Text Enhance

[parabellum]

Got this very irritating situation where, on certain pages of text in the browser, for no obvious reason, random words are in blue and underlined making them links, they lead to very annoying adverts etc. The company, Text Enhance claim they are not a virus but are there because the website owners have agreed to them being there.

Anyone know how to stop them please?

[le Pingouin]

I'd hazard a guess that it's almost certainly not a web site based thing but is actually a browser plug-in/extension/add-on.

While this page relates to Google Chrome the list of names to look for is relevant: http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/_UkMuA-jJ5Y (http://productforums.google.com/forum/#%21topic/chrome/_UkMuA-jJ5Y)

[BOAC]

Ain't Google wunnerfull?

How To Remove Text Enhance Spam And Malware/Adware Hover Text Links | (http://botcrawl.com/how-to-remove-text-enhance/)

[parabellum]

Indeed, what a help it would be, if, after following the instructions to the letter the Add-On, Text Enhance actually showed up in the list offered, but it doesn't!

Would appreciate all offers of help please?

[BOAC]

Which browser/s?

[Milo Minderbinder]

details about the software at Help Desk (http://support.text-enhance.com/home)

It could be that the website is running the software, or that you have downloaded it to your PC
The company offer an opt-out service using a resident cookie on the machine - but I'd regard that as bad an intrusion as having the links

You MAY find that by browsing using Firefox with NoScript and AdBlock Plus enabled, the problem goes away
Also I'd hazard a guess that by placing the domain http://*.textsrv.com to the list of restricted sites in Internet Explorer you may be able to block it. Similarly also try editing the HOSTS file so the same domain resolves to 127.0.0.1

Finally, it would be well worth scanning the machine with Spybot S&D and Malwarebytes and see what they find. Could also be worth installing Spybot S&D and Spyware Blaster and enable all the blocking features - they'd probably stop it

Finally a Google search indicates that this program claims to clear it - but I don't know the company or software, so don't take this as a recommendation
Remove Text Enhance, Text Enhance Remover (http://spynomore.com/text-enhance.htm)

[le Pingouin]

Did you have a look at the list of possible names for the add-on in the link BOAC provided?

[parabellum]

Followed the instructions in the link from BOAC to the letter. Using IE8.

Thanks Milo Bender, have placed http://*.textsrv.com (http://*.textsrv.com/) in the blocked sites place and will follow some or all of the other suggestions, thanks to all who have responded.

[parabellum]

Well, blocking http://*testsrv.com didn't have any effect but I loaded Malwarebytes and the problem seems to have gone away!:D

I do get a notification that a certain website, described by DNS, has been blocked trying to interfere but that is all.

Thanks again all.