Some spyware applications are designed to browser hijack, causing a homepage change. Most, such as Xzoomy.com, work in much the same way and can be removed similarly. This tutorial shows you how to get rid of a browser hijacker, using Xzoomy as an example.
Xzoomy.com is a website that may be set as your homepage by another site called freescratchandwin.com. Xzoomy.com is basically a search engine directory site. The site asks you to download their program to play their exclusive scratch and win game. Most of the time, you will have to agree to their Terms of Service before installing their software.
However, the program can be installed to your computer in other ways. You may even find this program installed on your computer one day as a surprise. If you have the program installed on your computer, your homepage will be set to xzoomy.com and you will get an annoying message every time you try to change your default homepage.
You may be enticed to download this program with the promise of being able to win money and prizes. If you read through the Terms of Service, however, you will see that this program can jeopardize your privacy and personal security. By agreeing to the Terms of Service, you are letting xzoomy.com monitor your web browsing activity, change your favorites, and display unsolicited popup advertisements on your computer. This tutorial will show you how to completely remove this program from your computer.
WARNING: Removing this annoying program requires making changes to the Windows registry. If you are not comfortable altering the registry, it is strongly suggested that you get help from a more experiences user. You can render your computer useless if you corrupt your registry settings.
Getting Rid of Xzoomy.com and FreeScratchandWin
1. Open the Registry Editor. To do this, click the Start button located at the bottom-left corner of the desktop. Once the Start menu opens, click Run and type regedit in the text field. Click OK when you are done.
2. In the Registry Editor, you will need to delete the following registry keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\FSW
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20A03A4C-9FAF-45D5-A5C2-B6C49774E03C}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{99B0B113-6F25-49C9-8ECF-2FDDD3EDFF6A}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FSW_beta1.Application
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Fswinst.Application
Quick Tip: You can use the plus signs found in the left-hand side to navigate to each registry entry.
3. After deleting all of these registry entries, you will need to restart your computer. Once the computer reboots, open My Computer. The My Computer icon is usually found in the Start menu. It may also be in your desktop.
4.After opening My Computer, click Drive C. Double-click the Program Files folder. Locate the folder labeled FSW. Right-click this folder and select Delete. After that, right-click the Internet Explorer icon and select Properties.
5. Click Reset Web Settings to set all Internet Explorer preferences to default. Click OK when you are done.
More Reading
http://www.ehow.com/members/infogeek06.html
http://www.brighthub.com/members/gallerymonda/articles.aspx
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/112417/the_info_geeks.html
