Green blinking question mark?
SteveR44
Newbie

Every morning for about the last week, I would come to my PC (with WinXP) and find a green box with a white question mark blinking in my taskbar, When I click it, it opens up IE8 and goes to this seemingly regular Verizon page -- http://www22.verizon.com/residentialhelp?fromDotNet=true. Once I click it, no percievable problems happen the rest of the day, until the next morning, when it's blinking again.

I can't be sure if it's a legit request from Verizon to set my preferences or if I have some pesky little malware/spyware bug that I can't chase away.

Any help or insight would be welcome.

Steve

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Re: Green blinking question mark?
dslr595148
Community Leader
Community Leader
#1 Can you right click it?

#2 If so, what does that do?

#3 On your XP Computer go to Start -> All Programs -> Startup.

What if, anything is listed in there?
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Re: Green blinking question mark?
SteveR44
Newbie

#1 & 2 -- right clicking does the very same thing ... opens IE8, goes to that preferences page. (FYI, when I open IE straight -- without clicking on the blinking ? -- it starts fine and goes to my regular home page)

#3 -- can't check now because I'm at work. I'll run through that some time after midnight.

Thanks. 

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Re: Green blinking question mark?
SteveR44
Newbie

Let me just add that it doesn't appear to be a startup problem ... because I leave the PC on (in power-save mode) overnight and the blinking ? is there each morning. Also, after I run a spyware or virus scan, I sometimes restart my PC .... without the ? kicking it.

It seems it might be time-triggered .... if there is such a thing. 

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Re: Green blinking question mark?
SteveR44
Newbie

There are three things in the start --> all programs --> Startup list  ... Logitech desktop manager ... the service manager for my Encore Pro MSSQL server ... and ArcSoft Total Media Backup Monitor

Those three hve been there for a good while.

BTW, the ? is back again this morning after a night of PC being left on.

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Re: Green blinking question mark?
dslr595148
Community Leader
Community Leader
#1 Did you install any Verizon software on your computer?

#2 If so, what did you install ( Their Security Suite, Their help desk app ) ?
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Re: Green blinking question mark?
alex_lee
Enthusiast - Level 3

if you have preinstalled verizon help& support icon on your screen, try to run it and see if that will detect the problem

if you doesnt have it try to to run care.verizon.net

goodluck!

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Re: Green blinking question mark?
SteveR44
Newbie

I do have Verizon Online Help & Support on my desktop. Been there since I signed up for DSL.

But I also just got through a search-results hijack AND the Microsoft Virus Pro bug and, in my efforts to rid my PC of those, I tried to run both Verizon Security Advisor and  Verizon Online PC Security Checkup.

BTW, this afternoon, I let the ? blink all day and then restarted my comp. Question mark went away.

It's 12:50 a.m. and there's still no ? in the taskbar. Let's see if it's there at 8 a.m.

Is there anything I can do to remove my attempts to run those two Verizon apps?

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Re: Green blinking question mark?
dslr595148
Community Leader
Community Leader
Use MSConfig to see the programs that automatically load on start-up. I would assume that, program (or programs) is (are) in there.

http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_xp.html

--

And see as need be http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php?filter=Verizon

^^
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Re: Green blinking question mark?
SteveR44
Newbie

I deleted/unchecked what I thought might be an issue. But the ? came up again this morning (some point between 2am and 8am). When I started Verizon Online PC Security Checkup, this popped-up page showed up -- https://www.verizon.net/central/portlets/help/pcSecurityCheckUp/hashed.jsp?type=vs. It's a total blank page and its source code is 9 numbered lines of nothing.

Also, when I click on my "Verizon Online Help and Support" (where icon is an exact red version of the green blinker that's showing up daily), it takes me to the VERY same site that clicking on the green blinker goes -- the one I mention in the initial post.

Message Edited by SteveR44 on 08-20-2009 01:53 PM
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