Help. My Google has been hijacked

I can get Google and type in searches, but when you click on a link, the program redirects you to various other sites. Some of the redirected sites are harmless, some you don't want coming up on your computer (like porn). Because it takes a few seconds for the redirected screen to come up, you can click on the back button when you see that you are being redirected. After that, when you click on the desired link you can usually go to your desired location.

Has anybody had this problem, and do you know how to fix it?

I can't seem to get any information on the Google site.

Are you running antivirus program?

Try malwarebytes. It's free.

Then try AVG. It's free.

Report back.

try typing in the web address instead of using a bookmark or shortcut.

google.com

Nasty, and difficult to remove. You may find that this virus does not reside in your computer but in your modem , or cable modem. Took me forever to get rid of it. You may find yourself editing register files and such. Not recomended for the faint of heart.

Do a search for Google redirect virus. There is even a youtube video on how to remove it.

Good luck.

Sounds exactly like the TDSS malware. I found a year ago that AV programs won't pick it up. I was constantly being redirected everywhere but where I wanted to go from a search engine. If that''s the problem, the fix is here:

Kapersky Lab Technical Support - TDSS Malware Fix

Hope this helps....

Try a system restore to a previous date. You might lose files/programs installed after the restore date but it should get rid of the problem.

Don t mess with trying to remove it piecemeal a clean install is the only way to deal with it. There is probably a keylogger component hiding in there somewhere and it isn’t worth the risk.

Go to ubuntu and install a better operating system.
I promise it won't hurt. You'll thank me later.

I'm typing this from one of my three Ubuntu systems. It's all I use.

For those of you unfamiliar with Linux based OS's they are for all intents and purposes virus immune.

You can also run Windows Software in Linux, if you know how, and you can run Windows as a program inside Linux, if you know how.

I have 5 versions of Windows on my Ubuntu system safely contained in VMWare and VirtualBox, but I hardly ever use them. I also use Crossover to install and run "can't live with out them" Windows programs. For everything else I use Linux native software and it's almost all free including the OS. The only thing I paid for was Crossover and VMWare.

What a coinkydink!

I've recently downloaded Ubuntu to a portable 4 gb USB drive. I decided I wanted to "learn", and have just begun experimenting with it.

Everything runs from the USB portable drive. So far, I like it, but there is going to be a major learning curve for this longtime Win only PC user. And from my very limited knowledge (I've used it less than maybe 3-5 hours so far).

Support through their forum (Yeah, I had a "problem") was practically instantaneous. I was able to "fix" what I needed, and get back online with Ubuntu in less than 12 hours.

I just need to learn it.

And it may make an older, slower system run much better. ::: shrug :::