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How can I configure my Internet Explorer browser settings after I have removed malicious software from my computer?

Article ID: 895339 - View products that this article applies to.

Problem description

You used the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool to scan for malicious software that changed Internet browser settings. As part of the repair process, the tool reset your Microsoft Internet Explorer settings to point to a specific Microsoft Web site that includes instructions for reconfiguring the settings.

This article helps you reset your home page and search option settings for Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 5.

To have us fix this problem for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you’d rather fix this problem yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

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Fix it for me

To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.

Fix this problem
Microsoft Fix it 50019

Note this wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note If you are not on the computer that has the problem, you can save the automatic fix to a flash drive or to a CD so that you can run it on the computer that has the problem.

Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

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Let me fix it myself

If the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool indicates that you have to reset your home page and search option settings, you must follow the steps for the operating system that your computer uses:

To reset your options on a computers that uses Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, go to the "Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (Internet Explorer 6)" section.
To reset your options on a computer that uses Microsoft Windows 2000 and Internet Explorer 5, go to the "Windows 2000 (Internet Explorer 5)" section.

Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (Internet Explorer 6)

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
On the General tab, type the URL of the page that you want to set as your default home page in the Address box, click Apply, and then click OK.
To change the search options, follow these steps.

Note These steps may affect only the current user. You may have to follow these steps for other user accounts if they are present.
1. Start Internet Explorer 6.
2. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
3. Click the Programs tab, click Reset Web Settings, and then click Yes in the Reset Web Settings dialog box.
4. To verify that these settings were changed, start Registry Editor. To do this, click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
5. Locate and then right-click the following registry subkey:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Search Bar
6. Click Delete to remove this subkey.
7. Make sure that the values for the follow registry subkeys are as follows:
  - Subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchURL
    Entry name: (Default)
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: (value not set)
    Entry name: Provider
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: no value
  - Subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
    Entry name: Search Page
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=iesearch
  - Subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\URLSearchHooks
    Entry name: (Default)
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: (value not set)
    Entry name: {CFBFAE00-17A6-11D0-99CB-00C04FD64497}
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: This value should be blank (no value).
  - Subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
    Entry name: Default_Search_URL
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=iesearch
  - Subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search
    Entry name: CustomizeSearch
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: http://ie.search.msn.com/{SUB_RFC1766}/srchasst/srchcust.htm
  - Subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search
    Entry name: SearchAssistant
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: http://ie.search.msn.com/{SUB_RFC1766}/srchasst/srchasst.htm
  - Subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\AboutURLs
    Entry name: blank
    Type: REG_SZ
    Value data: res://mshtml.dll/blank.htm

Windows 2000 (Internet Explorer 5)

For more information about changing search options for Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

171853

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/171853/ )

Changing search pages used by Internet Explorer

For more information about the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

890830

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890830/ )

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool helps remove specific, prevalent malicious software from computers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000

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