Solved Laptop taken over by MSN & Bing

[roymin]

Hi, I'll be grateful for any suggestions, I switched on my laptop and was confronted by a Microsoft window telling me that I had to choose between MSN or GOOGLE as my home page, both with Bing as my default search provider, the only option to close the page was using Task manager. I didn't accept either choice and switched off. Next day I found MSN as my home page and Bing as my default search provider. I have tried removing Bing through Manage add-ons but it's impossible, any attempt to find alternative "search providers" is met with "This page can't be displayed". I have used my reset back to an earlier date, I lost a couple of programs but it doesn't move MSN or Bing. If I search for Google in MSN I get "This page can't be displayed".
Any help will be appreciated. Roy

 

[ethel]

Hi roymin, Welcome to 7 forums. Could you please fill out all your systems specs from the link below.




System Info - See Your System Specs

 

[Mellon Head]

Download and install the free version of MalwareBytes. Do a complete scan.

Download and install the free version of Super-AntiSpyware. Do a complete scan.

Don't do any online banking with that laptop, or anything of a sensitive nature until you've run the scans and they have come up clean. You may have contracted a malware infestation.

You can get the software here:

Malwarebytes | Free Cyber Security & Anti-Malware Software

SUPERAntiSpyware - AntiAdware. AntiSpyware. AntiMalware.

 

[roymin]

Hi roymin, Welcome to 7 forums. Could you please fill out all your systems specs from the link below.




System Info - See Your System Specs

Thanks for help, tried to enter System Specs but MSN shows "this page can't be displayed", Roy

 

[ethel]

Hi roymin, Have you been able to run the scans that Mellon Head suggested?

Have you tried under the gear in IE11,press internet options, and have a look in the create homepage

box. If you have msn and google both typed in the box, back space over the msn address, and type in

https://www.google.com, apply, ok, close IE11 and re open, and see if you now have the google

homepage. When I have used google homepage it automatically gives me google search results.

 

[mrjimphelps]

I assume you're using IE. Try a different browser (e.g. Firefox or Opera).

If you can't get to the Firefox (Mozilla.org) or Opera (opera.com) websites on that computer, go to a different computer, download Firefox to a DVD, and then install it on this computer from the DVD. You should be able to browse with Firefox.

I ran into a case once where a friend of mine could not browse to certain websites -- mainly sites which pertained to his employment (he was self-employed and would go to certain websites to look for contract work). Also, he couldn't get to Mozilla.org. It appeared that some malware or browser extension from a competitor was blocking him from finding work and blocking him from installing an alternate browser. But even though I thoroughly scanned his computer, I couldn't find any malware.

I went to another computer and downloaded a copy of Firefox to DVD. I then installed it on his computer. Once I did that, he could browse with Firefox.

He told me that he didn't need to save anything from his computer, so I did a factory reset on his computer to bring it back to new, out-of-the-box condition. But that step erased everything, so if you decide to do that, make sure that you have saved everything you want off of the computer first.

 

[ringel05]

Hi, I'll be grateful for any suggestions, I switched on my laptop and was confronted by a Microsoft window telling me that I had to choose between MSN or GOOGLE as my home page, both with Bing as my default search provider, the only option to close the page was using Task manager. I didn't accept either choice and switched off. Next day I found MSN as my home page and Bing as my default search provider. I have tried removing Bing through Manage add-ons but it's impossible, any attempt to find alternative "search providers" is met with "This page can't be displayed". I have used my reset back to an earlier date, I lost a couple of programs but it doesn't move MSN or Bing. If I search for Google in MSN I get "This page can't be displayed".
Any help will be appreciated. Roy

You have the Bing browser hijacker.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...ng-virus/9016ecdd-08e2-4ec9-80a2-6906e2940c0b

 

[roymin]

thanks for all your replies, I have saved Mellon heads suggestion, on another pc, to usb stick. Will try that soon as possible.
Any address other than MSN brings up, "This page can't be displayed".
In "Manage Add Ons" Search providers, Bing is set as default. Any attempt to uninstall or replace it is met with "page can't be displayed".
Hate to say this but I'm 90 yrs and a bit slow on the uptake, I'll try all of your suggestions but i may take a bit longer than others might.
I will try the Firefox DVD also but what I would really like is to be able to uninstall MSN completely. Thanks again for all your help. Roy

 

[roymin]

Hi ran Super Anti Spyware on the PC ( 2Hrs) it found 150 gremlins but they were all cookies, halfway through I noticed Google Chrome icon had appeared on the task bar. On restart, MSN had been replaced by Google Chrome, not sure how this all happened but glad it did. Although Chrome shows as my default I noticed that Bing is still listed among the servers, would it be best to leave it there (where I can see it) or uninstall it?
Thanks once again to all of you for your time and concern, I'm very grateful.Roy

 

[mrjimphelps]

There's no harm in leaving Bing in the list of search engines. Pick another one for the default search engine, and it will always use that one.

 

[TechnoMage2016]

Hi ran Super Anti Spyware on the PC ( 2Hrs) it found 150 gremlins but they were all cookies, halfway through I noticed Google Chrome icon had appeared on the task bar. On restart, MSN had been replaced by Google Chrome, not sure how this all happened but glad it did. Although Chrome shows as my default I noticed that Bing is still listed among the servers, would it be best to leave it there (where I can see it) or uninstall it?
Thanks once again to all of you for your time and concern, I'm very grateful.Roy

When you install ANY program, like Super Anti Spyware, you MUST read every word, of every screen, or you'll be installing Chrome or something else that you really don't want of need. There is NO WAY on God's green earth that I want Chrome or Bing on my computer. I'd rather have a virus, it's easier to get rid of.

Bing will quite frankly HIJACK your selected search engine. Can you say "VIRUS"? Decent programs don't do stuff like that. Those things get on my computer too, when I'm not paying strict attention to what I'm doing, or if I'm just drunk. But everything stops, till I get rid of them..... even if I have to do a System Restore. And in rare instances, I may even have to do a Backup Image Restore. But I'll get rid of the 'Invaders' one way or another.

Good Luck, Mate!
TechnoMage

 

[roymin]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will do that. Thanks again to all. Roy