Your browser now has a new start page and a new search page. Every time your browser loads a page that doesn't exist, you end up at some strange site, probably filled with popup ads or worse - pornography. Nothing you do, from resetting the home page in your options menu to rebooting your machine gets rid of the problem.

If you're really unlucky, the first new page you try to load has called up so many pop ups that your machine will virtually lock up until professionally serviced.

Browser hijacking is a very real and annoying problem. If the hijacker program starts sending you off to pornography websites - there's a real chance it might have caused pornography to be downloaded onto your hard drive. Porn on a work computer has the potential to get your into real trouble.

Spyware, the generic term for software that installs itself and records your movements, information and other bits to send back to its source, is a general nuisance. Browser hijacking is a form of spyware that subverts your browser settings and leaves you in a bind. If you don't have something that can prevent or at least detect and reset it, you could be in for some trouble.

Many savvy users who discover the problem find it very difficult to repair. Critical files like "Internet Options" are missing from the control panel of the operating system. So, now it's time to sort through the various .dll files or .ini file extensions - looking for a configuration that was altered.

Next, the person experiencing the problem becomes so frustrated that they delete their browser and try to reinstall or the worst yet, completely reformat the hard drive - convinced that it is irreparable.

Well, reformatting will work - but only until the hijack software has been downloaded once more from wherever it was retrieved from in the first place. Most anti-spyware software contains code for detecting and removing browser hijackers; it requires activation of the software to detect it for some programs. Other pay versions include real time blockers that will actually prevent a browser hijacker from installing itself.

Unfortunately, spyware and its associated brethren are here to stay. The best defense is to employ protection that will guard against unexpected software additions and installs. Hijacking your browser may not seem as criminal as a virus that eats files, but if you've ever experienced your browser being hijacked, then you're aware with the frustration it causes.