I am still unable to remove desktop icons that appeared on their own about two days ago. Right-clicking does nothing. They are not in the desktop folder. Interestingly, they do not appear in Safe Mode. SpyBot and AdAware gave me a clean bill of health. Please help.

Do the icons have a name under them?

What location does it give when u right click the icon(s) and choose properties?

Try Move On Boot it should work for you

Happy Holidays to all

Each icon has a name like "Online Casino" or "Bingo", etc. Right clicking brings up absolutely nothing. Second clicking the name (as if to rename the icon) highlights the name as "Desktop", but does not allow a rename. I am doubtful about the proposed Move On Boot since there is I don't know of any file to delete, just icons. I have not double clicked any of them for fear of launching something malicious.

Have you tried deleting in safe mode?

The icons do not appear in Safe Mode. In Normal Boot mode, they appear well after the normal icons have loaded, so they seem to reside later in the startup process. Move On Boot did not work because there was no file to name and the icons cannot be dragged.

I have the same problem,help!!!

dubaty, Something has to be loading those icons during a Normal Startup. Since you're running Windows 2000 and it doesn't come with MSCONFIG I suggest going to the link below and downloading MSCONFIG for Windows 2000. The link also has instructions as to where the file belongs and how to use it. You then amy be able to find the culprit program loading those garbage icons. If you do find it you can uncheck it and restart your computer which will stop it from loading. It may also give you a clue as to where it's being loaded from and you can eliminate it. It's worth a shot.

MSCONFIG for Windows 2000

Tufenuf

I have the same problems the threadstarter mentioned, but I also noticed that it's embedded web pages into My Favorites, and I can't delete them, and they don't appear in the list when I click Organize Favorites.

Sadly, the MSCONFIG for my XP didn't work. At first I thought it did because the icons did not appear after I followed the steps, but as I was about to turn my computer off the icons appeared on my screen again.

You have the EXACT same problem as I do. It appeared on my desktop this morning and I cant seem to get rid of them, no matter how hard I try. But I do know for a fact that when you press ctrl+alt+delete, all the IEXPLORE processes in the list are the icons. I use Firefox, not IE so it was really strange how I had IE opened. I closed all the IEXPLORE processes and the icons disappeared however, they came back quickly and so did the IEXPLORE processes.

I uninstalled internet explorer but they are still there and I still cant close them :(

gah, this bites. I have XP too so I doubt the MSCONFIG would work.

HELP ! ...... I have the same problem can't delete those seven icons. I noticed they appeared after installing firefox Browser, would that have something to do with it ? .. I right click and they just turn blue, can't seem to find them in any folder.

This does bite! I have exactly the same thing going on.
1...."Move on boot" won't work because there is no way to get the file names of the icons since right click doesn't work..
BTW... have you noticed that in the favorites on IE you have a ton of these links that you cannot remove no matter what? Use the top favorites link not the button.
2... "hijack this" finds the rouge line in the registry and you can remove it but the icons will remain ... i assume until reboot.
3...BUT ... on reboot something re-writes the line back into the registry so you are right back where you began.
IE sucks so bad it is beyond comprehension.
If I find out what is re-writing the line I'll post it. I know it probably is in System32... but so is everything else.

This is in infected logs
c:\progra~1\intern~1\iexplore.exe

#2 mk is on track with the goofy file names
in the run section.
That folder needs to be deleted in safe mode.

Some info here;
http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12173

Good luck all

If you need more help, you can find log readers below.

Volunteer helpers
ASAP

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

Abnormal, could you explain that in a little more detail, for people like me who don't know alot? lol

There seems to be a rash of people with this same problem within the last few days. It's possible that it's one of the variants of "lop". Check out the Removal Instructions very thoroughly at the link below and see if any of the files listed are particular to what you have been infected with.

lop Removal Instructions

Good Luck & Happy New Year,
Tufenuf

If you recently installed Messenger Plus! it could be the cause of your icons problem. Check out the thread at the link below which also has a link for a Lop.com Uninstaller. Use at your own risk.

lop information

Tufenuf

I found 3 recent logs that point to that
also, still need to get rid of random
goofy files manually.

Example posts:
http://computercops.biz/postt95559

http://computercops.biz/postt95762

http://computercops.biz/postt95758

OverOpiated, the other link I gave can
explain it better than Myself.

Same type of crap, something to guide
you in your learning expirence.

omg this same thing is happening to me and im trying everything i can to delete them will someone please give detailed instructions?

THANK YOU TUFENUF !!!!
the Lop uninstaller erased the icons.
I've never heard of this but I have kids so I'm sure if it's out there I'll get it.

Ahhhhh ....ONCE WAS A VICTIM OF
the variants of "lop".

Thanks again !!!

The author defends his product.

http://www.msgplus.net/getthefacts.php

"There is only one procedure to uninstall the sponsor: open the Add/Remove Programs panel, select "Messenger Plus!", click on the "Uninstall" button and follow the instructions displayed by C2Media's uninstaller program. That's all."

when i try to go to that site for the lop uninstaller it says that my security setttings dont allow me to download it..
how can i change tha t?

haha abnormal that worked...

we are dumb..

rebekka, Go to the link below and scroll down to "How do I uninstall one of your software products?" then download the uninstaller from this line.

" Additionally a separate universal uninstall program may be downloaded here"

Lop Uninstaller

Tufenuf

rebekka, If you still are unable to download that lop uninstaller follow Abnormal's instructions in Response Number 19 above in this thread if you have Messenger Plus! installed on your computer.

Tufenuf

Tufenuf bekkad12 is rebekka, just spotted it.
Rebekka you are not dumb, its the useres like
you letting us know what helped that really
counts.
Others go away like we killed their internet
connection.

Remember to read the fine print before
installing something.

I am happy I was not alone in this misery and even happier that solutions are being found. I ended up using OmegakillerSM with wonderful results. I don't recall seeing a Messenger Plus in my program list for removal, but it certainly isn't there now. I have two other nagging problems that will post as separate threads...would love this group to take a look and offer thoughts.

Thanks, Tufenuf

Following your instruction, I was able to zero to the file that causes the icons to appear. I've deleted it and the problem is resolved.

For my case, the file name is call More Mail.exe
This file was located in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ERRORDEAFACETYPE

However you will have to start up in SAFE mode or else you will not be able to delete it.

My 5 cents worth. Hope it helps.

RE: Post # 10
Thanks to all. I uninstalled Messenger Plus and all 7 Icons left my desktop. Thanks again ...

I had the same icons and appear to have deleted them by running "Ad-Aware.SE" a spyware eliminater program. You can download this free from Lavasoft.com I use this regularly on all my PC's since I have kids who play internet games. I daily eliminate upwards of 20 spyware intrusions!

BTW it was a "lop" variant that introduced the icons and if you run them it starts a background LOP process running.

Dave

Wow, thank you soo much Tufenuf! I used the uninstaller and immediately the icons were swept away :] Whew.

I removed Messanger Plus.
But even after I rebbot I still have the frickin icons.
I also tried the new adaware. No sucess.
I am running windows 2000.
Any help?
Anyone?

Mike, Follow the instructions in Response Number 22 in this same thread.

Happy New Year,
Tufenuf

Thanx U Guys!
These F***ing icos poped-up 2 dz past - even regedit did not assist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
The T**t resposible for this fithy intrusion on our desktops should be flamed, we should do a DOS on this site!. At least lets bombard their EMail. advertise@lop.com with stuff like this!
"Where do you people come from, the planet filth!
It has taken me and my opps two days to discover the origin of your undeletable desktop icons and find a way of removing them.
I am sure you feel very proud of yourselves, but all you have achieved is to make anyone in the know remove Messenger Plus from their system and therefore the source of the dosh will dwindle to zero!
This is the worst intrusion on the privacy of ordinary people who do not have the know-how to overcome this atrocity.
I wish you a very unhappy new Year during which your obnoxious company file for bankruptcy".

BTB you need to use the uninstall program on all users - if you have mosre than one ;)
You need to download and run it in each user, otherwise it just reinstalls to all users again.
A right B*****d of a blackhack.

Thanx for the solve!

CU.

First of all thanks for all the help you offer guys,

Hi there finally i managed to remove those icons!! But i still did not solve the problem. Infect when those icons popped up i also lost the internet connection.

I manage to connect but then i am not able to browse... any help pls?!?!?

For all that experienced the undeletable icon problem who installed Messenger Plus!

Whenever you install a program make sure that you read the prompts & EULA completely as the link below explains how you could have averted the undeleteable icon problem in the first place.
"Rumor: some versions of Messenger Plus! install the sponsor automatically, without asking".

"Rumor: people are tricked into installing the sponsor during installation"

Messenger Plus! FAQ

We all learn thru our mistakes.

Tufenuf

I still am not able to delete the icons and also the offending tool bar that has popped up on my explorer.

I am not able to figure out how to disable my security settings enough to download the fix from lop and i can't seem to locate messenger plus on my computer or to find an uninstall for that at all.

I have run ad-aware and spybot to no avail.

Please help a novice and tell me exactly how to get rid of these offending icons. Thanks

I removed everything related to those icons by using a piece of freeware called OmegaKillerSM. You can find it at http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=252. Read all of their instructions and if you feel comfortable, go for it. I can only speak for myself, but it worked beautifully. Good luck.

anderrod, If your computer is indeed infected with the lop toolbar and the icon problem try the direct download links below.
For the toolbar:
lop toolbar uninstaller
For the icon problem:
lop new uninstaller

Tufenuf

I feel your frustration everyone!! We have these icons too! Just FYI... They appeared on our desktop after we installed a Family Tree Maker update...those Christmas Gifts!!! The Program we installed was IMSI Legacy Family Tree. We are trying to follow the instructions above to get out of this mess. Hopefully, we won't have to post again with more questions! Happy New Year!

Greetings and Happy New Year from downunder!

I have also recently suffered an infection involving the undeletable icons from lop.com.

After a lot of trial and error, including uninstalling Microsoft Internet Explorer, I have deduced that the culprit on my computer was an executable file named "Film File.exe".

Having deleted this, and removing it from the Recycle Bin, I have got rid of the offending, undeletable icons.

I hope others find this information useful.

Good plan to uninstall IE (but you will still need it to get your XP undates (not SP2 though ;))
Use Firefox instead!!! this offers no installation probs and is one very powerful browser.
Happy New lop Icon Free Year!
Beachcomber.

I have spent days trying to get rid of these icons and favorites. Just when I think I have it figured out, they reappear out of nowhere. I have not installed nor do I have Messenger Plus on my computer. The only thing I can figure out is that I updated my Adobe Acrobat Reader to the latest version recently, but I did it from a click through on a reputable site. ??? I thought I knew something about computers, but alot of this talk here is way over my head. Will this lop uninstaller work for my problem also? Please help. I have spent so much time on this and I am about to lose my mind. Is this a virus? And besides driving people crazy, will it do any other harm to the computer or the files?

OK, I'm back. The desktop icons have not returned since I banished them two days ago, but I just noticed that some icons for programs have been altered when I click on <Start>, <Programs>. Specifically, Word has an orange button (like a clothing button), Access has the usual Word icon, Outlook has a pair of sunglasses, etc. It seems to be an issue only with MS programs and they still open and function normally, so far. Anybody else having odd issues like this? I also have not been able to recover my QuickLaunch toolbar for a very long tie, but the beginning seemed to coincide with the first time I started getting unwanted toolbars, etc.

Wow, thanks guys and girls.
I had the very same problem and have uninstalled MsgPlus and then followed the instructions in post 22 and voila, no more icons. I've also checked my IE which had an extra search toolbar added (this didn't really bother me as I use firefox) and that too has gone,

Once again Big Thanks,
Mrs H
xx

It was recommended to use the Lop Uninstaller in Safe Mode to permanently delete the icons but when I go into Safe Mode they ask me confirm that I am not a computer script and that I am a real person by typing a seven digit number. In Safe Mode the seven letters are no longer there. Can someone display a programs that doesn't have this confirmation screen or can you tell me what Im doing wrong and what to do to make it right?
Thanks For Any Help

dubaty, in case you still have not solved your problem, use Tweak UI to repair your icons, it might work. Download, run tweakui.exe, extract all files, right click tweakui.inf, select 'install'. Go to control panel, click TweakUI, Click Repair, select repair Icons. Hope this helps.

Hi,

I finally got rid of all of those offending desktop icons! I was unable to disable my computer security enough to allow the download of the toolbar and icon fix mentioned in post 37...(i'm not that computer saavy!lol!). I asked everyone at home if we had ever had Messenger plus, but no one admitted to downloading it.(typical teens! don't admit to anything!)

So, I went to the messenger plus site, downloaded it again including the advertising...then just followed the instructions for uninstalling the program.

That took care of everything.

Thanks for the help.

Hi folks! hope you by now have got rid of the lop icons.
Here is a site which gives a better understanding of how this scumwhare got into your system.
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/lop.html

Thanx to Doxdesk ';^)>

Beachcomber

Hi guys and gals

Same problem here. I have tried most of the suggested fixes, and did get rid of a bunch of stuff i had no idea i had on here. but the icons, the listings in faves and toolbar remain. I did in safe mode, ran spybot s&d, did the lop uninstallers as suggested, and STILL have the stupid things.
Extremely annoying to say the least. Any other suggestions out there?
thanks

See response number 36.

Thanks to Tonto for the Tweak tip. I had actually downloaded Tweak UI months ago and for some reason never ran it. Icons are fixed.

Hi Uall,
U will recall that I sent a rather scathing E-maul to those nice LOP people.
this is the E~ they sent in response there response!
Dear Sir or Madam:

In the terms and conditions of any of our software products it is clearly stated that we grant you a free license to use the software and by installing the software on your computer you agree to use our search services in your web browser. Any and all changes made to your system are clearly stated in the terms and conditions and are fully un-installable via the Add-and-Remove Programs option available from the Windows Start Menu--Settings--Control Panel--Add/Remove Programs.

In the 'Add / Remove Programs' list, look for one of the following: 'Search Plugin', 'Window Search', or 'Window Searching' from the menu to run the uninstaller.

If you've tried the above steps and the uninstall is still unsuccessful, try disabling your anti-virus software, Ad-aware, Sophos, and other programs of that nature. Re-download the uninstaller, then run it. Ad-aware et al seem to interfere with the uninstall process. If disabling that software allows you to run our uninstaller successfully, please tell us or email the software company in question and tell them they need to fix their software.

- Additionally a separate uninstall program may be downloaded here:
http://lop.com/new_uninstall.exe
This is the most recent version of the universal uninstaller and will remove any components, such as the toolbar.
If none of these suggestions solve the problem, try reinstalling the LOP software, then running the uninstall again.
Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance,
Lucy Lewis,
Lop.com Customer Service.
Also if none of this has worked try the new Antispyware Beta released by MS yeasterday.
That spotted bits to the LOP of my system that nothing else has been able to shift.
I would recommend it!

Beachcomber, you're the MAN! Thanks for the great info!

Happy Holidays to all

Hmmm, I can't recommend that anyone downloads the new_uninstall.exe program. According to AVG when I try to download the file it flags up that it infected with Trojan Horse Downloader.Swizzor.4.C !