This has been going on for QUITE A WHILE.

When I am using Google, and there are links, I will click on a link (let's say it's a link to this thread), only when I click on the link, it re-directs me to a completely different website (an advertisement or some such nonsense).

This happens EACH AND EVERY TIME I click on a link.

If I want to be able to go to the website that the link indicates, I have to look UNDERNEATH the link, which indicates the URL, then I copy and paste the URL into my browser, AND THEN I get to go to that website.

How can this be happening? Who is taking over google, that when one clicks on a blue hyperlink, you don't go where you want to go?

I have no clue.

Have any of you noticed his, or is this just my experience?

Thanks much

Melody

I think you have a virus...

Try Bing.... see if their links lead you astray as well?

Try a link here, too.

Sometimes websites change their addresses...sometimes
they give up their domain to someone else. SOMETIMES.

But it should not happen for every link!

It didn't happen with every single link, but it happened enough that I said 'what the heck is going on?'

I just did the bing thing. Worked just fine. I searched for 15 or so things and every time I clicked on a link, it brought me right there.

So bing works just fine.

Oh, you have to hear what I just won on ebay. The other day I bought a Drive Tall adjustable height safety bath tub rail, and a bath tub chair.

So I thought "go on ebay and buy one of those bath brushes".

I saw a Homedics BRAND NEW, battery operated massage Bath Brush (with two attachments), It had been up for 5 days with no one bidding. Starting bid was $.99. with 8 bucks for shipping. Seller has 100% positive feedback, so I went for it.

I won it.

Alan is going to go nuts when he takes a shower and uses this contraption.

Take care

thanks much

Melody

Yeah, as MrsD says... it sounds like something suspect has made it's way to your machine. I would give it a thorough malware check and make sure you have the latest download of JAVA installed.

Have a look here for further info.

You're a genius. I'll do this later on.

Right now, hubby is getting up for the day and will need his breakfast (at 2:30 p.m.). lol

melody

My dear, whoever said that there are no good people in this world, HAS NOT MET YOU!!! Between yourself, Mrs. D and JoMar, well, I am LEARNING NEW STUFF EVERY DAY.

Oh, I did the malware bytes thing. There were two versions to click on, Malwarebytes 1 and 2, I chose 1 and I don't know why.

It found 10 malwares, and indicated two trojans and 8 adware things.

I removed all of them, rebooted my computer, and went to google and yahoo.

EVERYTHING NOW WORKS AS IT SHOULD.

I can link to anything with no re-direction.

I would like to know how the re-directing works. The malware thing.

If you know, can you explain it to me, and how can I prevent this from happening again?

Also, there is an option to register and purchase this malwarebytes thing.

Have you done this?

I already had Super Professional Anti Spyware on my computer and it always picks up trojans and something called hijack, but while it removes everything, every time I run a scan using the Super Professional Anty-spyware, the hijack thing never seems to go away.

Maybe this anti-malwayre bytes thing took that away? I can only find out, once I run a scan using the Super Professional Anti-Spyware.

Again, I can't thank you enough.

This thing is FREE???

Melody

Alot depends on where you go. Your link hijack is a common type of virus to get your business. It is not unlike a homepage hijack that some porn places do. I had the misfortune of clicking on a link in ICQ chat once long ago, that had a title I thought was from a friend. It hijacked my homepage to go to a porn site every time I turned on the computer. My son walked me thru removing it, thru Explorer...by reading the file names and deleting the culprit.

The new Malware software does the same thing. You just have to scan often. We do 3 scans every weekend here. Malware, Adaware and Avast antivirus. Most of the time they find just cookies and we delete them. But lately I've been getting hits on "trojans" when I go to Yahoo mail. This week I've had two blocked by Avast.

I am very careful where I go now on the net. I don't search blindly and I won't click a link that is not familiar to me. This is the only way to avoid infection. Those nasties are everywhere now!

From how I understand it - some of the questionable websites somehow have ways to install a little program without you even knowing about it- that is probably how you got yours.

That's why I use the WOT browser add on as well as the browser security that comes with my Zone Alarm.

both of those will block a very bad site and the WOT has a color coded icon when I do a internet search so all the sites that come up in the results list have the icon showing if safe , moderate or bad.

I also use the Malwarebytes free program every so often as a double check but luckily it never finds anything. You should be fine with the free version too. Just check for updates before you run a scan.

the price $24.95 seems high to me when you can get a full security suite for nearly the same cost when they have the special price/sales .

they will have special pricing about 2x a year.
http://www.toptenreviews.com/interne...-suite-review/

more results-
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds=...5cdb1806fef4aa

And you can always install a trial of any of them one at a time and use it until the trial is up then remove it and try another, until you find the one that is best for you, or just go back to free versions or what you use now. some have a 15 day trial and some 30 days etc.

Bit defender & the Norton were tricky to remove completely- so I wouldn't suggest you try those.

Kaspersky has a ton of settings - if you used it as it comes that is fine but if you start tweaking things it is easy to get lost in all the details.. I know I did.
There's some new ones on this list that I haven't heard of , I'm not testing any new ones now that I have my choice made.

Well,I have Verizon Internet Security Suite, Super Professional Anti Spyware, and now this malwarebytes thingee.

What a world we live in. We get taken to porn sites, etc.

Our world has changed and NOT for the better.

Thanks again.

Melody