Remove Go.Speedbit.com Search (Virus Removal Guide)

Go.Speedbit.com is a browser hijacker, which is promoted via other free downloads, and once installed it will change your browser homepage and default search engine to go.speedbit.com, and install the SPEEDbit Toolbar.

Go.Speedbit.com will display advertisements and sponsored links in your search results, and may collect search terms from your search queries. The Go.Speedbit.com hijack is used to boost advertising revenue, as in the use of blackhat SEO, to inflate a site’s page ranking in search results.

Go.Speedbit.com it’s technically not a virus, but it does exhibit plenty of malicious traits, such as rootkit capabilities to hook deep into the operating system, browser hijacking, and in general just interfering with the user experience. The industry generally refers to it as a “PUP,” or potentially unwanted program.
Go.Speedbit.com is an ad-supported (users may see additional banner, search, pop-up, pop-under, interstitial and in-text link advertisements) cross web browser plugin for Internet Explorer (BHO) and Firefox/Chrome (plugin) and distributed through various monetization platforms during installation. The browser extension includes various features that will modify the default or custom settings of the browser including the home page, search settings and in some cases will modify Internet Explorer’s load time threshold, place a lock file within Firefox to prevent competing software from changing its settings as well as disable the browser’s Content Security Policy in order to allow for cross site scripting of the plugin.

Go.Speedbit.com got on your computer after you have installed a freeware software (video recording/streaming, download-managers or PDF creators) that had bundled into their installation this browser hijacker.
For example, when you install DAP 10, you will also agree to change your browser homepage http://Go.Speedbit.com/ and default search engine to go.speedbit.com, and install the SPEEDbit Toolbar.

However when you uninstall DAP 10 from your computer, your web browser’s default settings will not be restored. This means that you’ll have to remove go.speedbit.com and SPEEDbit Toolbar from your favorite web browser manually.

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this Go.Speedbit.com browser hijacker. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

How to remove Go.Speedbit.com browser hijacker – Virus Removal Guide

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove Go.Speedbit.com from your Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.
STEP 1: Remove Go.Speedbit.com browser hijacker from your computer with AdwCleaner
STEP 2: Remove Go.Speedbit.com from Internet Explore, Firefox and Google Chrome with Junkware Removal Tool
STEP 3: Remove Go.Speedbit.com malicious files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 4: Double-check for the Go.Speedbit.com infection with HitmanPro

STEP 1: Remove Go.Speedbit.com browser hijacker with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer for Go.Speedbit.com malicious files that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

1. You can download AdwCleaner utility from the below link.
   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download AdwCleaner on your computer)
2. Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
   
   If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
3. When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the Scan button as shown below.
   
   AdwCleaner will now start to search for Go.Speedbit.com malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
4. To remove the Go.Speedbit.com malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the Clean button.
   
   AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button.

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STEP 2: Remove Go.Speedbit.com from Internet Explore, Firefox and Google Chrome with Junkware Removal Tool

Junkware Removal Tool is a powerful utility, which will remove Go.Speedbit.com extensions from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome.

1. You can download the Junkware Removal Tool utility from the below link:
   JUNKWARE REMOVAL TOOL DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download the Junkware Removal Tool utility on your computer)
2. Once Junkware Removal Tool has finished downloading, please double-click on the JRT.exe icon as seen below.
   
   If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run Junkware Removal Tool, please allow it to run.
3. Junkware Removal Tool will now start, and at the Command Prompt, you’ll need to press any key to perform a scan for the Go.Speedbit.com virus.
   
   Please be patient as this can take a while to complete (up to 10 minutes) depending on your system’s specifications.
4. When the scan Junkware Removal Tool will be completed, this utility will display a log with the malicious files and registry keys that were removed from your computer.
   

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STEP 3: Remove Go.Speedbit.com malicious files from your computer with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free utilizes Malwarebytes powerful technology to detect and remove all traces of malware including worms, trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware and more.

1. You can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free from the below link,then double click on it to install this program.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a download page in a new window from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
2. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the setup process.
   Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, click on the Finish button.
   
3. On the Scanner tab, select Perform quick scan and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer.
   
4. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer as shown below.
   
5. When the Malwarebytes scan will be completed,click on Show Result.
   
6. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected.Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked) and click on theRemove Selected button.
   

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STEP 4: Double check for the Go.Speedbit.com infection with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti virus software, firewalls, etc.).

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link, then double click on it to start this program.
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
2. HitmanPro will start and you’ll need to follow the prompts (by clicking on the Next button) to start a system scan with this program.
   
3. HitmanPro will start scanning your computer for malware, as seen in the image below.
   
4. Once the scan is complete,you’ll see a screen which will display all the infected files that this utility has detected, and you’ll need to click on Next to remove these malicious files.
   
5. Click Activate free licenseto start the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

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Your computer should now be free of the Go.Speedbit.com infection. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Go.Speedbit.com hijacker from your machine, please start a new thread in ourMalware Removal Assistance forum.

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THE 411 ON ME

FC Barcelona fan, Starbucks addicted and super geek.
I am the creator and owner of MalwareTips.com
My area of expertise includes malware removal and computer forensics. I'm active in the various online anti-malware communities where I do researches for new malware threats as they are released.
I live in Bucharest (Romania), where I run my own local computer repair shop.
I repair both hardware and other operating systems related issues, however most of my business is malware related problems.

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Source(s) - http://malwaretips.com/blogs/go-speedbit-com-virus-removal/

Sleep Mode and Hibernate: What is the Difference?

If you have ever owned a laptop, netbook, or another device that runs on a battery, chances are you have put that device to “sleep” when you have disconnected it from a power source. Many times when we use the device after putting it to sleep, it starts really quickly.

Operating systems support a sleep mode as well as another power down state called hibernate. Both modes are different in how they store data and the amount of power they use. Understanding the difference can help you determine which state you should leave your computer in once you are done using it.

Sleep Mode
For those that use a laptop, or similar device, on a regular basis, you are probably familiar with this mode – especially if you even talk about putting your laptop to “sleep.”

When a computer enters this mode, the data remains in RAM (memory) so when the user uses the computer again, the computer instantly starts up from where they left off.

In this state, the RAM in the computer still remains powered to retain the information that is stored in memory. This means, that while power is reduce, or cut off from the rest of the system, there is still power being used for the RAM.

For laptop computers, the battery is still being drained to keep the RAM powered. The benefit is that the computer starts up really quickly since there is no need to reload the operating systems again along with any programs. The drawback is that if power is ever lost – the battery is drained – all work that wasn’t saved would be lost.

To avoid losing any data, you can put your computer into a hibernate state.

Hibernate
While the sleep mode of a computer keeps data in memory, and also keeps the memory powered, the hibernate state moves the data from memory and stores it on the hard drive, and then powers down the computer. Once the computer is restarted, the data that was previously stored in memory is moved from the hard drive and back into memory.

Since the local hard drive is not volatile, meaning it won’t lose the data when the power if turned off, this helps to prevent any loss of data. The one drawback is that a computer restart isn’t as fast as sleep mode because the data must be copied from the hard drive to memory before the user can use the computer. Hibernate is faster, however, than starting a computer from a cold boot (from a complete shutdown).

Also, because the contents of memory must be copied to the hard drive, you must have enough space on the hard drive equivalent to the amount of memory. If you have 4 gigabytes of RAM installed, then you must have 4 gigabytes of hard drive space. Windows creates a hibernate file on the computer when the hibernate option is enabled.

Hybrid Sleep
The hybrid sleep mode is a mix between sleep mode and hibernate. The contents of memory stays in RAM, and is also transferred to the hard drive. The memory of the computer remains powered.

When the computer is restarted, and no power was lost during sleep mode, the computer will start up instantly because of the data being stored in memory.

If, however, power was lost while in sleep mode, the data that was once stored in memory (which is now lost because of the power outage), is retrieved from the hard drive, just as it does with hibernate.

Naming Conventions
Since computer began providing a means of entering a sleep mode, the actual name of the sleep mode has changed. Here is a list of what various operating systems have called sleep mode:

Sleep Mode Name	Operating System
Suspend	Windows 95 Linux
Stand By	Windows 98 – Windows 2003
Sleep	Windows Vista – Windows 2008 Mac OS 8 – OS X

Regardless of the naming convention that is used, putting your computer into sleep mode, or in the hibernate state can be a good idea to conserve power and provide a quicker startup.

Source(s) - http://technicallyeasy.net - Paul Salmon

Google Chrome extension - how to turn JavaScript on/off?

Its possible with QJS on the Chrome Webstore - 

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/geddoclleiomckbhadiaipdggiiccfje

Using Bzip2 Compression with Cmd.exe and PowerShell

- Alex Angelopoulos

Executive Summary:

Bzip2 is a free command-line tool for compressing and decompressing data that you can also use within scripts. You can write bzip2-compressed data to a new file or append the data to an existing file. If you want to output or append bzip2 data from within Windows PowerShell, you'll have to use a batch file to spawn cmd.exe from within PowerShell.

Although the graphical Windows shell has built-in support for compressing data into .zip files and then extracting it, Windows shell doesn't include tools that you can use from a command prompt or in a batch file. One of the handier free tools you can find for compressing data is the open-source bzip2 console application. However, if you're used to graphical tools such as WinZip, bzip2 isn't an intuitive tool. So, after telling you how to get bzip2, I'll demonstrate how to use it from scripts and at the command prompt. I'll also examine the tradeoffs in using bzip2. Although it offers good compression, it can be very CPU-intensive.

Getting Bzip2
You can download bzip2 from the bzip2 Web site's download page (http://www.bzip.org/downloads.html). The downloaded file is the actual executable, with a name in the form bzip2-version-target cpu-target platform.exe. I'm using version 1.0.4, compiled for x86 processors and 32-bit Windows OSs; the name of the file therefore is bzip2-104-x86-win32.exe. Be sure to download the current version, then rename it to bzip2.exe.

To further simplify using bzip2, you might want to do one more thing: Create copies of bzip2.exe with the names bunzip2.exe and bzcat.exe. From a command prompt in the same directory as bzip2.exe, just enter the following cmd.exe commands to make the copies:

copy bzip2.exe bunzip2.exe
copy bzip2.exe bzcat.exe

The renamed copies are useful because bzip2 is actually three different tools: a file compressor (bzip2.exe), a file decompressor (bunzip2.exe), and a tool for reading compressed data and decompressing it directly to a console window (bzcat.exe). Bzip2 is aware of the names it has and automatically switches to the appropriate mode when invoked as bunzip2 or bzcat. In the rest of my explanations, I'll assume you’ve created the duplicate files.

Bzip2 is designed to work in a command prompt window, and it does so very well. Any tool that reads or writes console streams should work with bzip2. For simplicity, I'll put bzip2 through its paces using standard cmd.exe commands, but you can substitute any tool that uses console input and output.

Compressing Data
When migrating users to new PCs, I usually make a catalog of the files present in key locations on their computers. One of the places I check is the local Documents and Settings folder. Typically, I make a generic listing of the complete path to each file, using a command such as

dir /s /b "C:\Documents and Settings" > userfiles.txt

The resulting file is usually very large, so there might be some benefit to compressing it. Although you could use a standard GUI zipping tool for occasionally compressing result data, it's easier to compress the data as you collect it—which bzip2 lets you do. Within the cmd.exe environment, you can pipe the data into bzip2, then redirect bzip2's output to a file:

dir /s /b "C:\Documents and Settings" | bzip2 > userfiles.txt.bz2

Note that I've added .bz2, the standard extension for bzip2-compressed files, to the target file.

If you want to compress each file within a directory, you can use

bzip2 dir/*

                                               rjlee - http://www.linuxquestions.org

To do this recursively you'll need to use find:

find dir -exec bzip2 '{}' ';'

                                               rjlee - http://www.linuxquestions.org

Appending Compressed Data
If you want to add more information to the output file, bzip2's design lets you append data using file redirection. Bzip2 writes data as blocks with clearly defined headers and footers. This method means that if you want to add more compressed data to a file, you can simply append it using standard console redirection; you won't mangle the .bz2 file in the process.

For example, if you want to add a listing of the Program Files directory to the existing userfiles.txt file, you use the >> redirection symbol within cmd.exe to append the new data:

dir /s /b "C:\Program Files" >> userfiles.txt

The same procedure works with bzip2:

dir /s /b "C:\Program Files" | bzip2 >> userfiles.txt.bz2

Reading Bzip2-Compressed Data
When using a console tool, you usually use the Type command to get data from a text file into the console window:

type userfiles.txt

For compressed files, the Bzcat command is analogous to the Type command. The Bzcat command decompresses and sends the content to the console window. You use a command such as

bzcat userfiles.txt.bz2

Because the output in this example is plain text, text-manipulation tools will work with bzcat output. If you want to page through the output, you can use the More command:

bzcat userfiles.txt.bz2 | more

When you've found what you're after, you can exit More by using Ctrl+c; bzcat terminates as well.

If you want to search the listing for RDP files used by Terminal Services, you can use the Find command:

bzcat userfiles.txt.bz2 | find /i ".rdp"

This method works the same for any similar tools. You can even create an uncompressed copy of the data by redirecting the output to a file:

bzcat userfiles.txt.bz2 > userfiles.txt

Decompressing and Compressing Files
There might be situations where you want to convert the data to decompressed form, or compress pre-existing uncompressed files. You can decompress a bzip2 file by using bunzip2 with the compressed file provided as an argument:

bunzip2 userfiles.txt.bz2

This command creates the file userfiles.txt and deletes the file userfiles.txt.bz2. Bunzip2 essentially toggles the state of the file from compressed to decompressed, which can help you avoid confusion about which file is the original data source. You can modify the file or use it as necessary, then recompress it using

bzip2 userfiles.txt

which creates the compressed file userfiles.txt.bz2 and deletes userfiles.txt. If you want to hang onto the file when compressing or decompressing, use the -k (for keep) option:

bunzip2 -k userfiles.txt.bz2

or

bzip2 -k userfiles.txt

PowerShell and Bzip2: Output and Append
As I mentioned earlier, the simple output and append methods for bzip2 work from cmd.exe. You can't use the same method from within Windows PowerShell. PowerShell's > and >> redirection operators don't work for binary data. In fact, it's safest to think of PowerShell's > and >> operators as screen dump facilities because of how they handle data.

You can still use bzip2 with PowerShell, however. The trick is to use cmd.exe within PowerShell, which you can do transparently. I have two standard batch files I use for PowerShell compatibility: Write-Bzip2.cmd and Add-Bzip2.cmd.

Write-Bzip2 is one line of code that directly overwrites or creates the specified file from within cmd.exe, avoiding the PowerShell pipeline:

@bzip2 > %1

Because this code is a .cmd file, the cmd.exe shell automatically spawns and runs the script. PowerShell pipes the raw text data to the script, and bzip2 reads it. Then, within cmd.exe, the output is redirected to the file you specified as an argument of Write-Bzip2.

The Add-Bzip2 batch file works similarly but appends instead of overwrites. Again, it's just one line of code:

@bzip2 >> %1

So, you can use this command from within PowerShell to write a new archive:

Get-ChildItem "C:\Documents and Settings" -Name –Recurse | Write-Bzip2 userfiles.txt.bz2

The following command appends data to an existing archive:

Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files" -Name -Recurse | Add-Bzip2 userfiles.txt.bz2

PowerShell works well with bzcat for reading files. You can also use bzip2 and bunzip2 with PowerShell for compressing and decompressing files without a problem.

Tradeoffs of Using Bzip2
You should have a good idea of how to use bzip2 now, but the real question is whether it makes sense for you to use it. Let's look at some of the characteristics bzip2 has as a tool from the perspective of IT support work.

If you want transparent compression for scripts, bzip2 is just about as simple a solution as possible. Pre-existing scripts or tools don't need to know anything about compression or decompression; they just use the data. If a tool you need to use doesn't work with command-line input or output, you can still use bzip2 separately to decompress input files before using the tool or compress output files after running the tool. If high compression is your goal, bzip2 also comes out ahead of most commonly available tools. Although there are some predictive compression schemes with 10 to 15 percent higher compression than bzip2, bzip2 provides much higher compression than alternatives such as WinZip, gzip, and Info-ZIP.

Performance is probably the weakest point of bzip2. Although it doesn't hog memory, it is CPU-intensive. Scripts that do very little processing work but are reading or writing large amounts of data will most likely produce the biggest performance hit. In general, if you're running a script locally on an overloaded server and speed of completion of the script is a major factor, bzip2 probably isn't your best choice. In such a case, it might be better to work with decompressed local data instead. This problem isn't unique to bzip2, though—all compression tools take extra processing power to work—but bzip2 is generally the most CPU-intensive.

Bzip2 is available for free under the GNU General Public License (GPL), so there aren't licensing restrictions on reuse and redistribution. It also runs on every Windows OS from Windows 95 forward as well as most Unix-like OSs.

You might prefer to have a graphical interface when working with .bz2 files. Although bzip2 doesn't have a GUI, there are some GUI archiving tools which can handle bzip2 compression and decompression. The most notable is the free 7-Zip (http://www.7-zip.org).

Despite the performance limitations of bzip2, it can make an excellent addition to any administrative toolkit. The method I used for making bzip2 compression work from within PowerShell is also a useful concept to take with you. When you need to use a command-line application within PowerShell and PowerShell mangles the application's output stream, you can always use a batch file wrapper to redirect the output to a file from within cmd.exe, just as I've shown you with bzip2.