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Computer help forum: "Recommended for you" popup ads in the browser

by: bistraz April 12, 2012 11:10 PM PDT

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"Recommended for you" popup ads in the browser

by bistraz - 4/12/12 11:10 PM

Has anyone else seen this type of popup ads http://i.imgur.com/Nypkw.png ?
They are called "Recommended for you" and have started appearing in my browser (Firefox) in the last week or so. They are always related to what I'm reading, for example an article in the New Yorker about people not marrying, got me an ad about Singles. Going on the CNet website, got me Computer help ad. The strange thing is that the link they send me to is the same as the webpage I am on, but with a "#" at the end of it. I run a full scan on Bitdefender and it found a few things which got deleted but the ads are still here.

I have googled the issue, but did not find anything yet.
Suggestions and solutions welcome, thank you.

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Google DNS

by buddhaa22 - 4/28/12 12:17 PM

In Reply to: "Recommended for you" popup ads in the browser by bistraz

This could be it.

As we were developing a new website for our client, we saw one of those our client adwords ads popping up on their own site. So now we know where their are coming from and who benefit from them.

After running a dns tool, my firewall popup a message about the dns server I was using on this computer.
8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 - That's Google DNS server setting that I manually changed few month back for what I thought would be a speed improvement.

Putting 2 and 2 together, I rolled back to my ISP dns server and didn't get an ad since then.

It's been months that this thing drive me nuts; I registered to share this since no amount of tools will find this.


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Here is the real answer

by mkemp50 - 5/6/12 10:53 AM

In Reply to: "Recommended for you" popup ads in the browser by bistraz

This is a hijack of your hosts file. If you open your hosts file you will need to scroll way way way down to the bottom of it. There you will find several entries associated with google analytics. DELETE THEM and save your hosts file.

Presto! Gone!


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Doesn't help :(

by mrln12 - 5/6/12 1:24 PM

In Reply to: Here is the real answer by mkemp50

I have the exact same problem. But my hosts file doesn't contain any of the entries with google analytics or whatsoever. I had them before, I saw it with a log of HijackThis. I wanted to remove them since I know how, but now they're gone. I guess after several scans with all kinds of scanners i could use they have been removed in the meanwhile. But STILL those darn banners keep popping up in the corner of my browser, both IE and FF. sad


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Help

by cookie1979 - 5/9/12 3:24 AM

In Reply to: Here is the real answer by mkemp50

Could you tell us where the hosts file is, i am having the same issue. I have tried everything mentioned here. Happends in ff and ie9.

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc is this the correct path?

There is nothing with google analytics in there. Can it be hiding anywhere else?

This is driving me crazy!


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Found the entry. Thank you

by buddhaa22 - 5/11/12 6:36 PM

In Reply to: Here is the real answer by mkemp50

Wow.... Thank you!!!

I'm editing the file every day as web dev and missed it; I had to scroll down to find this.

178.250.45.15 www.google-analytics.com.
178.250.45.15 ad-emea.doubleclick.net.
178.250.45.15 www.statcounter.com.


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THE ANSWER!

by cookie1979 - 5/9/12 4:14 AM

In Reply to: "Recommended for you" popup ads in the browser by bistraz

After getting this for weeks and being so annoyed i have the answer to remove this from your computer.

1. In IE got to tools
2. Manage Add-ons
3. Search providers
4. Click on bing
this is acutally the problem! its not the bing the search engine, once you click on it, down the bottom it will come up with something about FINDGALA, which is malware. (search for it)
5. Click on another search provider and set to default.
6. Click on bing and press remove.
7. JOB DONE!

Also if your like me and prefer Bing to Google as i find there results have been a bit all over the place these last few weeks, you can click on find more search providers and add more search providers.

Hope you enjoy your pop-up free Browser!


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i just spent the entire day

by patternpatti - 6/28/12 1:01 PM

In Reply to: THE ANSWER! by cookie1979

with Geek Squad. They couldn't find anything. They scanned and scanned and change add-ons and disabled google toolbars and searched the task manager and searched the registry and nothing. I've tried all of the suggested options above (except the one about hosts, no clue there) and nothing. They're driving me crazy. I have young girls and I don't want them seeing these ads. HELP! It happens in Chrome and IE9.


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Kaspersky's TDSSKiller worked

by stemi74 - 9/5/12 1:13 PM

In Reply to: "Recommended for you" popup ads in the browser by bistraz

I had problems in both the lower corners of my browser. Kaspersky's TDSSKiller worked for me.


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