I have recently aquired a problem with a hijack. In my task bar there is now a search bar tab . I have tried repeatedly to get rid of it I have tried CWShredder , Hijackthis , Adaware and Spybot , none have been able to find it and remove it. The search Tab itself has taken up residence on the right side of my taskbar beside my time etc. It takes up almost half of my task bar. Needless to say this is really irritating. Any help anyone could give would really make my day. Thanks in advance Angelluv

Angelluv: Some of the methods at the link below you've already tried, others you might not have. Don't be fooled by the name beginner's; the pages are comprehensive with info on reversing a browser hijacking. LINK Good luck, Solarian

I had it and have now succeeded in getting rid of the search toolbar in my Taskbar. To get rid of it: Back up your Registry first !!! Use HJT to delete these entries if you have them: F2 - REG:system.ini: UserInit=C:\Windows\System32\wsaupdater.exe, R3 - URLSearchHook: (no name) - - (no file) O2 - BHO: MyWebSearch Search Assistant BHO - {00A6FAF1-072E-44cf-8957-5838F569A31D} - C:\PROGRAM FILES\MYWEBSEARCH\SRCHASTT\1.BIN\MWSSRCAS.DLL O2 - BHO: mwsBar BHO - {07B18EA1-A523-4961-B6BB-170DE4475CCA} - C:\PROGRAM FILES\MYWEBSEARCH\BAR\1.BIN\MWSBAR.DLL C:\Program Files\WindowsSA\omniscient.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Windows SA] C:\Program Files\WindowsSA\omniscient.exe Then go into Add/Remove Programs and delete a program called Windows SA (if you have it), then go into Windows Explorer, Program Files and find the Windows SA folder and delete it and empty the Recycle Bin. Immediately upon doing this, you will probably get a web page opening up by itself - it will be BlazeFind.com, just close it. Do a search for any file/folder with 'blaze' as the file name or part of and if you have used Spybot you may find an entry in Spybot Recovery. If so, delete that entry. Then do a search for any trace of 'Windows SA' and if you find any, delete them. Find and delete a file called UnstSA2.exe and another file called key2.txt and (if you have it) a file called 2_0_1browserhelper2.dll. I only had the first 2 files. The empty the Recycle Bin. Then open up regedit, find and delete these keys (if you have them - I didn't find them in my registry though): HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{83DE62E0-5805-11D8-9B25-00E04C60FAF2} HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{83DE62E0-5805-11D8-9B25-00E04C60FAF2} HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{83DE62E0-5805-11D8-9B25-00E04C60FAF2} Also while in regedit, look for any suspicious entry using various search terms such as: My Web, My Way, Search Assistant, Fun Web etc and delete them. Next run Adaware (Active in-depth scan) and delete anything to do with BlazeFind or VX2. (Ensure that you have the latest Adaware updates first.) Adaware found several BlazeFind entries and a few VX2 in mine - just delete them. Run CWShredder. Then reboot and you should have got rid of the search toolbar in Taskbar. Check by right-clicking on the Taskbar, go to Toolbars and the Search Assistant should be gone !!! Hope this helps you as I have found by doing a few Google searches that there are there are quite a lot of users out there with this same problem. Regards Jeff (I.T. student) I.T. student soon to open my own business diagnosing, troubleshooting, optimising and networking home computers to residents of Brisbane, Australia.

Jeff, Could you please tell me what HJT is? I am having the same problem with the search assistant bar and would like to get rid of it. I can't believe there isn't an easier way....or is there? Thx, Vicki

Hi Vicki, HJT is a spyware scanner called "HijackThis" ,HijackThis lists the contents of key areas of the registry and hard drive--areas that are used by both legitimate programmers and hijackers. The program is continually updated to detect and remove new hijacks. It does not target specific programs and URLs, just the methods used by hijackers to force you onto their sites. As a result, false positives are imminent, and unless you're sure about what you're doing, you should always consult with knowledgable folks before deleting anything. you can download it for free from : http://www.download.com/3000-8022-10227352.html?tag=lst-0-5 Regards. Fede (IT worker)

y'all response number 2 works really nicely. Thnx very much Jeff!!! However 1 small point, my "windows SA" contains 2 ".dll" files that will not delete and are not read-only, any help?? Secondly my "quick launch" (containing windowns media player, internet explorer etc) also does not load at startup which was not pleasing. if any one knows how to stop this plz respond!!! Thnx Matt