Identify this IE bug/spyware...

Factual Questions
1

Tech details: Windows 98 running IE5.0. Zone Alarm, up-to-date NAV, Ad-Aware, all that stuff running.

Recently, I’ve noticed an intermittent but highly irritating thing happen as I surf. When I click a link, instead of loading the page IE displays a small image related to either the site I’m on or the subject of the site I’m trying to reach. Refresh and it displays a different image; refresh three or four times and it loads the page I requested.

I suspected I’d visited a less-than-reputable site and had some suspicious alterations made to IE, but NAV has been very good about blocking damaging scripts from running and Ad-Aware can’t find anything unusual.

Anyone got any ideas? I’d like to avoid re-installing IE if possible.

2

Hmm. Dunno what the “spyware” could be but it sounds damn annoying. Go under your “Internet Options” and you should have an option to “restore IE to defaults” or something in that regard. Give it a try, see if it helps.

3

Unfortunately I’ve tried that range of options – changing the security level, running Ad-Aware, running NAV on a full scan, repairing IE from the Add/Remove menu. No luck yet…

4

Can you explain this in more detail? An image of exactly what? Does the image appear on the page all by itself? Can you provide some sites that you’re seeing this on?

5

OneChance - it’s just an image. It varies every time. They’re usually small, like thumbnails, but they’re not links. They often seem ad-related (like miniature ad banners) but without the size to actually include much detail. The image appears on the page all by itself, and I can’t provide sites since it seems to appear randomly.

The only thing I can think is that they’re related somehow to the pages I’m looking at and the images are loading, then the rest of the page isn’t - but I don’t really believe that, since the images are never on the pages themselves.

6

Have you recently installed a P2P file sharing software like Bearshare? Some packages install weird apps that insert advertising over existing web pages, using apps like Gator or or EZula. They’re a bitch to uninstall. The main apps install the hidden “mal-ware” apps without really telling you what they do. Advertisers are bitching, in one extreme example, the mal-ware program notices you loaded the American Airlines web page and the America West page pops up over it. In another case, one app adds links to words purchased by advertisers. Except most of their advertisers are porn sites.

7

I think I know what this is. I think it’s the iFind search bar rearing its ugly face.

To be sure-

Right click on an empty part of the desktop. You should now be in ‘Display Properties’. Now click the web tab.

Is the ‘View my Active Desktop as a web page’ box checked? How about the ‘ifind Search Bar’ beneath it?

The ‘View as…’ checkbox is the more important one here. If it’s checked, uncheck it. As long as you’re there, uncheck the ‘iFind’ box too.

8

So… any luck?

9

Sorry, CnoteChris, no iFriend at all. And no P2P apps either, Chas.E. I’m leaning towards the idea that it’s a fault with my PC or ISP, since I’ve run Ad-Aware, NAV, ZoneAlarm and a registry context menu cleaner, and now installed IE5.5 over IE5 (but the problem still occurs).