# Bonzi is NOT your buddy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 24, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410 "2001-05-24T23:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410/1 "2001-05-24T23:30:19Z")
Lately, when I decide to use Internet Explorer, I find that my homepage (normally blank) has been invaded by the “Bonzi Buddy”. I won’t post a link to the website since I don’t anyone else to get “infected”. I find that I must change my homepage back to blank after each surf. I even found the setup file on my desktop one day! (I deleted it withjout running it). I have no idea where this came from! Any clues on its origin and how to get rid of it would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![tisiphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tisiphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tisiphone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410/2 "2001-05-25T00:04:15Z")
It’s in the registry. Delete all the setup files, then go to your registry and delete everything in it that relates to BONZI. Apparently this bugger doesn’t just bury itself in HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\SOFTWARE either, so you have to search the whole registry for traces. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410/3 "2001-05-25T01:37:22Z")
You mean your home page isn’t the SDMB? You deserve what you get! 😛 More seriously, it’s just another example of the faulty design and complete lack of security in Windows. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410/4 "2001-05-25T01:54:18Z")
Can’t you just Uninstall it through Start|Control Panel|Add/Remove Programs? I think that’s what I did… ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410/5 "2001-05-25T01:57:17Z")
\>\> it’s just another example of the faulty design and complete lack of security in Windows. I would rather say it is another example of users who do not know how to take appropriate measures. You can configure your browser to allow as much or as little as you want. If you do not bother don’t blame Windows. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410/6 "2001-05-25T02:14:00Z")
That little purple hustler. He is regarded with much hatred in this household, but I’m afraid to kill him. He lays such a guilt trip on you when you make him go away. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bonzi-is-not-your-buddy/66410/7 "2001-05-25T03:16:59Z")
After further research, I was able (I hope) to rid myself of that thing. Normally, I NEVER download from strange places and I cannot think of where I could have gotten it from! It just appeared. Its homepage appears to be sponsored by the now-defunct NBCi. I DO visit another NBCi page (an ELO news site), but I never downloaded from it. I use Window Washer from Webroot to rid myself of the usual junk left behind by web surfing. All of my favorite places are bookmarked under AOL and not IE DIRECTLY although all my surfing residue resides in IE’s folders. Didn’t AOL suck up Netscape not too long ago? if so, why DOES all my junk end up where it does? Note to all anti-IE & AOL-types: I don’t use the 'net nearly to the extent others do and have never had any major problems with either program. Lucky? maybe…