There's nothing lost, apart from a bit of your time, by running MalwareBytes. That would at least provide some clue as to where the problem is and if more drastic measures are called for.
We don't really know what we're dealing with yet. Some software which adds itself is a pain but not actually malicious. As such it doesn't trigger a lot of AV programs, which is probably why yours let it be installed. MalwareBytes also finds these types of 'Potentially Unwanted Programs' and gives you the option to remove them.
I agree with you about not scrapping something that works to your satisfaction. Personally I think we're far from that point. I've had something very similar with web-sites suddenly producing fake links but I can't remember how I shifted it. It therefore can't have been anything dramatic.
It would be as well to make sure anything you don't wish to loose is backed-up onto CDs, memory cards or whatever. This will be useful if you do need to completely wipe the hard disk or if the problem ultimately stops your PC from working altogether.
— Joe
We don't really know what we're dealing with yet. Some software which adds itself is a pain but not actually malicious. As such it doesn't trigger a lot of AV programs, which is probably why yours let it be installed. MalwareBytes also finds these types of 'Potentially Unwanted Programs' and gives you the option to remove them.
I agree with you about not scrapping something that works to your satisfaction. Personally I think we're far from that point. I've had something very similar with web-sites suddenly producing fake links but I can't remember how I shifted it. It therefore can't have been anything dramatic.
It would be as well to make sure anything you don't wish to loose is backed-up onto CDs, memory cards or whatever. This will be useful if you do need to completely wipe the hard disk or if the problem ultimately stops your PC from working altogether.
— Joe
