web browser not opening

Question

I had a virus adware on my desktop. I cleaned it using AVG.

Now no browser will open, though the Internet connection is fine.

When trying to open any browser I get a dialog box that says it can't find that location. This happens to all my browsers. I even downloaded firefox on my laptop and installed it on the desktop and still get the same response - Windows can't find the location. This all started when opening an email.

I'm running Windows Vista

Answer 1

The most likely cause is that a proxy server is configured (probably to 127.0.0.1/localhost) because some SpyWare will actually act as a proxy server so that it can replace/insert advertisements in HTML documents on-the-fly as they are downloaded in real-time.

SpyWare and virus removal tools don't usually change the proxy server settings because there are often legitimate reasons for them being there (e.g., in a corporate environment where proxies are required for internet access, intentional anonymization, etc.).

To change your proxy server settings:

• Control Panel
• Internet Options icon
• Connections tab
• LAN Settings button
• Proxy settings section (this is where proxy servers are usually specified)

If that's not it, then you probably need to get the WinSock Reset tool from Microsoft. There's a document somewhere on Microsoft's support web site, but this document is a bit of a moving target so you'll need to search for the keywords "winsock" and "reset" at this web site: http://support.microsoft.com/

Answer 2

Well, I can't guarantee these will solve your problems, and there are no guarantees... but here is the suite we use at work when one of our clients gets infected...

malwarebytes
superantispyware
hitmanpro
ESET online

and, IF you're feeling very adventurous, you can try

combofix

But i would not recommend combofix unless you're quite skilled, or under the supervision of your local geek.