Hello There.
I've been having problems with a desktop PC I got as a gift. The computer did not have an antivirus and I used it mostly to surf the internet.
One day, using Chrome, I wrote a query in the space where the URL is usually located. My default search engine is google, but instead of taking me there, it took me to a search engine called atajitos.com
I searched on several forums and I noticed that many people where having a hard time to remove this malware, spyware or virus...not sure how to call it.
My Chrome and IE shortcuts had an additional line of code, which I removed manually through the properties page.
I searched my registry for any entries that had atajitos.com as a value and I removed them.
I tried visiting norton.com and I was not able to open the page, same happened to symantec.com...
I did a search on "how to remove hijacked search engines" and I followed these steps:
1. I ran Kaspersky TDSSKiller
2. Ran RKill
3. Tried to run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free but it was not able to connect to the server
4. Ran AdwCleaner (which found a file called winsecurity.exe that was running at boot)
5. Ran Junkware Removal Tool
I verified my firewall, it is currently off. I checked my parental settings to see if norton.com was there but it was off as well.
I even edited my hosts file, rebuilt it from scratch with a windows tool and still I can't connect to most anti virus company sites.
Finally I flushed my DNS...and still can't connect.
So Norton is sitting in my computer, trying to reach the host and it can't activate the software...
My connectivity problem is not only with the software activation but also when trying to go to norton.com in IE or Chrome.
My Chrome default search engine is still locked to atajitos.com, I try to delete it from my settings but it says that only the administrator can do that. I'm the administrator.
Help please!