I.E. Toolbars - Phanthom Link!!!

I have recently installed IE 6 on my system with Win98 SE.

Under the "view" pulldown options - "toolbar ", I have "standard buttons ", then "address bar ", then "links" then a blank hole or "phanthom space" before "lock the toolbars" and "customize "

All of these items, including the blank hole will allow me to check or un-check them. While recently surfing the web, I came across a web site that changed my home page and added an extra links bar across the top of my explorer page. I suspect it also added this blank checkable link within toolbars.

I was able to lock-out the extra links line by checking "locking the toolbars ". If, however I put a check on the blank hole it seems to send explorer off on a mission to a web site and says it is downloading information. It starts blinking so fast in is nearly impossible to identify the site it is going to. This does not change my current web page, however, once activated or checked, it resulte in a "error on page" message in the bottom left of the ie 6.0 screen.

Is there a procedure to edit the pull-downs under view/toolbars/ to eliminate this phanthom link?

 

I know that it's only been a day and 1/2 since my post, but I thought for sure we would have some "guru's" that would be up to the challange of my question.

Unfortunately I'm not......

My guess is there must be someplace in the registry that sets the headers and toolbar information in the "pull-downs" or "drop-downs ". Perhaps its even simpler that than.

Any takers to assist in solving this problem????

Thanks, Bob

 

Maybe one of the gurus will step forward, but in the location you've described I show Norton Antivirus which I can check or uncheck. Perhaps you have had an application in the past which occupied that area but has since been removed.

 

Thanks for the reply Kevin. I'm sure that there was nothing there previously. As I said before, it seemed to appear after a website modified my homepage and added a custom link bar at the top of my internet explorer window.

I mentioned that it blinked so fast that it was hard to see what site it was going to.

I "checked" and "unchecked" the box several times and finally saw the words my-internet before it said it was then downloading some picture from "www.hit.4all.com ".

A check of the net shows no site.

A subsequent search of my registry found a "my-internet" in the HKey_Classes_Root / CLSID / 69550BE2-9a78-11d2-BA91-00600827878D then subfile Instance /then subfile InitPropertyBag

It was listed under URL "http://www.my-internet.info/search-bar.html "

I have deleted the key and although the "blank" hole is still in my internet explorer under toolbars, and still can be checked, the computer no longer begins looking for some website and downloading a picture.

I still do not know what it is and where it came from. Should anyone have any clues, it would be nice to know.

 

I found some additional information in searching out the subject, should anyone else develop a difficulty similar to the one I had.

CLSID information

They say double clicking on innocent looking files may be dangerous and By double clicking from Window Explorer or Internet Explorer on filenames with innocent extensions the user may be tricked to execute arbitrary programs.

Please check out the URL for complete details.

Here's another site with similar discussion for potential destructive problems: Additional Destructive Potential

They say: Windows CLSID Demonstration Exploit

The file on this page is a harmless demonstration of a Microsoft Windows vulnerability. In general, this vulnerability allows a malicious user to create a destructive executable or script and hide it behind an innocuous file name, such as README.TXT.

It appears I must have double-clicked on a readme.txt file or something of the sort.

Who would have thought????

 

I finally found something in the MS database, once I was able to get enough key words.

Microsoft discusses how to make modifications in explorer and in the toolbar at:

This MS Site

I hope this helps anyone else that may encounter this type of problem.

 

Has anyone concluded that it appears that I am talking to myself?

Sorry , but I couldn't resist.

It should be OK....as long as I don't start seeing things too.

Sorry I got to go.....I must take my medicine now!!!!

 

Bob-NB

the information was/is very useful - Guninsky's link is still good although the bugnet one seems to have vanished.

in case you ever see this (!), thanks...

and best wishes, HJ.