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Hi, John,

It sounds like your browser has been hijacked. Hopefully someone else will respond with cleanupo instaructions, but here are some general things you ought to to to prevent this from happening again.

1) Use a browser other than IE. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement encouraging Americans to use a browser other than IE because of its security vulnerabilities. I recommend Firefox. (It's free.)
2) Make sure you're running anti-virus software and that it's set up to obtain virus definitions automatically without any need for you to do anything. It's essential you have up-to-date virus definitions.
3) Make sure you have a software firewall like Norton Personal Firewall or ZoneAlarm installed and properly configured.
4) If you're using broadband connectivity (cable modem or DSL), you also need a hardware firewall that uses "stateful packet inspection" or SPI. Many new routers come with that installed in the router so you don't necessarily need to get a separate piece of equipment as a dedicated hardware firewall.
5) Install a spyware program that not only scans your computer, but also prevents new spyware from being installed. I use SpySweeper, but Ad-Aware with AdWatch is an alternative.

You might find cleanup instructions for your current problem at www.symantec.com, but I've been furtunate enough not to have had to clean up a mess like that.

Hope that helps!
Bill

Internet Explorer has been rendered... (John B 22.Nov.04)
. . RE: Internet Explorer has been rend... (suzanne e miles... 22.Nov.04)
. . RE: Internet Explorer has been rend... (Bill Treloar 22.Nov.04)
. . . . RE: Internet Explorer has been rend... (suzanne e miles... 23.Nov.04)
. . . . . . RE: Internet Explorer has been rend... (Bill Treloar 3.Jan.05)