Default search provider error while opening Internet Explorere 8

[Colten]

Hello there, I have recently installed Internet Explorer 8 and i am facing some problems with it. Whenever i try to open IE 8, it gives an error saying "A Program on your computer has corrupted the Default Search Setting".
After clicking on OK it gives other message saying " Internet Explorer will now open search settings" and then it closes itself. Is my computer infected by some virus? Is there any solution for this problem? Need help.

[Eric B]

Yes this is definitely because of some virus which has infected files of the Internet Explorer. Many virus tend to attack the system settings and change them so that the application becomes un-usable. Get your entire hard drive scanned by an updated antivirus. If you dont have an updated antivirus then you can perform online scan which is provided by many virus solution websites. If there are any infected files, then repair or quarantine them. Dont delete any files because if the virus has infected some system files they will get deleted and create problems in proper working of the operating system.

[JonathanD]

Have you tried using some different browser? There is a high possibility that the virus must have affected the system files which would create the same problem in different browsers. Install some other browser and see if it also gives you the same error. If the error appears again while using some other browser then definately the system files are affected. If the other browser works fine then uninstalling internet explorer and then installing it again will do the trick. If you have upgraded from earlier version of Internet Explorer, then uninstalling IE8 will restore the earlier version. The earlier version also has to be uninstalled so that the new installation will work properly.

[Raine]

Open the browser in safe mode and see if it gives the error or not. In safe mode the browser only loads the basic requirements which are necessary for the browser to run. It does not load any add-on or any 3rd party application which is installed with the browser. If any add-on or a 3rd party application is creating the problem then the browser will work fine in safe mode. Now enable the applications installed with the browser one by one and check which application is creating the problem. Uninstalling the problem creating application will solve the issue.

[Sam.D]

Make a new administrator account and log in from that account. Sometimes the User account gets corrupted in Windows Xp which creates problems while running some applications. Creating a new account and using it would hopefully solve the problem. After logging into the new account, open IE8 and check if it is giving the same error. If it gives the same error then go to Tools. Now select Internet Options. Now clear the Private data along with all the cookies and passwords. Once the private data is cleared, restart IE8. Now it should not give the same error.

[ZeDaX]

The problem you are facing is known as a Browser hijack. In browser hijack, the network settings of the browser are changed either to redirect to some random website or to display some error message. Normally it can be overrided by simply restoring the browser or by clearing the private data. But if both of the solutions dont work then you will need to edit the registry to change the default URL of the browser. To edit the windows registry, type regedit in run tab. Windows registry will open. Now search for the following key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes". Once this key is located then open a string value called URL and then replace the text inside quotes with the website name you want. After editing save the registry and restart the comp. Now IE 8 will not give the error. Be careful while editing the registry as it may create problems in boot up if not edited properly.