Unauthorized Screen Modification

Sounds like a Trojan to me.

Download AVG and run it...it's free and works great (not humping AVG, just find it to work).

I had that and also I couldn't log in! Turned out to be Firefox! I changed over to Google Chrome and the problem fixed!

Dump the cache.

I dump Everything when I exit Firefox.I also run C Cleaner,after every session online,I also run Spybot, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, Avast! and AVG daily.Sometimes several times daily,depending on how much on line usage I have.

Curiously, it seems to have started when I deleted Google Chrome, and went back to Firefox.Problems ever since.It would be really far fetched to think Google was behind this as a retaliatory strike, wouldn't it?

Anyway,some sites have no audio unless using Google Chrome, no matter what type of media player I have.Some news channels in particular,regardless of the news network affiliation are affected.

Yesterday, when I went to attach a smiley face to a post, other people's avatars were in the list of icons.My Avatar was assigned to someone else, and an unknown avatar was assigned to me.A refresh corrected it.I saved the screen to look at later,but could not attach it for some reason.

Maybe spilling the 30 year old Scotch on my keyboard had something to do with it?

(Just kidding.That only ever happened one time, and I made a personal vow to never do it again...I hate licking keyboards clean)

Seriously, has anyone else had these problems?

I have found over the years that Firefox just doesn't work right with some web sites, whereas IE does, though that has gotten much better over time. I do think Firefox has generally been a more secure browser compared to IE. And I think it's seeming deficiencies are sometimes due to the stricter adherence to that model of security. I've never used Google's Chrome and don't intend to. (I don't like the "social media" mentality of any search engines, but Google is especially annoying to me. So for the last couple of years I've switched to Ask.com. The Erasure setting, for removing your search history from their servers, is more overt.)

There are stories (from back in the '80's, of how Microsoft would not disclose certain features of Windows to "other" developers (like Lotus) to keep a competitive advantage in their own product development (like their office suite, vs. Lotus'). So your musing about a retaliatory strike isn't quite paranoia. Corporate espionage and such have been around a long time. I'm not suggesting this is to that level. It may just be due to, what nowadays, one would call "sloppy" code. It may not clean up after itself after an uninstall leaving bizarre effects behind. That's what it sounds like is going on in your case. Bizarre behavior is definitely not something to ignore.

Just my opinion and experience, but I think you'd save yourself some worry and time (from all the post-session scanning) by using (or at least trying) sandboxie with Firefox. It's free for personal use, with some features crippled after 30 days, but not the most crucial one of sandboxing. I've posted my experience a couple of times here, so won't repeat the details, but I have been using sandboxie now for about 3 years (after an infection) and have not had any problems (knock on wood; no software is perfect). When I do scan with virus and malware programs, the most they ever find are tracking cookies in IE's cache, because I don't use it very often and when I do, I sometimes forget to delete the files in the cookie cache and the temp file cache. When I'm in a hurry I don't use the Sandboxed version of IE. Bad habit!

The other overlooked use of sandboxie is that you can run any program sandboxed. Trying out questionable freeware, etc., without changing or adding any files to your system is a very handy feature. And accidental installs of toolbars, etc. can't happen while running sandboxed. All such activity is contained within the sandbox. Browser settings can be changed so that bookmarked sites get added to your bookmark file, etc. You can weaken the security of sandboxing by giving programs access to files outside the sandbox. So it is possible to hamstring the idea if one chooses.

If you download a lot of files, it's most convenient to do so to folders within the "Quick Recovery" tree, because you will be prompted if you want to "Recover" the file, as all files are kept within the Sandbox and are susceptible to being deleted when you close the program (browser in this case; again depending on sandbox settings. I have it set to delete all files in the Sandbox when all programs running in the sandbox are closed.) unless you save them outright. You have to remember to recover any files that are saved to non-Quick Recovery locations. You won't be prompted. I don't always use a Quick Recovery location, but I'm so habituated to making sure after every download to "truly save it" that I rarely make the mistake of having to go back and download a file I did download, but only within the sandbox.

I also hope you are aware of LSO "cookies" and use something like the "Better Privacy" plugin for Firefox.

There. These are my soapbox comments. I'm not affiliated with the site or person who created the program in any way. It just strikes me as a very common sense way to protect one's self from the "perfect storm" while surfing and has worked well for me. Some find it burdensome. But, to me, it's a lot less burdensome than dealing with an infection after the fact. To each his own. Good luck!

Try a FireFox update or replacement, AFTER running some sort of (quality) Anti virus/Trojan scan......

Your web brouser has been hi-jacked by one of the many despicable hackers floating around on the net.

AVG, McAfee and most other anti-virus software companies do not recognize the hi-jacker due to it's discrete methods and advanced algorithms.

The hi-jacker program's executable code resides on a remote server, the code captures your machine IP address, and then the hi-jacker simply edits the executable path string of you web brouser when you attach/access the internet and re-routes your machine to their server which takes control.

This is being done to generate business in our slow economy.

AVG is considered by many to be a harmful virus and they have received numerous bad reviews for their participation in this deplorable practice.

Most anti-virus software vendors including McAfee do not consider this as a virus and have not updated their programs to recognize nor defeat it.

Kaspersky does eliminate and prevent this sort of piracy but I do not know if any other vendor has jumped on the band wagon yet.

Here is a link to explain and help you get it under control.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5759420_remove-browser-hijackers.html

Sounds like a Java issue (coffee cup icon). Looking at the code, CR4 makes use of some Java but images appear to be sourced directly, not scripted.

What is the link for your local news page?

I am sending you a pm with an email address. Can you send me some of the icons? Save them directly, not from screen shots.

Might you have some little fingers using your computer for part of the day? Kids can and do go off on a tangent on most occasions on line.

No grandkids in house during the week.Computers are password protected from screen saver.

Strange that one person says that Google Chrome fixed his problems, and my problems started when I deleted Google Chrome.

IMHO, There seems to be a common thread here.

So, I re- installed Chrome and bingo,all problems disappear.

I do not like being held"hostage" to an operating system that collects so much information,("for my own good") so I will go back to Firefox and Dogpile and put up with the problems.

If necessary, I can live without the net entirely,I am old school.

I can still count change,do math long hand with a pencil,or a slide rule, manage money without ever using a cash machine, track,hunt,fish, trap, make a snare, a pitfall,skin and preserve hides and meat,build a fire, build a house,or find or make shelter in a storm,and use a HAM radio to communicate.

When the big Mass Coronal Discharge, or EMP hits, there will be people scurrying around like ants when nothing works anymore.

There will be a few old timers needed to restart everything from scratch.

Vehicles and farm equipment without computer controls or ignition systems,vacuum tube HAM radios will still function.

I am not a doomsday-er,I have not stockpiled years of food and supplies.I am a realist.

The world still has enough resources to survive, if you know where to look and how to use them.(HINT:All food does not come from the supermarket,soaked in chemicals and packaged in shrink wrap.)

All this rant because my internet does not work properly.I have almost fallen into the trap,but I have not totally succumbed to the song of the siren.I have pulled my head out of the sand and my proverbial arse.I will spend less time on line, and more time fishing.To heck with the net.If it works, ok if not, ok.

Gotta go.Just saw a nice elk crossing the field.Got to go set a snare.No guns used except life or death situation.

I'm outta here.