Getting rid of the http://dellnet.my.msn.com/default.aspx 'virus'.

Question

I have a Dell Studio XPS 8100. Out of the box, the IE homepage was set to http://dellnet.my.msn.com/default.aspx. I have been trying to change the homepage to my personalized http://my.msn.com.

I have deleted my cookies. I have gone to Tools/Internet options/Homepage in an attempt to make the change, however, there seems to be a buried cookie or registry key that continues to redirect the my chosen homepage to http://dellnet.my.msn.com/default.aspx. When I type in http://msn.com into the Tools/Internet Options/Home Page window, IE now directs me to http://dell.msn.com/.

Could somebody please give me specific directions as to how to eliminate the code that is keeping me from configuring my personal computer in the manner in which I would like?

Editorial: I don't know why Dell would choose to hijack my homepage selection. I see this as an advertising gimmick that has done nothing more than to cause me to waste time looking for a solution, while simultaneously eliminating my intent to rebuy another Dell product. I do have other options that involve moving away from Dell and Microsoft completely. I can change my homepage to Google or any other page apparently, as long as it doesn't have "msn" in the title. Additionally, I can change my browser to Mozilla or Chrome, or any number of free browsers on the market. If that is Dell's intent, then Dell is very close to being successful in driving me away from their product.

I see from an internet search that I am not the only person experiencing this frustration.

Thanks.

osprey4 · Answer

Hi dwnm, This forum is for desktop hardware questions. The solution to your problem can be found in the spyware forum. Try searching before you post--the solution shouldn't be too hard to find.

dwnm · Answer

Sadly, I did do a search before I posted. I am somewhat familiar with forums. After pasting dellnet.my.msn.com/default.aspx into the search box, the first page did not have any mention of the issue in any of the short blurbs under the recommended links. I had no intention of sifting through 63 pages of possibilities when the first page did not show any promise of success. Having spent too much time already on this issue, I chose to throw my issue into the desktop forum. I had no idea that Dell considered their ill conceived marketing scheme as "spyware." (My "virus" label was TIC.)

It's unfortunate that you feel that my posting in an inappropriate forum is an annoyance and an inconvenience. Trust me, what you are experiencing is nothing compared to the annoyance, inconvenience and frustration that I have experienced. That I even have to log on to a Dell forum to clear up this issue is beyond belief. This should have been taken care of as soon as I changed my homepage in intenet options.

Thanks.

speedstep · Answer

if you do not have Admin rights you may not be able to remove the Default home page.

I would suggest you try http://www.msn.com and make sure that your hosts file is not populated with a redirect.

Internet Explorer 5 and 6

Start Internet Explorer.

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.

Click the General tab.

In the Address box, type the Web page address that you want for your home page.

NOTE: If you want the page that you are currently viewing in Internet Explorer to be your home page, click Use Current.

Click OK.

If Dell Quickset is installed it may be getting set there.

Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Internet Explorer, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.
Navigate to the webpage you want to set as the home page.
Click the arrow to the right of the Home button , and then click Add or Change Home Page.
In the Add or Change Home Page dialog box, do one of the following:
- To make the current webpage your only home page, click Use this webpage as your only home page.
- To start a home page tab set or to add the current webpage to your set of home page tabs, click Add this webpage to your home page tabs.
- To replace your existing home page or home page tab set with the webpages you currently have open, click Use the current tab set as your home page. This option will only be available if you have more than one tab open in Internet Explorer.
Click Yes to save your changes.

Bugbatter · Answer

dwnm,

One of the regulars on the Virus and Spyware Forum has some tips on his webpage: http://naut.homestead.com/files/locked/locked.html

If those suggestions do not work, we can take it out of the registry and reset your homepage. I do not suggest that anyone should edit the registry unless he has experience doing so. Unfortunately, Dell no longer has a malware removal forum, so my suggestion is to post in the Malware Removal Forum at SpywareHammer and have a trained staff member walk you through the diagnostic log and a cleanup. Help is free, but you will need to register there and follow the posting instructions. In addition, there other options listed at the top of the this forum. Some are free; some require a fee. Please use only one resource. It can be counter-productive to have too many people trying to help. Good luck! :emotion-1:

theflash1932 · Answer

Keep in mind that this is a users-helping-users forum; we are not Dell. Dell probably doesn't consider it spyware (more accurately, adware), while most of us users do. There are plenty of solutions in this thread:

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/network-internet-wireless/f/3324/t/19303965.aspx

A reinstall always works to get rid of the bugs :)

Good luck!

I went ahead and moved your post to the OS/software forum, rather than the hardware forum.

dwnm · Answer

SpeedStep,

Thanks for taking the time to help me with my issue. Unfortunately, your suggestions did not fix the problem. Apparently there were a couple of parts to my story that I either didn't make clear or I didn't include.

This is my personal computer. Unless Dell has retained Admin rights as well as the right to control my homepage, then I do have Admin rights.

I am currently running IE9.

When I open IE it opens to the default homepage of http://dellnet.my.msn.com. In the OP, I mentioned that I have attempted to change my homepage using the Tools/Internet Options/Homepage field.

Here's one area that I didn't make entirely clear. If I go up to the navigation field and paste or type http://my.msn.com, it will automaticallly send me to http://dellnet.my.msn.com. If I go up to the navigation field and paste or type http://msn.com, it will automatically send me to http://dellnet.my.msn.com. If I go up to the navigation field and paste or type http://www.msn.com, it will automatically send me to http://dellnet.my.msn.com.

As much as I would like to use your second fix of navigating to my.msn.com and then accessing the option "Use the current tab set as your homepage', it is just not possible. I can't get the machine to take me to my.msn.com so that I can set it.

Thanks again.

dwmn

(And to the poor sap that landed on this page in search of a solution to the same problem: good luck. I feel your pain.)

theflash1932 · Answer

The link includes several things to try, and different fixes for several people, probably depending on "how" they ended up with it (just visiting dellnet.msn.com can set up the redirect).

Did you try resetting IE to defaults?

theflash1932 · Answer

Have you reset IE to defaults - Internet Options, Advanced Tab?

dwnm · Answer

theflash1932,

Thanks for the link. I find it odd that there is not one single "fix" for this situation.

Thanks again for taking the time to try and help.

dwnm

(Hey Dell Mods. Are you reading this? How about showing some compassion and sending a message up the chain to the braintrusts in Marketing.)

Bugbatter · Answer

dwmn, did you post at SpywareHammer as suggested above?

The problem can be fixed in about two minutes if that registry entry is removed, but you may have to post a diagnostic log so your helper can see what is locking that.

MonkeyWrangler · Answer

This redirection is being caused by a cookie that gets installed by default in IE's cookie cache. Here's how to get rid of it:

Go ahead and load MSN.COM. It's OK that you are redirected to dell.msn.com or whatever.

Press the F12 Key. This loads IE's developer tools in the lower section of the browser window.

The top menu bar of the tools window will have a series of selections like File, Find, Disable, ...

Select the Cache, "Clear Cookies for domain".

This should delete all the cookies for *.msn.com which will take care of the redirection.

dwnm · Answer

MonkeyWrangle,

Thanks for taking the time to resurrect this thread. As it turns out, I was eventually able to overcome the situation by a persistent re-insertion of my.msn.com into the navigation window. Your fix sounds easier.

Hopefully your fix will help the next poor soul who stumbles across this forum.

Thanks again for your input. And thanks again to everybody who posted suggestions.

dwnm

theflash1932 · Answer

To be fair, Microsoft has partnered with MANY (if not all) OEM's to implement this (Lenovo was the first brand I saw do this).

Anonymous User · Answer

This was the solution for me. Nothing else worked. Thank You. Dell should be ashamed of this practice as well as Microsoft for allowing it.

Windows General

Getting rid of the http://dellnet.my.msn.com/default.aspx "virus".

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