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Everytime I visit Gmail, Facebook, YouTube, or Yahoo mail, I get a popup "Please update Internet Explorer" (while I'm using Chrome!). I don't have screenshots but this website describes the problem.

I followed all steps but it had no impact. I also ran a few virus scans using Kaspersky, then uninstalled Chrome and Firefox and re-installed them, but the virus persisted.

I took a backup of all my data and formatted the entire hard drive - including non-system partitions - and re-installed Windows 7 with all the required drivers. I used Internet Explorer but the problem persisted. I have a Kaspersky firewall and antivirus, and MalwareBytes, but neither can detect any malware.

I reformatted and re-installed again, to no avail: the problem is still there. I have no idea what to do. My computer technician basically tried the same things, but he couldn't fix it either.

I'm really stuck and don't know how to proceed.

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  • Malware-bytes AntiMalware. Run the scan while booted in safe mode.
    – user43488
    Commented May 25, 2014 at 8:21
  • I already did that. Twice it didn't detect anything
    – user3238934
    Commented May 25, 2014 at 8:27
  • When the popup wants to convince you to run an executable downloaded from the internet, the malware obviously isn't yet in full control of your system. Could the source of the popups be your router?
    – Philipp
    Commented May 25, 2014 at 8:34
  • If it is my router would other laptops and Pc's on the same WiFi get affected? My laptop and Ipad works ok. It might not have full control of my system but it's impossible to use the internet on that system
    – user3238934
    Commented May 25, 2014 at 8:38
  • Is it some chrome addon that infected your browser? Or does it also happen with different browsers? If it's only chrome, then clean your profile.
    – user43488
    Commented May 25, 2014 at 8:53

2 Answers 2

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ok so with the actions you've taken on your local PC it sounds like you've eliminated that as the problem (malware usually can't survive a full reformat/reinstall of windows). So the next candidate would be your home router.

From this link you can see an example of malware which operates by changing the DNS settings on your router which would then essentially allow an attacker to inject content into your browsing sessions.

So what I'd recommend as a next step would be log into your router and look at the DNS server settings. You'll want to set them either to ones that your ISP provides or alternatively something like Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or OpenDNS (208.67.222.222).

Can't guarantee that that'll solve the problem but it's likely not a bad next step!

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Unfortunately reformating a hard drive does not wipe the drive or erase anything such as malware. This is a common misconception. A quick reformat marks all files in the MFT as having been deleted. A long format is a quick format plus it runs Check Disk. If you have malware on the drive you should consider wiping the drive before reformatting. Or remove the drive from the system and slave it to another system to scan the problem drive when Windows is dormant or offline. Or use one of the several offline boot disks to start the computer and run deep scans without starting Windows. Microsoft's Windows Defender Offline or Kaspersky's boot disk are good. If after all these scans and reformats the problem doesn't go away, then it might be time to reflash the Bios or suspect a hard drive with infected firmware.

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    Formatting is enough to remove most "garden-variety" malware. Yes, it will leave behind disk artifacts that you can recover with forensic tools. But the malware will not be accessed by the operating system and cannot run. Wiping and flashing the BIOS is overkill.
    – Ohnana
    Commented Feb 26, 2015 at 15:34

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