Tutorial: Avoiding conduits, and how to remove them!

[luke127]

Sometimes when installing software, you'll get browser addons and tool bars. Please be weary of these toolbars as some of them will attempt to redirect you to sites that say you need to update your Flash or Java, when really these sites are making you download a virus.

If your browser opens a web page that is not your set homepage, it's usually pretty obvious that something isn't right. When you go into your settings to force the home page to open, and it still won't open? Then something is definitely wrong.

Removing conduits is a simple matter, depending on what type of conduit you have. 99% of them are what I call invisible conduits, meaning that they do not show up in the windows control panel for Programs and Applications and therefore cannot be uninstalled by regular methods.

PLEASE BE WARNED THAT YOUR ANTI VIRUS WILL NOT NOTICE THESE CONDUITS!

To remove an invisible conduit follow these simple steps:
1. Go to your app data folder, and check Local, LocalLow, and Roaming for any folder named "conduit", if you find any folders, delete it immediately.
2. To fix your browser issue, right click on your browser short cut (Found on desktop, or start menu) and go to properties. Then look at the "Target:" box. If it has a web address in it, remove that web address.
3. Run a search of your drive for any folders named conduit. If you find any, delete them.

If there's a listing in your Programs and Applications list that even MENTIONS a conduit, remove it immediately.

Happy computer fixing

 

[carnageX]

I've had good luck removing any toolbars, etc. via Programs & Features and then just running MBAM.

Then go into each browser and check the add-ons/extensions to make sure there's nothing there, check the homepages, and then check the Search Engine setting.

Usually takes care of it.

 

[luke127]

I recently had to deal with a conduit on a friends pc that had added the website to open to the actual desktop shortcut via the Target: option in properties. According to what I've seen and heard, this is becoming more common...

 

[carnageX]

Had to remove it off of my wife's laptop several times - I'm able to get rid of it fairly quickly now.

 

[zaka100]

This kind of software can regularly be avoided by downloading the installer from the developers site.