I have an unwanted 'ISearch' toolbar on my Internet Explorer which now
forbids me to alter or change the toolbars on the system. It also
seems to prevent me from going to www.mvps.org. How do I remove this
irritating unwanted toolbar from my IE system?

Hi fatherchandle,

You''ve pick up a spyware/adware somewhere along the way, but you
should be able to get rid of it.

Download and run the following four programs (make sure you have the
latest updates before running them). Even if one of the first three
seems to fix the problem, it's best to double-check with HijackThis,
to be certain that the toolbar is completely removed from your system.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

CW Shredder:
http://www.spychecker.com/program/coolwebshredder.html

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Adaware:
http://www.spychecker.com/program/adaware.html

If you have trouble downloading updates for Adaware (ISearch may block
them), go to the following link where you can download the reference
file update as a zip file:
http://lavasoft.element5.com/support/download/

Instructions can be found at Webupdate:
http://www.lavahelp.com/howto/updref/index.html

How To: Perform a "Full Scan" With Ad-aware 6 Build 181:
http://www.lavahelp.com/howto/fullscan/index.html

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SpyBot:
http://www.spychecker.com/program/spybot.html

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HijackThis:
http://www.spychecker.com/program/hijackthis.html

Send your HijackThis log to this forum and they will let you know what to do:
Spyware and Hijackware Removal Support:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Note: There is supposedly an uninstaller that you can download, but it
is not recommended that you try it - it may work, but the source is
suspect and you may pick up something else.

I hope that helps. If you have any questions, please post a
clarification request before closing/rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used: ISearch toolbar

---

Request for Answer Clarification by fatherchandler-ga on 15 Apr 2004 17:24 PDT

Dear hummer:

Thank you for the excellent assistance. Unfortunately, only the
Webupdate site is accessible on my computer. Isearch has successfully
blocked all the others, including the forum site. I have successfully
downloaded Hijack This! and have created the log. May I send the log
to you or to someone else for help? Any other suggested websites that
I might go to? Thank you again.

Frustratedly yours,
fatherchandler

---

Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 15 Apr 2004 17:51 PDT

Oh dear, fatherchandle, I had my fingers crossed that you could get in
somewhere. Well, if you can only use one, HijackThis is the one I'd
choose - there is a silver lining in all things! Ok, try Computer
Cops:

HijackThis Tutorial:
http://computercops.biz/HijackThis.html

Forum: Spyware - HijackThis
http://computercops.biz/forum-cat3.html

With fingers crossed...
hummer

---

Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 15 Apr 2004 17:52 PDT

Dear fatherchandle, thank you for the nice rating and tip, but your
problem isn't solved yet!  hummer

---

Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 15 Apr 2004 18:15 PDT

Me again...

Inside Spyware:
http://www.intranetjournal.com/spyware/

Spyware Removal Software:
http://www.intranetjournal.com/spyware/removal.html#scansoft

Spyware Prevention Software:
http://www.intranetjournal.com/spyware/preventsoft.html

hummer

---

Request for Answer Clarification by fatherchandler-ga on 15 Apr 2004 19:38 PDT

Dear hummer:

Fantastic! Your website references answered every single question I
had. My computer is now adware free. Thank you for an incredible job.
I deeply appreciate your expert assistance. Many thanks again.

C+

---

Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 16 Apr 2004 04:42 PDT

Thanks for the good news, C+, I'm glad to hear you outsmarted the
pest. Thank you for all of your thank you's. Sincerely, hummer

Isearch will block your access to a whole range 
of anti-spyware sites. So you must first go to 
and open the 'hosts' file located in. C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc 
remove everything under the line that reads "127.0.0.1       localhost"
Now your browser will allow you to navigate the Net

Dear hummer and positracker:

Now I have a new but related problem to my old one. As a consequence
of my Iserach infestation, I downloaded the newest Microsoft XP safety
package (1a?) from the Microsoft website. As a result I cannot receive
attachments to any e-mails on Internet Explorer Outlook Express. How
do I adjust the system to allow for attachments to be read in Word or
Notepad? Can I restore the reading of attachments to my system? Many
thanks for yoour superb help.

C+

Hi fatherchandler,

Hopefully, this will help -

Outlook Express 6 virus protection feature strips attachments
"If you are using Outlook Express 6 on Windows XP and cannot receive
attachments, the virus protection feature may need to be adjusted.
Open Outlook Express, click Tools on the menu then select Options.
Click the Security tab and uncheck the "do not allow" box. You will
not be able to open the current attachments you have, but this will
allow you to open any new attachments you receive. Refer to MSKB
Q291387 for information."
http://help.expedient.com/mailnews/attachments.shtml

Regards,
hummer