Firefox starts always on babylon, how to prevent?

[Maurizio]

Hello:
I'm using Firefox v16, even if I set the home page to be the one I'm
using regularly, each time Firefox starts it points to the babylon
search page.
how to prevent that and remove babylon from the roots?

thank you

 

[Sam Hill]

Hello:
I'm using Firefox v16, even if I set the home page to be the one I'm
using regularly, each time Firefox starts it points to the babylon
search page.
how to prevent that and remove babylon from the roots?

What do you see when you go to Tools > Options > General tab in the first
couple of fields in that settings dialog? Do you see "babylon"? If so,
change it to your preferred start page, or "about:blank" (Show a blank
page). Close and restart the browser.

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Hello:
I'm using Firefox v16, even if I set the home page to be the one I'm
using regularly, each time Firefox starts it points to the babylon
search page.
how to prevent that and remove babylon from the roots?

thank you

Remove from your "Search Providers". Click the drop-down to the left of
the Search box and pick "Manage Search Engines".

 

[Jason]

Remove from your "Search Providers". Click the drop-down to the left of
the Search box and pick "Manage Search Engines".

Babylon has to be one of the most annyoing bits of adware ever. I had a
heck of a time ridding Firefox and IE of it. The advice above is good,
but I'd go farther and use a file-searching tool for bits and pieces
named Babylon. I found quite a few. Removing them seems to have throttled
it.

Jason

 

[jetjock]

Hello:
I'm using Firefox v16, even if I set the home page to be the one I'm
using regularly, each time Firefox starts it points to the babylon
search page.
how to prevent that and remove babylon from the roots?

thank you

Here is the removal info direct from Babylon.

Hello,

i am sorry to hear you have encountered a problem with Babylon,

Please accept our apology for any inconvenience.

Go to Control Panel, click Programs (software).

Uninstall "Browser Manager" + "Bprotector" + "Object Installer" +
"Babylon Toolbar on IE"

Then depending on which browser you use , follow the relevant steps:

----------------------Firefox ---------------------------


Open a new Firefox window (website)

Go to Tools> Options> and go to change your order, the Home.
( for example www.google.de) and click OK.

Remove the search engine of Babylon by clicking the small arrow next
to the icon of Babylon

Manage Search Engines select Babylon and Remove Close Firefox and
open again

write in the address Bar "about:config " and click Enter

Write in the search engine "Babylon."

Click on any 'Babylon' preferences with the right mouse button and
select "Reset"

In the following video you can see how to change TAB URL :


-----------------------------Chrome------------------------------------------------

Open Google Chrome and click on the "wrench" icon:

Click> Settings , choose the option "Open a particular page or set of
pages."

Click "Set Pages" on page Babylon and delete from the list.

To change the search engine in Google Chrome, please follow the
instructions below:

Open Google Chrome on the "wrench" icon on the right side of the
address bar, click:

Settings> Under "Search", click "Manage Search Engines ...".

If you see "Babylon Search" as a standard (default), select please
another search engine as the default from (Google, Bing, etc.). Only
then will you Babylon You can remove by clicking the little 'X'.

-------------------- Internet Explorer (IE)--------------------------

Open your Internet Explorer browser, click on "Tools", then "Internet
Options" and in the section "Tabs" click on "Settings". It will open a
new window, on the option "When a new tab is opened, open:" in the
drop-down menu please choose "Your first homepage". Then click OK,
Apply and OK.

If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to write to
me again.

Best regards,

Babylon,LTD

 

[babylon-support]

Maurizio wrote on 11/04/2012 15:00 ET

Hello
I'm using Firefox v16, even if I set the home page to be the one I'
using regularly, each time Firefox starts it points to the babylo
search page
how to prevent that and remove babylon from the roots

thank yo

in Continuation to jetjock

You can also see our How to Remove Babylon Site

http://www.babylon.com/uninstall_search/inde

or Contact us at: (e-mail address removed)

 

[babylon-support]

jetjock wrote on 11/05/2012 15:20 ET

On Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:00:14 +0200, Maurizi
wrote

Here is the removal info direct from Babylon

Hello

i am sorry to hear you have encountered a problem with Babylon

Please accept our apology for any inconvenience

Go to Control Panel, click Programs (software)

Uninstall "Browser Manager" + "Bprotector" + "Objec
Installer"
"Babylon Toolbar on IE

Then depending on which browser you use , follow the relevant steps

-Firefo


Open a new Firefox window (website

Go to Tools> Options> and go to change your order, the Home
( for example www.google.de) and click OK

Remove the search engine of Babylon by clicking the small arrow nex
to the icon of Babylo

Manage Search Engines select Babylon and Remove Close Firefox an
open agai

write in the address Bar "about:config " and click Ente

Write in the search engine "Babylon.

Click on any 'Babylon' preferences with the right mouse button an
select "Reset

In the following video you can see how to change TAB URL



Open Google Chrome and click on the "wrench" icon

Click> Settings , choose the option "Open a particular page or set o
pages.

Click "Set Pages" on page Babylon and delete from the list

To change the search engine in Google Chrome, please follow th
instructions below

Open Google Chrome on the "wrench" icon on the right side of th
address bar, click

Settings> Under "Search", click "Manage Search Engine
..."

If you see "Babylon Search" as a standard (default), select pleas
another search engine as the default from (Google, Bing, etc.). Onl
then will you Babylon You can remove by clicking the little 'X'


Open your Internet Explorer browser, click on "Tools", the
"Interne
Options" and in the section "Tabs" click o
"Settings". It will open
new window, on the option "When a new tab is opened, open:" in th
drop-down menu please choose "Your first homepage". Then click OK
Apply and OK

If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to write t
me again

Best regards

Babylon,LT

in Addition you can also visit our Babylon Removal Site

http://www.babylon.com/uninstall_search/inde

and write to (e-mail address removed)
for any further assistance

 

[Shoe]

jetjock wrote on 11/05/2012 15:20 ET :
in Addition you can also visit our Babylon Removal Site:

http://www.babylon.com/uninstall_search/index

and write to (e-mail address removed)
for any further assistance

I just went through this with Claro-search which I believe is the same
as Babylon. First thing is run Spybot Search and Destroy. It found
Claro and Babylon on my machine and removed them. Other malware
programs I tried did not do that. You can try changing the home page
as instructed but that did not work for me. The only way I finally got
the problem resolved was to completely remove Firefox and reinstall
it. Incidentally, I got this virus from downloading Belarc from CNET's
downloads.com. They told me that they package products like this with
their downloads to make money. Supposedly, I had the option to not
install Claro, but it went ahead and installed itself even though I
said no. I guess it goes without saying that I've stopped getting
software from downloads.com.

 

[Joe from NY]

I got this virus from downloading Belarc from CNET's
downloads.com. They told me that they package products like this with
their downloads to make money. Supposedly, I had the option to not
install Claro, but it went ahead and installed itself even though I
said no. I guess it goes without saying that I've stopped getting
software from downloads.com.

Wow. Good to know. Thanks.

 

[Wolf K]

Wow. Good to know. Thanks.

CNET also wants you to install a download applet. No way.

File Hippo is still a good source. The most useful programs (IMO anyhow)
can be d/l from their own websites.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

I got this virus from downloading Belarc from CNET's
downloads.com. They told me that they package products like this with []
said no. I guess it goes without saying that I've stopped getting
software from downloads.com.

Wow. Good to know. Thanks.

CNET also wants you to install a download applet. No way.

File Hippo is still a good source. The most useful programs (IMO
anyhow) can be d/l from their own websites.

Agreed - but of course they sometimes disappear altogether (EZdesk for
example). Or, only offer the latest version, which may have aspects
you'd rather not have (or no longer be free).

AFAIK, http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/index.html, and some of
the others on
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-websites-download-older-versions-software/
, don't carry "payloads" - yet.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

New research shows that three to five cups of coffee a day will cut the risk of
Alzheimer's by about 60 per cent. There is also good evidence that tea is good
for memory. - Michael Mosley interviewed in Radio Times, 7-13 February 2009

 

[Paul]

I got this virus from downloading Belarc from CNET's
downloads.com. They told me that they package products like this with []
said no. I guess it goes without saying that I've stopped getting
software from downloads.com.

Wow. Good to know. Thanks.

CNET also wants you to install a download applet. No way.

File Hippo is still a good source. The most useful programs (IMO
anyhow) can be d/l from their own websites.

Agreed - but of course they sometimes disappear altogether (EZdesk for
example). Or, only offer the latest version, which may have aspects
you'd rather not have (or no longer be free).

AFAIK, http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/index.html, and some of
the others on
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-websites-download-older-versions-software/
, don't carry "payloads" - yet.

While it's good to know, that certain download sites are compromised,
generally just don't trust *any* of them. Subject all of your download
files, to the same level of scrutiny, and then, you'll never be surprised
at the result.

For example, even getting a Java update, from Sun/Oracle, you could
end up with something you don't want as part of the download. So in
that sense, even so-called "reputable" sites can play these games.

I use VM (virtual machines) as a means of protecting the host OS.
By test installing suspect packages in a VM, that's how I attempt
to keep my host clean. I can use a Linux VM running WINE, for
attempting to just unpack the files. And an actual Windows VM,
if a download needs further testing.

By using that as a basic form of protection, my track record so far,
is "zero toolbars".

Paul

 

[Iceman]

On 16/11/2012 8:57 AM, Joe from NY wrote:
I got this virus from downloading Belarc from CNET's
downloads.com. They told me that they package products like this with []
said no. I guess it goes without saying that I've stopped getting
software from downloads.com.

Wow. Good to know. Thanks.


CNET also wants you to install a download applet. No way.

File Hippo is still a good source. The most useful programs (IMO
anyhow) can be d/l from their own websites.

Agreed - but of course they sometimes disappear altogether (EZdesk for
example). Or, only offer the latest version, which may have aspects
you'd rather not have (or no longer be free).

AFAIK, http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/index.html, and some of
the others on
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-websites-download-older-versions-software/
, don't carry "payloads" - yet.

While it's good to know, that certain download sites are compromised,
generally just don't trust *any* of them. Subject all of your download
files, to the same level of scrutiny, and then, you'll never be surprised
at the result.

For example, even getting a Java update, from Sun/Oracle, you could
end up with something you don't want as part of the download. So in
that sense, even so-called "reputable" sites can play these games.

I use VM (virtual machines) as a means of protecting the host OS.
By test installing suspect packages in a VM, that's how I attempt
to keep my host clean. I can use a Linux VM running WINE, for
attempting to just unpack the files. And an actual Windows VM,
if a download needs further testing.

By using that as a basic form of protection, my track record so far,
is "zero toolbars".

Can you recommend some Virtual Machines? Download links?

Some antivir products, such as AVG, install a toolbar in IE and Firefox.
They say this can be uninstalled, as well as its updater. How?

 

[Paul]

Can you recommend some Virtual Machines? Download links?

Some antivir products, such as AVG, install a toolbar in IE and Firefox.
They say this can be uninstalled, as well as its updater. How?

VirtualBox

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/virtualbox/downloads/index.html

There might be VMWare, but I haven't used it.

On my current WinXP machine, I use VPC2007 from Microsoft extensively
(at last count, around thirty OSes, mostly Linux in there).
The Windows 7 equivalent of that is Windows Virtual PC, which is one
half of the WinXP Mode solution, but can run other OSes as well.
The interface is dumbed down and not nearly as useful on that
one. And the support for Linux is poor enough, in either of
those two programs, that only a guy like me will put up with
it.

So VirtualBox is about the best "starter" to get you going
on the topic. You should at least be able to get one VM
set up and learn about them.

But in terms of practical usage, it's all about testing
them for yourself, and deciding what you're happy with.
None of the products is friendly enough that my mom
could use them.

*******

In terms of removal, you can find the usual suggestions.
The first here, is to "hide" AVG toolbar. The second recommends
uninstall of the entire program, followed by reinstall,
and during reinstall, make sure you don't tick the
toolbar box. And we all know how well that's going to work.
Lots of software ignores the little tick box, and installs
the toolbar anyway. In other cases, the tick box exists,
but the opportunity to tick it may be too short for
a human to catch it in time. There is *lots* of tick box trickery.
So I'm not betting on the second method working worth a damn.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4869155_uninstall-avg-toolbar.html

The way the "toolbar industry" works, is a company gets $1
if they can trick a user into installing it. So say the
toolbar is actually made by "Ask", but with AVG rebranding.
Then AVG stands to get $1 to defray the costs of providing
a free AV product to the user. During the installation,
a confirmation protocol between the AVG installer and
ask.com or whoever, helps determine when AVG get paid.
So it's not like every company write their own toolbar.
They may include some third party toolbar, get the $1
for it, and be happy. And the end-user is left to clean
up the mess. It all depends on the ethics of the actual
toolbar company, as to how hard it would be to remove.

If AVG write the toolbar, then the only way they're going
to earn money from it, is by ensuring the user sees
focused advertising somehow. And then they make their
money from ad views.

And that's generally what foistware is all about.
Making a little money on the side. It's not like
we actually need toolbars.

Paul