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Malware Prevention
Summary: In an effort to prevent malware from hijacking your browser's home page anti-spyware software may inadvertantly prevent you from changing it as well.
Why, in IE's Tools, Internet Options, is the Home Page selection grayed and unusable?
Spyware. Though it's interesting that either spyware or a spyware immunization tool may in fact be responsible.
In either case, a good spyware scanner is the answer.
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"Spyware" has become a term that really encompasses several types of software pests that don't quite meet the level of viruses. Several terms are routinely intermixed:
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Lately, folks have been referring to all as spyware.
One common action some spyware takes is to reset your browser's home page, and keep resetting it so that you cannot. The page you are sent to is often a sales page or a pornographic web site.
A recent technique has been to also disable the user interface for changing your home page; effectively preventing you from even trying to change it back to what you would rather have it set to.
Some spyware scanners including my favorite Spybot Search & Destroy include the ability to lock the home page setting. The intent is that you can lock it before spyware tries to change it. Of course while you have it locked the Home Page selection in Tools, Internet Options, is grayed out.
So the steps are simple: first run a spyware scanner such as Spybot.
Then, check the spyware scanner immunization settings to make sure you haven't simply locked yourself out.
Related links:
Business Know-How - What's Wrong with "Spyware?"
Article C1935 - May 7, 2004
I've been haveing this super duper annoying problem with my internet. I NEED HELP!
The problem is that every time my phone rings,my internet dies for a brief 20 seconds. But,when I unplug my phone the internet is fine. During this 20 seconds I cannot view any internet page because it continues to give me the 'Page cannot be displayed' or 'Cannot find server' type messages in my browser window. I cannot stand this problem. I've switched internet companies and tried other solutions but none seem to work.
Please help me if you know how.
Thank you,
Posted by: Cameron at March 4, 2006 9:56 AMCameron
I'm going to assume you have DSL, you didn't say.
You need to get in touch with your phone company. There's some kind of cross-talk between your phone signal and your DSL signal. This is typically a hardware/signal issue that the telephone company needs to resolve.
Posted by: Leo at March 4, 2006 10:11 AMHi
I was wondering if you could help me I have AOL and recently while I have been on the internet it keeps recoonecting every ten mins or so while I am on the web. I have called AOL support but they have been no help
Many thanks
Asha
Posted by: Asha at April 4, 2006 12:28 PMLeo - I had the same problem with my IE home page setting grayed out in IE tools. It was my Spybot that I've had on this machine for over a year. Thanks!!
~ David
Posted by: David at May 27, 2006 5:56 PMHi Leo,
Posted by: Frank at August 13, 2006 12:45 AMI have just one question. In IE's Tools, Internet Options, General Tab, Homepage Section, my Homepage Box has an autocomplete function that lists a huge number of websites that I've visited, some of which I wouldn't want my teenagers to see. I didn't know the homepage box even had an autocomplete function until I decided to change my homepage to Google. As soon as I typed in the first "W", out pops this list of websites that are supposedly listed as possibilities for my homepage. (Believe me, I wouldn't want some of them to be my homepage). My problem, Leo, is I can't seem to delete any of the pages listed in this "homepage autocomplete list". Do you have any suggestions on how I can do this? I've searched the internet for any reference to this feature and have found nothing. Can you help? Thanks a lot. Frank
I believe that several of the items in this article: http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_delete_history_items_from_my_google_tool_bar.html will apply. (The items NOT about the toolbar, actually - it has a lot of history-erasing information).
Posted by: Leo Notenboom at August 13, 2006 2:54 PMI joined pogo some time ago, everyso often I have a grey page & am not able to get into the games, this is so very frustrating.I have wrote to them so many times of course they haven't a phone no.which makes it even harder not being able to speak to a human being. Is their anyone who could help with this problem.???????????
Posted by: Burkie at October 14, 2006 2:07 PMif the tab is there and the home page has been set to a specific site and locked then do this
Posted by: Zubair at January 25, 2007 2:55 AMclick start run and type in regedit then press enter
go to this string HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Inte rnet Explorer\Control Panel\Homepage once here rigth click on the word hompage and select modify...change the value data to 0 click ok...this will unlock the hompage..... remember 0 to open hompage and 1 to lock it...
Dear Sir. i have one problem in internet option that is, In home page there are three option ;USE CURRENT, USE DEFAULT AND USE BLANK these three are not Freez/ not working can u help me in this regard. i m waiting for your answer. i will be very thankfull to you. zia
Posted by: zia at March 24, 2008 2:46 AMAutoComplete in IE7 does not work. Everything is checked but the "apply" box is grayed out. I've made the rounds of the newsgroups and see other people have the same problem. This may be an IE7 bug but what do you think? I suppose if this is worst problem IE7 has it must be doing good...but dang...I sure did like not having to enter usernames and passwords.
Posted by: jane allen at April 4, 2008 8:45 PM