hijacker continually taking over homepage

Well, I don't know where I picked it up, but after I go back to the homepage for the second time, I get this:

mkMSITStore:C:\WINDOWS\start.chm::/spad.html

It's a **** page, "Best **** Categories" it says with subcategories.

I originally ran HijackThis and AdAware, but they did little. So I downloaded SpyBot and thought that it cleared it up, but now it's back again. I don't know where it's hiding in my system, but I'm tired of it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

First run CWShedder, using the Fix option, the link is below.
HijackThis is a fix tool, it doesn't know what a problem is. Post it's log on here, and it will be looked at.
Chances are it is some little program that is calling up other programs that are actually doing things to you.
Some seem real innocent, Internet Optimizer is one of these.

 

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.yahoo.com/
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://start.earthlink.net
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://www.earthlink.net/partner/more/msie/button/search.html
R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings,ProxyServer = http=localhost:8082
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: EarthLink Popup Blocker - {4B5F2E08-6F39-479a-B547-B2026E4C7EDF} - C:\Program Files\EarthLink TotalAccess\PnEL.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {549B5CA7-4A86-11D7-A4DF-000874180BB3} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {5CA3D70E-1895-11CF-8E15-001234567890} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswshx.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {FDD3B846-8D59-4ffb-8758-209B6AD74ACC} - (no file)
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msdxm.ocx
O3 - Toolbar: Pop-Up Blocker - {D7F30B62-8269-41AF-9539-B2697FA7D77E} - C:\Program Files\EarthLink TotalAccess\PnEL.dll
O3 - Toolbar: McAfee VirusScan - {BA52B914-B692-46c4-B683-905236F6F655} - c:\progra~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsshl.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [BCMSMMSG] BCMSMMSG.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [dla] C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DVDSentry] C:\WINDOWS\System32\DSentry.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PCMService] "C:\Program Files\Dell\Media Experience\PCMService.exe "
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VSOCheckTask] "c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcmnhdlr.exe" /checktask
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MCAgentExe] c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\agent\mcagent.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MCUpdateExe] C:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\agent\mcupdate.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [mmtask] c:\Program Files\MusicMatch\MusicMatch Jukebox\mmtask.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MMTray] C:\Program Files\MUSICMATCH\MUSICMATCH Jukebox\mm_tray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DwlClient] C:\Program Files\Common Files\Dell\EUSW\Support.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [VirusScan Online] "c:\PROGRA~1\mcafee.com\vso\mcvsshld.exe "
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [UpdateManager] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sonic\Update Manager\sgtray.exe" /r
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\System32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Yahoo! Pager] C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\Messenger\ypager.exe -quiet
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MoneyAgent] "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\mnyexpr.exe "
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [E6TaskPanel] "C:\Program Files\EarthLink TotalAccess\TaskPanl.exe" -winstart
O4 - Startup: Webshots.lnk = C:\Program Files\Webshots\Launcher.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Kodak EasyShare software.lnk = C:\Program Files\Kodak\Kodak EasyShare software\bin\EasyShare.exe
O6 - HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel present
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~3\OFFICE11\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console (HKLM)
O9 - Extra button: Messenger (HKLM)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Yahoo! Messenger (HKLM)
O9 - Extra button: Research (HKLM)
O9 - Extra button: Real.com (HKLM)
O16 - DPF: {30528230-99F7-4BB4-88D8-FA1D4F56A2AB} (YInstStarter Class) - http://download.yahoo.com/dl/installs/yinst0309.cab
O16 - DPF: {4C226336-4032-489F-9674-67E74225979B} (OTXMovie Class) - http://www.otxresearch.com/OTXMedia/OTXMedia.dll
O16 - DPF: {4ED9DDF0-7479-4BBE-9335-5A1EDB1D8A21} (McAfee.com Operating System Class) - http://download.mcafee.com/molbin/shared/mcinsctl/en-us/4,0,0,76/mcinsctl.cab
O16 - DPF: {5D9E4B6D-CD17-4D85-99D4-6A52B394EC3B} (WSDownloader Control) - http://www.webshots.com/samplers/WSDownloader.ocx
O16 - DPF: {BCC0FF27-31D9-4614-A68E-C18E1ADA4389} (DwnldGroupMgr Class) - http://download.mcafee.com/molbin/shared/mcgdmgr/en-us/1,0,0,16/mcgdmgr.cab
O16 - DPF: {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} (Shockwave Flash Object) - http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{401E81D0-D3E6-4525-B7CD-A1EFCCDFC219}: NameServer = 207.69.188.187 207.69.188.186

The **** listing usually comes up as an R0 and is easily removable, but I guess I'm missing something.

 

Delete the file "C:\WINDOWS\start.chm "
Remove these items.
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {549B5CA7-4A86-11D7-A4DF-000874180BB3} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {FDD3B846-8D59-4ffb-8758-209B6AD74ACC} - (no file)
O6 - HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel present
O16 - DPF: {4C226336-4032-489F-9674-67E74225979B} (OTXMovie Class) - http://www.otxresearch.com/OTXMedia/OTXMedia.dll

 

This is a new variant of the coolwebsearch trojan/hijacker

Do as suggested by Mark62,
But you must always restart after running cwsredder.

There is an uninstaller for this but its not totaly trusted, some folks have had sucess some have not , the choice is yours.

afterwards clear IE's cache, meanining, best done with IE closed via control panel IE options and delete files and mark the popup to delete offline content to. and also please delete your cookies.

Might be best to then restart the PC

Or another option is to find start.chm when it comes back,
Open it with a txt editor
clear the entire contents of it then save it then change the file attributes to read only,, plus the clear IE's cache and cookies.
and fix the Bad R's with hijackthis.


Surf a bit an post a fresh Log, when you do we need to see the entire log ,, the header info all the way down through the 0-16's and 17's

 

Also would you please post or better yet PM me with the contents of your history folder, the expert's are tying to find where this is comming from, thanks.

 

I ran Shredder and it found nothing. I deleted the files you recommended from HijackThis and cleaned up my cookies. I'm doing my typical surfing (I don't really visit odd sites, just a few of the same) so I'll see if I get the **** to come back.

Thanks for the help!