Fix 'Cannot find file:///C:/WINDOWS/s.htm'

[Anas]

hie everyone,

I am using internet explrer as my web browser. I get the following error message - " Cannot find file:///C:/WINDOWS/s.htm " when I start Internet Explorer. What is the reason of getting such an error message ? How can I fix it ? Any ideas.....

[Techno01]

This error message is a cause of some kind of a spyware that has been installed on your computer. The spyware has changed your browser homepage to a non-existent file C:\Windows\s.htm.

[johnson22]

I was also getting the similar kind of error message where it use to cause my computer screen to become blank. I downloaded the program called " HijackThis " and saved it to my desktop. Here I will suggest how to do it -
Start the program & press "Do a system scan and save a log file" button. When the scan is finished, a window will popup giving the option of where to save it. I saved it to the desktop where it is easy to access.
Open the log file and copy the entire contents of the file & paste it.

HijackThis is a free utility that generates an in depth report of registry and file settings from your computer. In addition to this scan and remove capability, HijackThis comes with several tools useful in manually removing malware from a computer.

[Techguru01]

In Internet Explorer,
Click on Tools, Internet Options and reset the Home page to a page as per your choice. If - (a) you find that the options to change the home page have been disabled, or (b) you change the home page and it reverts back to the non-existent file. Then, it indicates that the spyware is active on your computer.
This spyware is a variant of CoolWebSearch. If your computer has been infiltrated by CoolWebSearch spyware, it may also have been infected by other forms of spyware and malware. To clean your computer completely of CoolWebSearch and other spyware, and to prevent further infestations of spyware, I recommend Spyware Doctor.