highjacker

About blank is usually caused by cool web search or the loveletter virus. For the former, download and run cwshredder. An up to date virus checker should find it if it is the latter.

In addition to CWShredder; download, install, update, and run Ad-Aware SE available at download.com or lavasoft.com. Ad-Aware usually removes the two adware programs that I have seen cause your problem.

Dalton

Try ?Hijack This? and remove anything that relates to ?about blank?.

http://tinyurl.com/2rqv2

Make sure that your IE startup page has been changed from ?about blank? to yours.

IE (right click) > Tools > Internet Options > Address:

There are two malicious .dll files on you computer. One is visible and can be easily deleted. The other is HIDDEN. The hidden .dll regenerates the viewable .dll if it is deleted or changed. The hidden file is the problem.

To rid your self of the hidden .dll, which is the core of the problem, do the following.

Solution

Step 1

The key is to find the hidden DLL

Use Regedit to go here.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\
CurrentVersion\Windows\\AppInit_DLLs

Then double click:

AppInit_DLLs

You should be able to see a file with this address:

C:\Windows\System32\"Hidden".dll

For example on my W2K box, the hidden file is called wdm.dll

Step 2

Install the Windows Recovery Console Option if not already done:

The Windows Recovery Console is not the plain DOS prompt you can find in your START menu, here's how you can access this console:

(X = your CD Drive)
1. Pop in the Win2000/WinXP CD.
2. Run X:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons
3. A dialog comes up saying it takes 10mb, etc., etc. - Click yes to install.

If you already see the boot menu you're done. If you don't then lets make it appear:

Right Click My Computer
Click Properties
Click advanced tab
Click startup and Recovery Settings
Check Time to Display List of Operating Systems
Set the timeout to something reasonable like 10 seconds
Apply the settings, reboot, and you should see the new option to go into the recovery console. You'll need the Administrator password for your computer to access the console.
Then in to the Windows Recovery Console go to C:\Windows\System32, there modify the file by using the Attrib command

C:\Winnt\System32: rename wdm.dll about_blank
C:\Winnt\System32: attrib -R about_blank

Step 3

Reboot your system and open regedit, go back to the same key:

AppInit_DLLs and delete the value.

You ran Ad-Aware SE Personal, Spybot S&D (V1.3), CWShredder, and Hijack this with the latest updates?
If you did, run a few more times with Ad-Aware SE Personal. Still no dice? Try the following.

1. Disable all startup programs from msconfig. If it is Win 2000 pro, copy the command from other OS to Winnt/System32 folder.

2. Remove any programs that you do not need.

3. Scan for virus and remove any if found. You may want to try Kaspersky 30 day trial version.

4. If you still have the same problem, clean install Windows unless you have time to kill.

Review the info at this lik:

http://www.pchell.com/support/aboutblank.shtml

It explains the problems involved with removing the about:blank hijack and have a couple of ways to remove it along with a recommendation for a trial copy of an app that they say works well in removing the about:blank hijack.

Good Luck.

Cheers.

RW

Protection, I would also run CWshredder for this particular exploit but also recommend installing IE SpyAd, it updates the list of allowed certificates and blocks known sources if such hijacks. Just a small file that updates IE settings for you.

Get information and download it here; https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm#IESPYAD

I have to wonder why so many of us spend hours on end trying to delete this scourge, when it maybe less PLEASENT to cut to the chase and backup, format and reload. Then find a way to track down the ahole that wrote the crap and put it on his systems.
Sorry all, I am off the soapbox now.
good luck on your options

You didn't mention OS, but if it is ME or Xp you have to turn off "System restore" or it will return upon each reboot.

I don't know why we spend so many hours bashing our heads about these parasites. Given that a good operator can rebuild an average system in about 4 hours, and we often spend 10 or more hours not fixing it, why not just get a USB hard drive adaptor, stick an old 8Gb drive in it, copy off your data, mail files, favourites, etc. to the USB drive and re-install the damn thing.

If the last comment about system restore doesn't help, a re-install would be my favourite course of action. (That is, of course, unless you have heaps of irreplaceable software installed.)

After you have re-installed, install SpyWareBlaster. It will configure IE to be far more choosey about what it downloads from where. The software is free and for a small fee, and I do mean small, you can subscribe to automatic updates.

And you get a nice clean system as well.

Cheers,

Alan

Hi,
Try adware away from downloads-zdnet.com.com
I have used it to remove About:Blank and other nasties. Free for 5 days then requires purchase.
I don't recommend it for win98 (and maybe ME) as I have had bad system crashes after running it. I don't know whether Adware Away caused the problem or the nasty did.

Good luck

I had the same problem with a customer's computer. Not once but twice too! The best thing to try is to download Ad-Aware SE, then update it. That is the important step, if you don't update it, it cannot remove all the new pests that have popped up since they put out SE. There are quite a few. Then once it is run and removed all the pests, go into IE and change your page back to your homepage (www.msn.com or whatever). In my customer's case, after all that I had to reboot the pc, then when it came back up it was fine. I have found that if you don't reboot it doesn't take care of it. And if that doesn't help, after the reboot if it goes back to the bad homepage, upgrade to the realtime monitoring and it should stop it from trying to put the bad web page into the reg. Good luck! Jill

AUTOMATIC REMOVAL METHOD

A new adware removal program called Adware Away has proven very successful in removing the About:Blank homepage hijacker along with many other hijacker type programs. They have a trial version that is fully functional which allows most people to remove the About:Blank hijacker without having to purchase it. The trial version of Adware Away seems to last between 5 to 7 days before timing out and requiring payment. You can visit their webpage and download a trial of Adware Away by clicking on the following link. You may also purchase the program for $29.95.

I recommend this program for instances where the manual removal methods dont work. Currently there are about 5 variants of the About:Blank homepage hijacker and Adware Away handles all these variants

i had this problem once, with xp pro, backup your files, delete your account, and make new admin account, but before this you delete all temp files, and quaranntined file if you had some, then creat the new account, all this from safe mode, and this is if the last thing to do is to format