How To Get Rid Of SearchAssistant

 Description

SearchAssistant (SeekSeek; SE Assistant) is a browser hijacker that resets the start page in IE. It also delivers pop-up ads to your computer.

You acquire SearchAssistant by visiting Web sites that are affiliated with SeekSeek.com.

 How To Tell If SearchAssistant Is Present On Your System

You'll see your browser launch with a new start page that directs you to an online shopping site called SeekSeek.com.

 How To Get Rid Of SearchAssistant With Spybot S&D

To remove SearchAssistant using Spybot S&D, open the anti-spyware utility and click the Check For Problems button. Wait while Spybot S&D looks for spyware,
adware, and other malware. When the scan is complete, click the Fix Selected Problems button. Click Yes to confirm that you want to remove the selected
files and, if prompted, reboot your PC so that Spybot S&D can finish its job.

WARNING: The following section includes step-by-step information on how to edit the Windows Registry, a large database containing system and program settings
that are essential to how the OS (operating system) operates. Follow Registry-editing instructions to the letter and be sure to make a backup of your Registry
before you begin. (Registry errors can render your computer inoperable if you don't have a backup.) This procedure differs depending on the OS you use.
For more information on backing up and editing the Registry, see these articles: "
Protect Yourself"
and "
Register Here."
 How To Get Rid Of SearchAssistant Manually

Short of using an anti-spyware utility, there's no easy way to remove SearchAssistant from your PC. You must start by pressing CTRL-ALT-DELETE and ending
any task associated with Slmss.exe. Next, open the Registry Editor and delete the following values (if present):

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
RUN\Absr

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
RUN\Mwsvm

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
RUN\Slmss

Close the Registry Editor and reboot your PC.

Next, you need to unregister the DLL files associated with SearchAssistant. Open the Windows search utility and search for the Ieasst.dll and Iecomp.dll
files. Make a note of where the files are installed on your system and then open the MS-DOS Command Prompt and access a C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32> (C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM>
in WinMe and Win98) prompt. At the prompt, type regsvr32 /u followed immediately by the location of the Ieasst.dll file in quotation marks (for example:
regsvr32 /u "windows\system32\ieasst.dll"). Press ENTER and type regsvr32 /u again, immediately followed by the location of Iecomp.dll (for example: regsvr32
/u "windows\system32\iecomp.dll"). Press ENTER again. Close the window by typing exit at the command prompt and pressing ENTER. Reboot your computer.

When Windows restarts, open the Registry Editor to locate and delete the following keys and values (if present):

•HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{5074851C-F67A-488E-A9C9-C244573F4068}

•HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DEFAULTSEARCH.SEEKSEEK

•HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DEFAULTSEARCH.SEEKSEEK.1

•HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\INTERFACE\{39341EB6-C340-4F68-AB9D-EE4917309828}

•HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
EXPLORER\BROWSER HELPER OBJECTS\{5074851C-F67A-488E-A9C9-C244573F4068}

•HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TYPELIB\{EAC42C32-1FE3-4FD0-9F27-E7F9CCF5FCD9}

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\CLSID\{5074851C-F67A-488E-A9C9-C244573F4068}

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\
{5074851C-F67A-488E-A9C9-C244573F4068}

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\
{97B4F55A-B1F8-41F3-8A4E-7844D03D9242}

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\CODE STORE DATABASE\
DISTRIBUTION UNITS\{DF042E4A-5577-4D32-9305-442923D7838B}

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\
SEARCH\CUSTOMIZE SEARCH

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
EXPLORER\BROWSER HELPER OBJECTS\{5074851C-F67A-488E-A9C9-C244573F4068}

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
MODULEUSAGE\C:/WINNT/DOWNLOADED PROGRAM FILES/UNINSTALL_DS.OCX\.OWNER

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
MODULEUSAGE\C:/WINNT/DOWNLOADED PROGRAM FILES/UNINSTALL_DS.OCX\
{DF042E4A-5577-4D32-9305-442923D7838B}

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
RUN\Absr

•HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\
RUN\Mwsvm

Close the Registry when you finish and reboot your PC. Finally, open the search utility and locate the following files on your PC: Ieasst.dll, Iecomp.dll,
Mwsvm.exe, Seekseek.txt, Slmss.exe, and Wininit.ini. Delete all of the files that you find. Reboot your system, open the Programs tab in the Internet Options
dialog box, and click the Reset Web Settings button to restore your browser's default settings.