Computer Help and Support

Populist_Prole

(5,364 posts) Thu Oct 24, 2013, 12:12 PM Oct 2013

Homepage hacked by Yahoo?

So I turn my PC on this morning and execute Firefox, and instead of my usual default Bing homepage with some thumbnail bookmarks, I get a Yahoo page, with it prompting me to try Yahoo. I also have Google Chrome, with a Google search homepage with thumbnail bookmarks, and the same thing happened.

I imagine I can do a system restore but I'd like to know how and why this happened, plus I don't want to lose anything I've downloaded in a restore. Anyone ever heard of this happening?

Oh, I'm Windows 7

9 replies

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Homepage hacked by Yahoo? (Original Post) Populist_Prole Oct 2013 OP

did you install any new programs recently ? steve2470 Oct 2013 #1

Try this ^^ first JBoy Oct 2013 #2

Update, and thanks for the replies Populist_Prole Oct 2013 #3

uTorrent just did that to me, too ThingsGottaChange Oct 2013 #4

OT, I have a NAS unit... discntnt_irny_srcsm Oct 2013 #7

Thanks for comparing notes Populist_Prole Oct 2013 #9

Did you update Java recently? TygrBright Oct 2013 #5

Unless you decline the "Free Search Offer" during installation... Earth Bound Misfit Oct 2013 #6

Ahhhhhh, I see Populist_Prole Oct 2013 #8

steve2470

(37,457 posts)

1. did you install any new programs recently ?

Reply to Populist_Prole (Original post)

Thu Oct 24, 2013, 12:22 PM

Oct 2013

You can go into your settings for FF and Chrome and switch back your start pages, if you wish.

JBoy

(8,021 posts)

2. Try this ^^ first

Reply to steve2470 (Reply #1)

Thu Oct 24, 2013, 12:26 PM

Oct 2013

In Firefox, you can reset your homepage under Tools >> Options >> General. (Not sure what the equivalent in Chrome is).

If that doesn't fix it, you may have picked up some malware. Download and run Malwarebytes. Then restart your browsers and try the above.

Populist_Prole

(5,364 posts)

3. Update, and thanks for the replies

Reply to Populist_Prole (Original post)

Thu Oct 24, 2013, 12:51 PM

Oct 2013

When I went to reset the default homepages I noticed that for whatever reason both Firefox and Chrome were set to Yahoo as the default homepage. I since changed them to my normal respective "new tab" homepages and now everything is the way it should be. Still, it rattled me that this change occured without any actions from me.

The only thing I did do was the evening before I downloaded ( but did not run ) then seeded, a large file on uTorrent, then "seeded" for a while before shutdown. I've done this several times before with no trouble or other hanky-panky on the part of my PC.

Strange.

ThingsGottaChange

(1,200 posts)

4. uTorrent just did that to me, too

Reply to Populist_Prole (Reply #3)

Thu Oct 24, 2013, 01:40 PM

Oct 2013

Had it for years and uninstalled because of problems I'd heard about. Re-installed the other day to get a torrent and my homepage got changed to Yahoo. I also make sure any unwanted toolbars, etc are not checked to be downloaded with anything. I figure if I need a torrent I can get it another way. Removed uTorrent from computer. All is well.

discntnt_irny_srcsm

(18,479 posts)

7. OT, I have a NAS unit...

Reply to ThingsGottaChange (Reply #4)

Thu Oct 24, 2013, 06:44 PM

Oct 2013

...that has torrent search and download functions as options in its desktop interface. I download to the NAS and then copy/burn/... as needed to optical media or a local HDD. Having the NAS do this in the background is handy since I can access those files from any PC on the network.