Hidden search engine

[mnewsome]

Have a windows live account. when URL is filled in incompletely page navigates to the 'searchassist' page:

http://searchassist.teoma.com/landing.jsf?p=cnksver&q=home.live.om&rs=live&t=9_33_1_0_1_12_1

In internet explorer 8 I can find no such search engine. add/remove programs shows no such search app. I do have a verizon troubleshooting app and the searh engine page does have the verizon logo.

how does one troubleshoot this beyond what has been done?

 

[soundguruman]

wipe cookies and temp files folder?
update antivirus, scan entire computer?
use system restore to go back to point before search assist installed itself?
my computer> control panel> add remove programs> is search assist / teoma on the list? will it delete?
ctrl alt delete, start task manager, click processes
does it show search assist or teoma running? can you end the process?

 

[J_williams]

The key word here is "Verzion"! I'm having the same problem. Check out this page:

http://www22.verizon.com/ResidentialHelp/HighSpeed/Troubleshooting/Network/QuestionsOne/99031.htm

There's a ton more out there, just search for "Verizon DNS assistance." Long story short, whenever you specify a domain name that's invalid, Verzion spams you with crap instead of returning the standard "no such domain" response. (Thanks a bunch, Verizon!)

Verzion's default spammy DNS servers: x.x.x.12
Verizon's alternative DNS servers: x.x.x.14

So just change the last part of the IP address for the DNS servers in your configuration (in your modem, router, whatever) to "14." Worked for me! (If it wasn't clear already, this has no connection to any virus/adware/anything going on computer-wise; it's all just our ISP being sleazy.)

 

[madjack]

I had the same problem with Charter deciding I should be redirected to searchassist.

I tried, and now highly recommend, using the Google public DNS. (See http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/)

Instead of your ISP's DNS IP addresses, just enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Using Google's DNS, entering partial URLs like "www.github" results in "www.github.com"; using Charter's DNS resulted in a redirect to searchassist. Also, the lookups appear to be faster. Entering a non-existent domain will result in the expected "Server not found" error.

If searchassist isn't totally annoying you like it does me, you can enter Google's DNS server IP addresses ahead of your ISPs DNS servers. Then Google will complete partial URLs as above, and if a match is found, send you there. If the server isn't found at all, the searchassist redirect will still occur to suggest alternatives.

jack