I wanna go there sooooooooooo bad now!

il_postino 13 Apr 2004

Get a Mac!

Steve Jobs 13 Apr 2004

I apologize... for a minute there I forgot that macs are aslo crap...

Steve Jobs (again) 13 Apr 2004

I just realized that the reason I got the ad-ware installed was because I was dumb enough to click on a link in Internet Explorer on Windows that installed it.

After further research, I have found that Macs are not susceptible to this kind of problem, and will be trading in my lame Windows pc for a shinny new Mac the first chance I get!

johnny_jpeg 14 Apr 2004

Did you ever find out how to remove that? I have the same problem...
Adaware, Pest Patrol, Spybot, NAV 2004 did not remove it...

Brad 17 Jun 2004

I have the "home search" problem as well. I also see an actual program installed in my control panel for this beast! It refuses to go away after many attempts from Spybot, adaware, etc. Spysweeper does actually prompt me that my homepage changed but it still does it everytime I open IE. I even tried altering my REGEDIT.......PLEASE someone give me a suggestion

MrFrustrated 17 Jun 2004

Dammit, I just got this same problem today. SOMEBODY HELP!!! I can't remove it from my add/remove program's list either. Its two files: ShoppingWizard and SearchExtender.

I'm going to fucking KILL the asshole who made that thing.

dtp 18 Jun 2004

i got the same fucking problem.
i tried everything. Spybot, Adaware, Bssoftadware remover, online scanners.....i was even trying to remove this piece of shit by hand, but it does not work either.
i also sent this motherfuckers an email telling them that i am going to press charges.
i have spent at least 10 hours trying to remove this spyware.

right now i could kill someone......

if anyone has any idea how to remove this crap please let me know
mailto: divxtrader@gmx.at

flashing frank 18 Jun 2004

Welcome to the club! I've been working on it for two days now. When I finally found the class ID and deleted it along with changing all search windows and associated BHO's, it came back with a new .DLL to start the process all over. I had a file "cruz.exe" but now it changed to "apiix.exe". It created three "software items" in Add/Remove Software in the control Panel: Home Search Assistand, Shopping Wizard, and Search Extender. I can't get rid of those either even if I delete the listing in Regedit.
I haven't found anything on any site except for some poor fool in 2003 who got it. No solutions anywhere? Where are all the computer geniuses? Help!

Wolvesglare 18 Jun 2004

Hello, got the same problem as everyone else here. Tried Adaware and my virus protection but nothing worked. Finally I resorted to System Restore, booted my system up the way it was a week ago, and it worked, aparantly. I don´t see any signs of this fu..ing thing and the programs have been removed from my Add/Remove Software Panel.
Hope this helps you too,
Best regards.

Trotsky 18 Jun 2004

same problem here... can't kill it. regedit won't work so it must be a binary somehere that plants it in the register everytime on startup.... how the hell did they managed to put a program through http on my PC???? I guess it's that crappy active X again...

lennart 18 Jun 2004

please if u find it send me an answer I´ve same nice home page.
I´m from argentina.
fucking looking-for.cc

Alejandro 19 Jun 2004

Eureka!!! Heheh, google seems to find this site when it comes to "looking-for.cc". Well, I might as well post my solution in here too. (I initially posted this in the ad-aware lavasoftsupport forum.)

Ad-aware (even with the newest updates... as of 6/19/04) wasn't able to find most of the key files directly, but I think I've figured a way around this.

1. A temporary solution to the default homepage is going into "IE browser" -> "Internet Options" -> "Advanced" -> UNSELECT "Enable third-party browswer extensions (requires restart)". Then go back and re-assing your homepage. Delete all cookies/temp files and reboot your computer. This SHOULD prevent CWS-like programs from auto-assigning IE explorer (although you'll find that you'll have to type out entire web addy's to browse from now on... eg will have to manually type in "http://..." ).

2. Next, start looking directly into the C:\Windows directory and begin checking up on any suspicious files that have been created around/after the date all of the CWS-activity began (in particular .exe files). Delete any of them that were created recently (and if it mentions that they're currently protected... cntrl-alt-delete to your Windows Task Manager -> Processes -> End the associated process -> go back to c:\windows and delete the suspicous ".exe" file).

3. Go to control paneland open up Add/Remove programs. Same deal as with the c:\windows file search, look at the most recent "date last used" programs and remove anything that looks suspicious. On my computer, there were two applications (ShoppingWizard and SearchExtender) that shouldn't have belonged there. When I initially tried to remove them, it gave me an error saying "can't access http://looking-for.cc/uninstall/Shoppingwizard.html" (which indicated to me that these DEFINITELY didn't belong) and had to resort to obtaining another utility to forcefully remove them (I used "Your Uninstaller 2004 Pro" from download.com).

That appears to have done the trick for me.

David 19 Jun 2004

I got this same problem. I guess I can join the club now. I have no Idea. I never went to the site, or clicked on it, but now I have it on my computer, and I even tried the removal by adware programs, manually through deletion, and in regedit. Still came back, I'll try this out later when I get home. Thanks David.

Mark 21 Aug 2004

BASTARDS I hate this shit and I still cant find a fix for it. But if I do I will help you guys out. This is some serious shit and when I find it Im going to kick THEIR ASS.

GRRRRRR

"girl computer nerds rawk!"

Laura

Laura 24 Aug 2004

i believe i have defeated the 'home search ass-is-tent'. after a great battle. this is put together thru parts of other ideas from all over the web i found that what it does is replicate itself everytime you delete the infected files. what you need to do:
1. ctrl alt delete and kill all processes that look dodgy. mine was called 'ntee2' but it could be any 5 random letters. kill any that you see.
2. from the start menu, select run and type 'services.msc' find the 'Network Securtiy Service' and from properties set it too disable. this is the little bugger that keeps replicating the files.

3. in the windows explorer go to c:\windows delete all of the random 5 letter named files they will be dll,exe, and dat files. the dats are about 89 k. the easiest way is to view details click on modify and select created. then you can see when the files were made. repeat the process in the c:\windows\system32 folder. (here i just sorta got anything that was named even remotely suspicious that was created in the last few days. you need to be sure to get all the bad files or you'll have to repeat the process).

4. delete all files in the
C:\Documents and Settings\(Your User Name)\ Local Settings\Temp
and
C:\Documents and Settings\(Your User Name)\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
and
WINDOWS\TEMP
also if you have the folder C:\WINDOWS\PREFETCH completely remove it.

5. run hijackthis and get rid of all the crappy BHO's and all other references to the bad homepage.

6. run regedit and search for 'home' delete all the values/folders associated with the 'home search ass-is-tent'

7. completely turn off and back on your system and then run hijack this. all the dodgy enteries should be gone and the home search assistent should be gone from the add remove programs.

if this doesn't work try repeating from step 1 and making sure to delete all the dll,dat,and exe files.

Kryptos 24 Aug 2004

I have been looking for a solution to these damn search pages for like 4 months now... i must have so many dll, dat, and exe programs that i'm thinking i'm gonna back up the music and reinstall windows. It's good to know that i'm not the only one in the world who would like to feed whoever made this his own balls with a blunt spoon. I'm thinking these types of programs are on the rise, too, because my buddy has a different one called cool-search.

Spybot is actually advertised on this home search site so i'm thinking they are in cohoots. Adaware doesnt seem to do much, but symantec anti virus (free) seems to locate all the files, it just can't do anything with them.

Once again, good luck everyone and if you find out who invented this be sure and cut off all their typing fingers.

Then shoot them in the face.

Repeatedly.

With a non-fatal BB gun.

>:)

mark 27 Aug 2004

p.s.- what kind of address extension is ".cc" anyways? what country/industry is this?!

mark 27 Aug 2004

I'd like to know what gives you jerks the right to throw your junk on our computers without giving us a choice? You just might find that people just might download your shit if given the choice. But the way you go about it, everyone is just saying shove it up your ass. And yes, I'm one of them. Pure crap. Your home search and shopping wizard suck bad.

Gary 09 Sep 2004

I'd like to know what gives you jerks the right to throw your junk on our computers without giving us a choice? You just might find that people just might download your shit if given the choice. But the way you go about it, everyone is just saying shove it up your ass. And yes, I'm one of them. Pure crap. Your home search and shopping wizard suck bad.

Gary 09 Sep 2004

I'd like to know what gives you jerks the right to throw your junk on our computers without giving us a choice? You just might find that people just might download your shit if given the choice. But the way you go about it, everyone is just saying shove it up your ass. And yes, I'm one of them. Pure crap. Your home search and shopping wizard suck bad.

Gary 09 Sep 2004

i've got it aswel, Bill gates has a lot to answer 4 if you ask me.

too many back doors for the CIA and FBI.

Alan 14 Nov 2004

If anyone knows how to remove this, please help me! This thing came on to my computer one day ago and it ruined my computer. My Internet Explorer is completely corrupted. All of the websites are "trusted". This really sucks... I can't run My spyware removal because the thing won't let me. It restarts my computer. HELP! WillibaldoEa@netscape.net

Willibaldo 15 Nov 2004