Internet Explorer 911

There are two ways in which Internet Explorer can become infested with malware that may not always be fixed by Ad-aware and Spybot Search & Destroy. Follow these instructions to clean your Browser Host Objects (BHOs) and Downloaded Program Files.

Browser Host Objects

Spybot Search & Destroy has a built-in tool for disabling unwanted or suspicious BHOs.

1. Install Spybot according to these instructions, and run a scan if you have not already done so.
2. Start Spybot and then click Mode -> Advanced Moded and answer Yes.
3. On the left-hand side, click Tools, and on the right side click BHOs.
   
1. Select each entry that is not in italics and does not have a green check mark next to it. (If the entry is in italics then it's already been disabled and should be left that way).
• Note: The Google Toolbar Helper is safe and should be left enabled.
1. Click the Toggle button.
2. Repeat steps 3a and 3b until you have toggled all non-checked entries.
4. Exit Spybot and restart your computer.

Downloaded Program Files

While there is no tool for accessing these files, they are fairly easy to remove.

1. Open My Computer (either from the icon on the desktop or Start -> My Computer).
2. Double-click on your C: drive -- often called Local Disk (C:).
3. Double-click on the Windows (or Winnt) folder.
4. Double-click on Downloaded Program Files.
5. There are several steps to identifying which files should be removed. Follow the guidelines below to identify what files should be removed. To remove a file, right-click on it and choose Remove.
   1. Look for files with names like {38736171-761C-4774-B365-E08D946BEA73} -- a bunch of random numbers and letters in brackets. All files fitting this description should be removed.
   2. Any other files except for the following should be removed
      • anything with "Java" in the name
      • anything with "Quicktime" in the name
      • anything with "Shockwave" in the name
      • Update Class (this is used for Windows Update)

 

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