I uploaded MakeTheWebBetter to Threat Expert and here is the report. This is the program that is downloaded from the My Web Tattoo website and starts all this @#$! Now assuming you already tried to uninstall it using it’s uninstall program or add and remove programs in control panel and it’s still running, you can try this to remove any remains of it. Some of this information may not be for beginners. Use common sense, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, stay out of your files. Especially the registry. If you don’t know what your doing in there, you can make a real mess of your system. Now that is out of the way, here’s some information about how we can get rid of this thing.
Ok lets look at the first part of the Threat Expert report:
The following files were created in the system:
%ProgramFiles%Fast Browser SearchIEbasis.xml
%ProgramFiles%Fast Browser SearchIEfbsSearchProvider.xml
%ProgramFiles%Search Guard PlusfbsSearchProvider.xml
c:userspublicMyWebTattoo.exe
Note:
%ProgramFiles% is a variable that refers to the Program Files folder. A typical path is C:Program Files.
First off, you might have to do this in safe mode. Chances are one or more of these programs will be running and you won’t be able to delete them. So reboot in safe mode if you can’t delete any file. Leaving one may be used to reinstall the rest of it.
The main directory it created was C:Program FilesFast Browser Search with other files and directories beneath it. So lets kill it! Delete the folder C:Program FilesFast Browser Search and everything in it.
Next we need delete the folder C:ProgramFilesSearch Guard Plus and all of it’s files. And now we need to delete the file (not a folder) C:userspublicMyWebTattoo.exe
Ok Let’s look at the next section-
The following directories were created:
%ProgramFiles%Search Guard Plus
%ProgramFiles%Search Guard PlusU
%ProgramFiles%Fast Browser Search
%ProgramFiles%Fast Browser SearchIE
%ProgramFiles%Search Guard PlusUTmp
%ProgramFiles%SGPSA
c:users (DO NOT DELETE THIS FOLDER!)
c:userspublic (DO NOT DELETE THIS FOLDER!)
Ok we want to the same thing and kill all those folders EXCEPT c:users & c:userspublic Do Not Delete Those Two!! Other windows programs may use what is in them. Remember that %ProgramFiles% is your default Program Files folder location which is most likely C:Program Files. So the first folder above would translate to C:Program FilesSearch Guard Plus and the next would be C:Program FilesSearch Guard PlusU and so on for the rest of the folders.
If it’s still there, delete MyWebTattoo.exe that is in c:userspublic folder. This should get rid of all the programs that have been installed and keep it from running and reinstalling itself. I’m not going to go through the registry line by line. Editing the registry isn’t something to do unless you know exactly what your doing. There are a couple of programs that it’s trying to load when windows starts, but the programs themselves are in the folders we deleted so they can’t launch.
25 Comments
I’m in desperate need of your help. I’ve done everything you say to do, yet every time I open a new tab or restart Firefox, I get fast browser search. It’s driving me crazy! And my Firefox crashes constantly and I can’t help but blame it on this mess. Is there anyway you could help me via email? I know it’s asking a lot, but I’m desperate and desperate girls do NOT mind begging!! Thank you for the wonderful guides, I’m sorry I’m not having the same luck as everyone else!!
ok hears my question…i have done all that. my fast browser search is in my list of programs to unistall/change it won’t let me delete it from there, how do i delete it? ty
Hey thanks for this post and the information about how to get rid of or remove fast browser search from Fire Fox. Isn’t it illegal to hyjack your browser? Well if they somehow found a loop hole they are still dorks and unethical in their practices. You would think that facebook would do something about this problem since it came from their service. Mytattododdle or something like at. The average Internet user doesn’t even know that they have been exploited by faster browser search. Adware is against the law right????????
Thanks for this info, I followed it precisely, two additional bits: one, it is probably excellent advice to reboot into safe mode before doing this cleaning, for the reasons stated, but it doesn’t tell you how (sophisticated users know of course, but another site correctly tells you: hold down (or better, continually tap) the F8 key whilst rebooting and it’ll go to a black menu screen which allows you to select “start windows in safe mode with networking” by using your up/down arrows, then hit “enter” and it’ll go into safe mode, which it’ll say at all four corners and probably have a grossly large icon and type setting of say 600 x 800 with which you’ll just have to live for the moment. then, do as the above advice says, delete those nasties. second, after having done all of that and rebooting (without additional input, it goes automatically back into regular windows), i ran spybot and guess what? it found a registry entry for FastBrowserSearchtoolbar, which it then deleted and when i manually searched the registry it was no longer there, so i assume spybot fixed, ie removed, it. the spybot report line for this additional nasty, which you could remove manually if you don’t have spybot, is this: “FastBrowserSearchToolbar: [SBI $DFCB4226] Class ID (Registry key, fixed)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREClassesCLSID{F0626A63-410B-45E2-99A1-3F2475B2D695}” the “registry key, fixed” lingo means spybot fixed it, ie deleted it. use the registry address to see if a similar key is on your machine, after doing the other deletions above.
also, i downloaded malwarebytes antimalware whilst in safe mode and ran it, but it didn’t find anything, this was after the deletions as i foggily remember, could have been before, but either way it missed this stuff. it did find three other bad things, none relating to this.
finally, to the comment above re firefox, i did all of this in IE, to see how to fix re firefox, go to: http://www.pccybertek.com/2009/05/remove-fast-browser-search/
alpha mike foxtrot
I’m desperate too, as Tamy, who wrote above. I also have done everything you say to do, but nothing. Fast Browser Search continue like something that was born in my computer and refuses to die. I’m becoming crazy So, if you have something else I apreciate. Thanks
I think it already changed its Folder name to MyWebSearch
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
You may quote anything here just please give a link back to the post or this site.
TY
Chris
I have done all of this and this crap is still there. What now?
after ridding of it with about:config i found that my comp still goes to the fast browser when i open a new tab which i then finally found the file to delete in order to get rid of it totally. It was inside the C:Program FilesMozilla Firefox folder. You go to that folder and go search for fbs and then ull get the remaining files to delete. This worked for me so it helps anyone else as well. =)
I also did all of the above but cannot remove it from uninstall or change a program in Vista.
I cannot remove it through tools, manage add-ons either. The remove button is disabled. Ideas?
@Geo: omg thank you thank you thank you. I had done everything and it would not disappear! But your idea kept it from showing. Now to make sure it’s COMPLETELY gone!
@Geo
Thank you so much!!!!!!!!
now, i can fix it !!!!!
Finally got rid of the last bits of this thing, thanks. I’ve seen the SGPSA folder on a lot of computers before, now I know what it comes from.
@Erick – MyWebSearch is a seperate program entirely, and its been around for a loooong while. It does similar things, but its not related.
I need help getting rid of this monster. I did a search and deleted all the files associated with it. I went to add/remove and didn’t find anything there. I went to the add-ons and uninstalled it. I went into program files and deleted everything there it was listed with and I did the about:config and reset everything. Close out of browser and restart and it still has the toolbar and the new tab opened defaults to it still. Go into the about:config and its reset back to fastwebbrowser. Am I missing something or skipping a step? I can’t get this off my PC please help me. Thanks
run revo uninstaller it worked 4 me
In case it helps. I found 2 additional fbs files in the C:Program FilesMozilla Firefoxchrome folder. I deleted the fbstoolbar.jar and the fbstoolbar.manifest file to finally get rid of this thing.
Well I seem to be having the exact same problem as everyone else. This thing has been crashing my Firefox as soon as it opens. I tried downloading this thing called “SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition” but it seemed to have failed at picking anything up. Also noted, the fact my computer is older, and smaller on memory. When I open my Firefox, it says “no memory left” then will prompt me to click ok, then “My Web Tattoo” will pop up. I have tried to seach for it’s source, but keep on coming up empty handed.
I tried Geo’s idea, however the only files in “chrome”
are:
browser.jar
browser.manifest
classic.jar
classic.manifest
comm.jar
comm.manifest
en-US.jar
en-US.manifest
pippki.jar
pippki.manifest
reporter.jar
reporter.manifest
toolkit.jar
toolkit.manifest
I would like to know which/or if I should delete any of the previous files?
They were all in my chrome folder within the Mozilla folder.
I don’t want to delete anything I need, eh. I would really, really apreciate it if I had some help.
Before today (I know, it’s stupid)
I had no spyware portection or virus-portection, because this has been sort of the extra computer-turned main computer.
I figured I didn’t need to download anything else, and that I could probably find the source of the “My Web Tattoo” virus through the search.
Thanks for listening, and thanks for your great ideas.
Zan
I had already uninstalled the toolbar with no problems (IE8) but after changing my home page back to google and restarting the computer it would default to My Fast Web Search home page everytime. I found under START, ALL PROGRAMS, STARTUP FOLDER where the program had inserted itself as a startup. Upon further review I discovered it was changing the registry settings at startup. I deleted it from the startup folder and edited the registry entry which it had been changing. After that everythihng is good to go. This is the registry entry that needs changing.
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMain
Start Page = “http://www.myfastwebsearch.com”
Just change the “http://www.fastwebsearch.com” to something like “http://www.google.com”
I have deleted fastbrowsersearch in all the places mentioned (couldn’t find it under firefox folder) but in about:config I can’t modify, reset or delete it on the line that says key.url.
Please note, that using HiJackThis does show at least two BHO results that include the name ***.fbs***, where *** is some additional path or file name. These BHO entries should be removed. If you are unfamiliar with using HiJackThis, do NOT click or ‘fix’ ANY other entry – many shown will be legit, and can damage your system if you remove them.
still wont let me delete SGPSA folder
Well, I have had all the same problems that all of you have had with the fast browser search crap…I had to figure it all out but searching the net and seeing what other people were doing to remove it. I removed most of it but was left with the (My Tatoons) program in my add remove programs. There was no trace that I could find in mt registery, but still it was there…And No matter how many times I clicked on the remove button in the Add/Remove programs list…it just wouldnt go away…then I discovered this thing called REVO Uninstaller Pro…It is a fully functional feature that is a 30 day trial…it removed the Tatoons thingy from my add/remove program and All of its subkeys…it was a miracle of God I’m telling you!! FINALLY!!! But still I have the Make the Web Better LLC thing in my addons in my IE8…I have it disabled, and it doesnt act up at all now, but I cant get the darn thing to uninstall…I want it REMOVED from my IE8…it just makes me sick every time I see it in there…did I mention that I have been plagued with this bu*# s@^&t for almost a year now? So if any one gets this thing completely figured out, please let me know.
Another one sick of Web Tattoo here….I’m not all that tech savvy and could really use help getting rid of tho f***ing pain in my a$$. Could you possibly email me with directions for the caveman on how to get rid of this cyber-pestilence?
Thanks,
tyeve
Monroe GA
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