Widji Toolbar (malware, apparently)

[PTNLemay]

Ok, I think this problem has gotten serious enough that I need the help of experts. I've been using a YouTube Downloader for a while now, I'm pretty sure it's not illegal or anything, I just use it to put some YouTube vids I like to watch on my iPad when I leave wifi capable zones. Anyway... it prompted me to download an update, and I said sure. While downloading it tried to also download a Yahoo toolbar, and I said no (or so I thought). After doing my thing I opened up firefox, and the address bar no longer used google as a default, it had switched to yahoo.

I get all frustrated and quickly start looking on google for a solution, and it tells me to start messing with things in about:config. Namely changing the browser.search.selectedengine, browser.search.defaultenginge, and keyword.url. I strongly suspect it was that last one that was the culprit, because he had the yahoo address in his selected box thingy. So I changed everything to http://www.google.com, and now it doesn't send me to yahoo, but... it doesn't work as a search bar anymore. I type in websites and it leads me to them, but if I put in search words not associated with a given address, it throws me to the google.com home page. So a friend of mine tells me, "Just open about:addons, and see what that update downloaded". I check, and I didn't find anything from yahoo, but I found Widji toolbar... and my friend tells me that is DEFINITELY malware. It's disabled right now, but I can't remove it. I tried to look in my add/remove list and I can't find any trace of widji or yahoo toolbars, I ran an MSE scan, and it didn't find anything.

I did a google search on "How to remove Widgi toolbar" and it gives me all these random sites that offer programs specifically designed to remove my problem... and they all look very shadey (each one is filled with ads). Please help, I don't know how serious a malware it is and I worry using firefox. I was thinking of reinstalling firefox, but I don't want to lose all my preferences and bookmarks. How do I fix this?


(And that youtube downloader was recommended by Cnet!)

 

[nikorr]

Remove every part of a program completely.
U can use Your Uninstaller! or Revo Uninstaller.

The Windows uninstaller will not remove everything.

http://www.ursoftware.com/product/uninstaller/
http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html

 

[nikorr]

Also run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware -- helps you defeat Malware once and for all

 

[scout_03]

scan with malwarebytes first http://www.malwarebytes.org to uninstall the widgi toolbar or the yahoo toolbar after that use revo uninstaller free / http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html (do this in safe mode without network connection )

 

[PTNLemay]

Should I disable MSE first? I remember hearing that running two anti-viruses at the same time can cause problems...

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

It won't conflict with MSE,but you can disable it just for the scan if you want!

 

[PTNLemay]

Ok, the problem is probably more serious than I thought. I downloaded and ran MalwareBytes, it found 1 infected file which I promptly removed. I then decided that I will just reinstall firefox completely. I saved my bookmarks onto a flash drive and tried to uninstall it.

But... the uninstallation completely froze about 1/4 of the way through, I had to reboot my computer, and now Mozilla is stuck in a half-deleted zombie state. I can't delete it, the computer can barely see it's there, but in my :C folder, in Program Files (x86), the Mozilla folder is still full of it's crap. Should I just delete the folder manually, or try to reinstall it even though it hasn't been deleted?

 

[nikorr]

Ok, the problem is probably more serious than I thought. I downloaded and ran MalwareBytes, it found 1 infected file which I promptly removed. I then decided that I will just reinstall firefox completely. I saved my bookmarks onto a flash drive and tried to uninstall it.

But... the uninstallation completely froze about 1/4 of the way through, I had to reboot my computer, and now Mozilla is stuck in a half-deleted zombie state. I can't delete it, the computer can barely see it's there, but in my :C folder, in Program Files (x86), the Mozilla folder is still full of it's crap. Should I just delete the folder manually, or try to reinstall it even though it hasn't been deleted?

What did u tried to uninstall FF with?

 

[PTNLemay]

Control pannel, Programs and features, right clicked Mozilla Firefox 8.0 (x86 en-GB), uninstall.

It worked it's way along the progress bar until around 20 - 25%, then it stopped for a solid 15 minutes without moving an inch. I tried to click cancel but it was grayed out. I did Ctrl-Alt-Delete but all my icons and everything vanished. Finally I managed to stop him, I tried a reboot, but now every time i try and uninstall firefox he doesn't even give me a progress bar, he doesn't do anything. Yet all the stuff in the folder is still there.

 

[nikorr]

Did u read this post?

Remove every part of a program completely.
U can use Your Uninstaller! or Revo Uninstaller.

The Windows uninstaller will not remove everything.

http://www.ursoftware.com/product/uninstaller/
http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

To remove added plugins or other files and folders that may not be removed by the uninstall, you must manually delete the Firefox installation folder, which is located in one of these locations, by default:
(32-bit Windows) C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
(64-bit Windows) C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox

http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Uninstalling%20Firefox ^

 

[PTNLemay]

Did u read this post?

Remove every part of a program completely.
U can use Your Uninstaller! or Revo Uninstaller.

The Windows uninstaller will not remove everything.

http://www.ursoftware.com/product/uninstaller/
http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html

Well I did, but I was afraid to use Windows Safe Mode, since I've never done that before. I was hoping to save Uninstaller as a... last resort.

 

[nikorr]

I didn't say anything about safe mode....

 

[PTNLemay]

(do this in safe mode without network connection )

This post here did, implying that something about it was... unsafe? I dunno.

I decided to delete the Mozilla folder and reinstalled it. The Widji Toolbar is gone (which is a big comfort), but the Address Bar issue is still there. I don't think that's caused by malware though, I think that whatever it changed in the configuration section (the place I go to when I type about:config) was more than just http://www.google.com/, it's something that enables the address bar to act as a search bar, and I just don't know what it is. I was hoping that reinstalling firefox would reset it, but I must not have deleted everything... he remembered all my bookmarks and the malfunctioning address bar.

 

[nikorr]

This post here did, implying that something about it was... unsafe? I dunno.

I decided to delete the Mozilla folder and reinstalled it. The Widji Toolbar is gone (which is a big comfort), but the Address Bar issue is still there. I don't think that's caused by malware though, I think that whatever it changed in the configuration section (the place I go to when I type about:config) was more than just http://www.google.com/, it's something that enables the address bar to act as a search bar, and I just don't know what it is. I was hoping that reinstalling firefox would reset it, but I must not have deleted everything... he remembered all my bookmarks and the malfunctioning address bar.

OK, run first CCleaner @ http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/

Run the cleaner and than registry cleaner.

 

[nikorr]

Use it also for uninstall of the FF if it still show in the uninstall section.

Go to CCleaner>>tools>>uninstall FF.

 

[PTNLemay]

Best answer selected by PTNLemay.

 

[nikorr]

Thanks for the vote : )

 

[nikorr]

This topic has been closed by Nikorr.