Desktop webpage shortcut problems

[The Intimidator]

Hello All...

All my desktop shortcuts for websites suddenly stopped working. I made new shortcuts using the "right-click" method and also by dragging the "IE icon" in the upper left corner of website windows to the desktop but the shortcuts still don't work. The error message I get goes like this...

Windows cannot find 'http://www.yahoo.com/'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click search.

I've ad-aware'd, virus scanned, dumped cache and temp internet files...

The IE quick-launch icon works and takes me to my roadrunner broadband page.

The weird thing is - If I double-click a desktop shortcut while I already have a webpage open the shortcut works. To go directly to that webpage from the desktop - no go...

Anyone have any ideas?

[craigmodius]

I've noticed my system do this too. I use an old beta version of Mailwasher that won't 'sense' a connection to the internet explorer until I launch IE.

I don't know if it is a SP2 thing or a SP2 firewall thing or what.

Are you running SP2 and do you have the firewall enabled?

[The Intimidator]

I've noticed my system do this too. I use an old beta version of Mailwasher that won't 'sense' a connection to the internet explorer until I launch IE.

I don't know if it is a SP2 thing or a SP2 firewall thing or what.

Are you running SP2 and do you have the firewall enabled?

I've tried installing SP2 in the past but had serious problems with spontaneous rebooting. (That's a whole other issue in itself...) I reformatted about a month ago, installing all available XP updates (except for SP2 that is) and everything was working great until now...

I have a hardware firewall (D-Link router) and am running "BlackIce". I installed BlackIce after the issue with the shortcuts started.

After I open an internet window with the IE QuickLaunch icon I can go anywhere in my favorites, anywhere in my Address Line history AND use the shortcuts placed on my desktop...

This thing is bugging me pretty good... Anyone have other ideas?

[The Intimidator]

Well, here's an update to my problem and what it turned out to be...

After spending all day (off and on) trying to remove some malware & trojan stuff I finally got my desktop shortcuts working properly again. Here's what I found.

Looking in the startup section of MSCONFIG I found these settings:

a64sddd c:\windows\a64sddd.exe
psjcfal c:\windows\psjcfal.exe
jxqkmvmd c:\windows\system32\jxqkmvmd.exe
farmmext c:\windows\farmmext.exe
vmss c:\windows\system32\vmss\vmss.exe

Also Norton's Online virus scanner found the following had either a trojan or a malware.

nmmsip.exe - located in - c:\windows\system32\nmmsip.exe

One of those files inserted the following into my "trusted sites" area of Internet Explorer. Removing them manually did no good - they always popped right back in there.

*.media-motor.net
*.popuppers.com

I ran Ad-aware, xoftspy, and Yahoo's spyware software, Trend Micro's online virus scanner and Norton's online virus scanner. Norton's identified some other infected files that I deleted before thinking of taking note of what they were and where they were located.

I delete the files listed in the msconfig startup area, unchecked the appropriate check-marks and deleted the files ID'd by Norton's and I seem to be just peachy...

Thanks for those that read and didn't know what to say and thanks to those that did respond.

I hope my "journey" thru spyware, trojan & hackerware discovery helps you to get your system under control...