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Windows XP: Separate window opens unexpectedly when I start Firefox
Separate window opens unexpectedly when I start Firefox
by royeo - 5/13/07 3:34 PMI have Windows XP Pro, SP2.
Just recently this has started happening. A separate opinion survey window opens unexpectedly when I start Firefox. It's a real nuisance. Is this an example of malware.
It opens in a separate window but there is no menu bar or address bar and when you expand it, the window gets large and all white, the survey part stays small. This is all there is:
Title bar: http://ad.insightexpressai.com - You're Invited - Mozilla Firefox
All of this now is inside the little box:
Your Opinion Matters (in big letters)
Please participate in a brief survey
big button : Yes, I'll Participate.
2 little buttons: No, thanks. Maybe later.
opinion-central
I think this would happen no matter what browser I used.
Does anybody know what this is and how to get rid of it? Should I push any of those buttons.
Thanks,
royeo
you need anti-spyware
by hotshot982 - 5/13/07 6:13 PM In reply to: Separate window opens unexpectedly when I start Firefox by royeodon't click any of the buttons. This is definitely malware. go to the downloads tab of CNet (the address is www.download.com) From there you can go to Security and Spyware on the left of the page and search for the top-rated anti-spyware program, or simply search for "Spybot Search and Destroy" which is the main program i use. Download it, run the installer, update it and then scan your system. this should get rid of the spyware
OR.. Get Both of These From Following...
by tobeach - 5/13/07 10:09 PM In reply to: you need anti-spyware by hotshot982authors links:
Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html
Tutorial for install & set up:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial43.html
Adaware SE:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Tutorial for install & set up:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial48.html
Both are Free for home user. Suggest save & print out tutorials for easy use during install. Enjoy!! 
heh
by hotshot982 - 5/14/07 11:03 PM In reply to: OR.. Get Both of These From Following... by tobeachsorry to be lazy and make you do my work for me...i'll post links instead of search terms next time 
Could be
by jackson dougless - 5/14/07 7:31 AM In reply to: Separate window opens unexpectedly when I start Firefox by royeoSince it's Firefox, I'm not so quick to assume it's malware as others. It could just be the built-in session manager needs to flush it's cache, or something else rather harmless.
So for starters, are you certain it's not a function of the site you have as your homepage? Also, what extensions do you have installed, and from where did you install them? If it wasn't addons.mozilla.org, it's always possible it's been tainted.
You can also try typing in "about:config" (without quotes) into the address bar, hitting enter, and then typing in "session" (again without quotes). On mine, it's the third option down... "browser.sessionrestore.enabled". Double click on that to change it to false. Wait about 5-10 seconds to make sure the setting propagates, then use the Exit option from the File menu, don't just click on the X button. This will tell you if it's the session manager just having some stale data.
If the window doesn't return, the session manager just needed to be cleared. You can leave it disabled, or go back and repeat the steps above to re-enable it. If the popup does return, try disabling all of your extensions and then restarting the browser. If it goes away, start enabling extensions one by one (restarting the browser every time) until it returns, and then you know which extension to get rid of. You can also try changing your home page to just a blank page to see if it's some advert script stuck inside your home page.
If none of those get rid of it, it is malware. Slightly more clever malware than most, which will work with any browser presumably. Most only work with Internet Explorer, which is probably how you got it in the first place.
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