Microsoft Hijack

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Dave - 29 Oct 2004 18:38 GMT

This morning when I went up on the Internet my Home Page had been
replaced by an advertisement urging me to switch to MSN as my Home
Page.

The website was: http://runonce.msn.com/en/runonce.asp

When someone installs something on my computer without my knowledge or
permission that, to me, is a malicious virus.

I am really ticked off at Microsoft for this and would like to know
how to block this practice in the future. Any suggestions will be
appreciated.

I am using:
Windows ME 4.90.3000
Zone Alarm Firewall
Ad-Aware 6.181
Spybot 1.3
AVG Anti Virus 6.0

and run updates at least once a week.

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Old . . . but still green and growing

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Mike M - 29 Oct 2004 19:05 GMT

What you saw was the default startup screen following the installation of
IE. Did you not notice the words runonce? Had you just updated IE? IE
has output this screen for the last six years or so whenever it is first
run after installation such as when you first installed Win Me. This is
NOT a hijack and will not have altered your home page or any other
settings and will not have appeared when IE was next opened..

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Mike Maltby MS-MVP
mcmaltby@hotmail.com

> This morning when I went up on the Internet my Home Page had been
> replaced by an advertisement urging me to switch to MSN as my Home
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> and run updates at least once a week.

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Dave - 29 Oct 2004 22:03 GMT

This is NOT a new installation of IE or Windows ME and nothing has
been changed in either of them for some time.

I had been on the Internet earlier today and this action did NOT occur
then.

Maybe it's closer to Halloween than I thought. :>)

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Dave

| What you saw was the default startup screen following the installation of
| IE. Did you not notice the words runonce? Had you just updated IE? IE
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
| >
| > and run updates at least once a week.

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Tegger? - 29 Oct 2004 23:44 GMT

> This is NOT a new installation of IE or Windows ME and nothing has
> been changed in either of them for some time.

Do you know for sure? Do you have your machine set to automatically
download and install Windows Updates?

I notice there is a new Critical Update available:
Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1
(KB834707)

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TeGGeR?

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Dave - 30 Oct 2004 00:47 GMT

As is often the case, I put my mouth in motion before engaging my
brain. I have NOT installed or reinstalled either Windows ME of IE but
I did open my Control Panel and the Add/Remove Programs and ran the
Internet Explorer Repair utility.

That's where the runonce.msn program came from. I still don't like the
idea of Microsoft putting that on my computer but, at least, I know
where it came from.

| This morning when I went up on the Internet my Home Page had been
| replaced by an advertisement urging me to switch to MSN as my Home
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
|
| and run updates at least once a week.

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Mike M - 30 Oct 2004 02:11 GMT

Thanks for posting back and clearing up the matter. Personally I can't
see what the problem is and to use the word hijack is not only emotive but
also factually incorrect. Your home page wasn't changed in any way and
what you saw is no different than occurs each time IE is installed,
upgraded or as you have now found out repaired. Microsoft didn't put
anything new or extra on your PC since what you saw is an integral part of
IE.

Again personally I feel there are more troubling areas than this such as
placing the MSN icon on the desktop when installing Win Me and including
all the junk from AOL and two other ISPs as well as forcing users to
install possibly unwanted components such as say Windows Media Player or
possibly even Internet Explorer itself.

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Mike Maltby MS-MVP
mcmaltby@hotmail.com

> As is often the case, I put my mouth in motion before engaging my
> brain. I have NOT installed or reinstalled either Windows ME of IE but
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> idea of Microsoft putting that on my computer but, at least, I know
> where it came from.

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