removal services: 
Webroot - ://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php&sa=l&ai=AEtEYUCbe-8rxNAskckPCEzb-Bg630XAlhquBCEAkOBA0sCSAGEA5RA&num=1

Stopzilla - ://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.stopzilla.com/director/%3Ftype%3DSEDL%26AID%3D10004&sa=l&ai=A_8TuUCbe-8rxNAskckPCbX6gBcJ_4PQimDcBCMAkOBAsbbQAGMA5RA&num=3

Pestpatrol - ://www.google.com/url?q=http://pestpatrol.surfsecret.com/%3Fsourceid%3Dgoogle&sa=l&ai=ABUipUCbe-8rxNAskckPCSD5cSCenEko5AXgAEApTAAajGEgBEQeE&num=4

Bulletproofsoft - ://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.BulletProofSoft.com&sa=l&ai=A9OW_UCbe-8rxNAskckPCP-bKFStcJaOwFIQBQ6EAQb4ABYQBkHB&num=5


My last advice, as a customer, is never to support a business that
uses spam or adware to promote itself.

I hope this answers your question. In order to answer it, I used my
own expertise, as well as searched the net for "spyware". If you need
any clarification on the answer, please let me know. I'd be pleased to
clarify my answer before you rate it.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by marky94301-ga on 22 Mar 2003 00:31 PST

While you were on the right track, you were wrong... I think, at least
partially.

I installed and ran ad-aware and that was probably good hygene but did
nothing to fixt the problem.  A tech savvy buddy of mine did some
looking into the matter on Google groups and found the solution.

The culprit file is in your System folder ('System32' under Windows
NT/2000/XP) in the Windows folder. The filename will be
SbSrch_v21.dll, or sbsrch_v2.dll if you have the older variant.

read this thread for an understanding what my problem was and how it
gets fixed

http://groups.google.co.jp/groups?hl=ja&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=04af01c2cdad%24335af330%24d6f82ecf%40TK2MSFTNGXA13&rnum=2&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Dja%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26q%3D%2522popunder.info%2522%26sa%3DN%26tab%3Dwg%26lr%3D

I don't know if I still owe you for the effort (as I have never used
the service before and am not quite sure how it works) but thanks for
trying.

---

Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 24 Mar 2003 00:12 PST

Dear marky94301,  

Thank you for updating me on the outcome of your problem. I am glad
that everything ended up well.

I hope you (and your friend) are aware of the fact, that some Adware
"take over" dll's, so be careful removing them.

Naturally, it would be very difficult for me to assume which one, of
all the many available spywares, was the one that bothered you, with
your wording of the question and without knowing what you have
downloaded, and what kind of files you have on your computer.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by marky94301-ga on 24 Mar 2003 09:06 PST

so now I am confused... 
 you say I should "be careful" removing DLLs? 
the confusion is this: 
how do I fix the problem if it requires removing this particular DLL
and "be careful" removing DLLs?; I have not a clue how to do that.

sounds like "being alert" as a citizen under code Orange: nice jargon,
but what the heck am I going to do... call in my foriegn looking
neighbors to the FBI if they look at me sideways?

---

Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 25 Mar 2003 04:29 PST

What I meant is that some of these programmes actually replace an
existing (and much needed) in their own. See more here:
http://systemcleaner.com/products/systemcleaner/onlinehelp/Using_System_Cleaner/Tips_on_removing_files.htm

LOL on the Code Orange comment :-)