Using Vista Home Premium, when Windows reboots it comes up with a dialog box titled "SweetIM Update Wizard" informing me that a new version of SweetIM is available and asking me if I want to get it. I always close that dialog with the system 'X' in the upper right.

I understand SweetIM is some IE browser toolbar helper, and possibly more. I have never downloaded it, don't want it, am suspicious of it, and would like to remove it completely. AdAware found 15 associated registry entries and deleted them. I rebooted but am still getting the dialog box at restart. Here are the entries that Hijack this found that seem to be relevant:

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://home.sweetim.com

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SweetIM] C:\Program Files\Macrogaming\SweetIM\SweetIM.exe

Should I just delete these two? Could there be more relevant registry entries? Etc? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello rick and welcome you should have a look for the program with in the Add/Remove programs see if the following SweetIM is listed there there if so remove it that way

Go to Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features.


Let us know how you make out

Thanks; I feel like a fool. I'd previous looked in Control Panel for a program called 'SweetIM', and found nothing. Turns out it was under 'Macromedia SweetIM', and I've now removed it. Now when I reboot I DON'T get that "update" dialog.

I feel halfway safe, but Hijack this still shows a registry entry:

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://home.sweetim.com

It's strange, because when I load IE it loads to a blank page, which is what I've specified in Tools | Internet Options. Any idea what's going on?

Go back into options and click on use Default or change it to whatever you would like the start page to be.

having that line in the HJT log should not be a problem try the suggestion above and let me know how you make out

When I load IE and go to Tools | Internet Options my Home Page is already set to about:blank, just as I want it.

I see that the line in my registry that loads sweetim.com as the Home Page is for the Local Machine (HKLM):

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://home.sweetim.com

I guess when I load IE I'm acting as the Current User, since Hijack this shows:

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = about:blank

How can I change the Home Page to about:blank for the *Local Machine* (HKLM) without actually loading IE?

Thanks much for the help.

could you give me just the location of where HJT is installed please,
I don't want to see the log just the location of where it was downloaded to

If it is
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis

You can go ahead and fix the line
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://home.sweetim.com


make sure all open browsers are closed

Thanks... yes, that's where Hijack This is installed.

Before I check that line and then click 'Fix checked', what exactly will it do? Will it set it to 'about:blank', or completely delete the registry entry, or...?

Thanks.

will delete
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://home.sweetim.com

Doesn't there need to be some registry entry for Internet Explorer's Start Page?

You can change your start page to whatever you like

does your start page currently open up to the sweetim page ?

No, it curently opens up to blank because I guess when I open IE it reads from the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive, and in that hive the "Start Page" registry entry is set to "about:blank". So IE loads fine for me. But I assume that if I ever created another user and logged in to Windows as that user and then loaded up IE it would read from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive, and then it would load up that SWEETIM web page which I don't want to happen.

Can I just type the same string "about:blank" in the Start Page registry entry in the HKLM hive? I'm nervous about completely deleting that entry (which I think HijackThis would do) because I imagine that IE would get confused if it finds no entry at all for "Start Page".

Sorry for being so obtuse -- I don't ordinarily mess around with the registry. Your help is very much appreciated.

I m glad to hear your concern

But so you are aware the reason I asked the location of HJT earlier is that HJT makes back ups of what it fixes and having HJT in a proper folder you have back ups so if by accident you deleted the wrong one the back up can be restored.

Now Don't go fixing everythihng as it might leave you with a computer that wont boot up but I can assure you fixing that 1 entry will cause no harm

Thanks very much -- I'm not so worried about deleting something accidentally; but just want to know if it's OK to completely delete the registry key for Internet Explorer's "Start Page". Doesn't IE need something there? Appreciate your help.