Issue With Browser Redirects & No Way To Detect It

I am actually afraid to ask my question after reading so many stickies and other threads...but here goes:

My firefox browser is redirecting me to Y website (which I have frequented before), when I try and log into X website.

Here's two websites as an example:

Trying to log into facebook, I enter in my log in details, it tells me it's logging in, and then....it redirects me to myspace.


Now, what I have done is I have checked to see if I had any funny plugins installed or anything else, and even restarted my browser, cleared all of my history etc.... But the same issue kept on happening, so then I completely un-installed firefox and re-installed it.


However that did not work, so I un-installed firefox again, and this time installed google chrome. But, guess what? The EXACT same issue is happening on google chrome as well, with the EXACT same two websites being mixed.


Now basically, my issue is with any browser I use no matter what I do, it will redirect me to Y website, after doing anything on Z website (such as logging in).


I have also gone through all of my programs to figure out if there's something in there which should not be and have not found anything. I then searched around online for something related, but the only things which came up were discussions on the issue of a different kind of redirect hijacking....wherein it took the user to a spam website, random website, different search engine, or made popups appear.


That's not the issue I am having, and I have even read through threads here, and they too are having the other redirect issue where it takes them to a random website. The website I am taken to, is not a random website, and is an exact URL of another website which I am a part of.


Anyways, in trying to fix this issue, I ended up trying many things which I saw in all of these discussions to fix it, and basically was unable to install anything useful, because I just discovered that my version of windows is "not authentic".


This computer was given to me by my brother, who likes to play around in computers. Apparently he's not too good at it, because now I have a computer which is virtually useless, because I can't download or find any programs to help me get rid of my problem, because he didn't want to install an authentic version of windows in the first place.


I've also had this computer for over a year, and have just come across all of the issues above today. So anyways, I am wondering how I can detect this thing, whatever it is, because it's not what I have been reading about already.....


And secondly, I am hoping that I don't have to do a complete windows re-install....because from what I am aware, the CD's my brother gave me to do that would basically be the same ones which are not authentic....


(I also don't even have internet explorer installed on here, it's virtually gone (no joke), and have noticed other issues over the past year related to that....


And this computer, which now probably all relate to the fact that my version of windows is not authentic, but aside from that my computer has still worked fine up until now....so I'm also wondering if anything like that would get in the way of me removing this thing as well.... ....Did I mention how much this stinks yet?)


I am not that knowledgeable in anything related to malware (I'm actually not even sure if what I have is even malware or not?!) or finding it on my computer to begin with....as this isn't something I regularly have to deal with.


So I would understand if there are more questions that need to be asked in order for me to figure this out, and if that's the case....can anyone who responds please be patient about that fact?....thankyou....

 

Alright, so I re-installed windows, re-did the partitions and everything....and basically re-installed firefox again....and it's still happening.


With the same two websites.....I can't log in still, and i am still being directed to that exact url again....


So now I am completely lost, because a windows re-install does nothing....So is there a way to COMPLETELY un-install windows....or another way to figure out what this is? It's definitely not a google browser hijack, and I have asked on yahoo and other places....but no one is able to help.


How do you even find and remove something like this, when it's still there after you have re-installed windows?


I am going to search around for ways to uninstall the previous version(s) of windows, so that I can do a completely new and fresh re-install....and if it's still there after this...I am hoping that there is someone where knowledgeable enough to help me.

 

Alright, so I have also considered "avast antivirus" to be part of the problem, but I have removed it and uninstalled it....and have even once again un-installed firefox and removed everything...but the same issue is still happening.

I am still being re-directed to the other website, and I am using chrome now, and it doesn't matter what browser I am using. Running scans does nothing, and it just tells me my system is clear.


I am not sure what to do, but would really appreciate someone helping me here....because this issue doesn't just go away with any of the steps which were provided in the stickies, and it also doesn't go away with any of the steps provided in other threads, or anywhere else online....


Can someone please help me here?

 

Hello,

You know what the issue was? It was nothing related a virus or malware. No wonder I couldn't detect it, and no wonder why none of the tips here could solve my issue either...


Basically, what I found out, is that the website itself is doing a URL redirect when I log in. Basically, someone on one website doesn't want me to be there, so they have played around so that any time I log in, it will redirect me to that other website.


That explains why I couldn't detect it, and why it didn't go away with a windows re-install, or any other installation/un-installation. But I learned a lot, I learned about a virus which is actually quite similar called the google re-direct virus.


I also learned that avast can cause some browsers to mess up and redirect as well....so now I know a few more things, and thankyou to the Mod for posting!


I am at least glad to know that I don't have a virus....and honestly wouldn't have been able to detect that on my own either, as I actually have never heard of such redirects before! :-o