ErnieK
09-15-2003, 06:52 AM
below is a quote from an article in the latest Langa List newsletter(http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-09-15.htm )
Hopefully it might be usefull to someone (now or the future)
4) "Searchandclick Scumware"
A couple days ago, when I fired up the computer, and IE, the address bar was changed to look like a search page text box, with a green "Go" button. No place to type a website name, and when "Go" was clicked, it took me to search.searchandclick.com, with listings like a search engine. Clicking view, toolbars, gave me the menu with a checkmark next to a blank area. I unchecked it, and got my address bar back.
Next new window opened, it was back. I couldn't find ANY contact info on their site at all, ran Spybot and AdAware with no luck, and started searching all the anti spy/scum ware sites I knew. A Google search came up with nothing.
After two nights searching with no luck, I was getting just a bit . . . upset . . . I tried a search with their website name on my computer, figuring the code for this thing would have that in it . . . no luck. Just reference to the recent NeoTrace I ran on it.
I searched again, this time using "searchandclick" (one word) and . . . YES . . . found the little bugger. On my W2K machine, it was hidden in the system32 folder, in the dllcache folder as an .xml file, stlbdist.xml. I deleted it, and got my address bar back . . . or so I thought. The next day (today) when I fired up the computer, I did have my addy bar back, but it was greyed out . . . couldn't use it.
I remembered Spybot does have a tool that shows all the BHOs.
It listed one, buried back in the system32 folder again, as stlbdist.dll . I toggled it off, tried IE, and FINALLY, got my address bar back for good.
I really hope this will help anyone who gets hit with this bottom feeding, scum sucker's little game. Sites that pull this kind of garbage should have no recourse for anything anyone does to their site to get even.
On a lighter note have a look a the spoof page at teh bottom of the newletter. It brought a smile to my face (and as I am a dour faced sod that says something :D )
Hopefully it might be usefull to someone (now or the future)
4) "Searchandclick Scumware"
A couple days ago, when I fired up the computer, and IE, the address bar was changed to look like a search page text box, with a green "Go" button. No place to type a website name, and when "Go" was clicked, it took me to search.searchandclick.com, with listings like a search engine. Clicking view, toolbars, gave me the menu with a checkmark next to a blank area. I unchecked it, and got my address bar back.
Next new window opened, it was back. I couldn't find ANY contact info on their site at all, ran Spybot and AdAware with no luck, and started searching all the anti spy/scum ware sites I knew. A Google search came up with nothing.
After two nights searching with no luck, I was getting just a bit . . . upset . . . I tried a search with their website name on my computer, figuring the code for this thing would have that in it . . . no luck. Just reference to the recent NeoTrace I ran on it.
I searched again, this time using "searchandclick" (one word) and . . . YES . . . found the little bugger. On my W2K machine, it was hidden in the system32 folder, in the dllcache folder as an .xml file, stlbdist.xml. I deleted it, and got my address bar back . . . or so I thought. The next day (today) when I fired up the computer, I did have my addy bar back, but it was greyed out . . . couldn't use it.
I remembered Spybot does have a tool that shows all the BHOs.
It listed one, buried back in the system32 folder again, as stlbdist.dll . I toggled it off, tried IE, and FINALLY, got my address bar back for good.
I really hope this will help anyone who gets hit with this bottom feeding, scum sucker's little game. Sites that pull this kind of garbage should have no recourse for anything anyone does to their site to get even.
On a lighter note have a look a the spoof page at teh bottom of the newletter. It brought a smile to my face (and as I am a dour faced sod that says something :D )