An ISO typically is an image used to burn a CD-ROM. How did you use it? Is there a way you can view its contents without actually installing anything?

Here are some manual cleanup suggestions:

(1) Open the Windows Control Panel, Uninstall a Program.

After the list loads, click the "Installed on" column heading to group the infections, I mean, additions, by date. This can help in smoking out undisclosed bundle items that snuck in with some software you agreed to install. Be suspicious of everything you do not recognize/remember, as malware often uses important or innocent sounding names to discourage you from removing it.

Take out as much trash as possible here. If you're not sure, feel free to post program names or a screenshot of the list.

(2) Run several of the scanning/cleaning tools listed in our support article: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware. These on-demand scanners are free and take considerable time to run. If they finish quickly and especially if they require payment, you may have a serious infection. I suggest the specialized forums listed in the article in that case.

(3) Open Firefox's Add-ons page using either:

• Ctrl+Shift+a (Mac: Command+Shift+a)
• "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons
• in the Windows "Run" dialog, type or paste
  firefox.exe "about:addons"

In the left column, click Plugins. Set nonessential and unrecognized plugins to "Never Activate".

In the left column, click Extensions. Then, if in doubt, disable (or Remove, if possible) unrecognized and unwanted extensions. All extensions are optional; the troublemaker might not be obvious from its name.

Often a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

Any improvement?

(4) Fix errant Firefox settings:

* Restore your preferred home page: How to set the home page
* Restore your preferred default search engine: Change your default search settings in Firefox

(5) If your start page doesn't match you home page setting, investigate your Firefox Shortcut. The Firefox icon can be set up to launch specific pages at startup (or more specifically, when you use the icon). To check whether that is set:

First, open the shortcut as follows:

• Desktop shortcut: right-click the icon, choose Properties
• Pinned taskbar icon: right-click the icon, right-click Mozilla Firefox, choose Properties

Windows normally will select the Shortcut tab. If not, go ahead and click the Shortcut tab.

You'll see the Target highlighted. On 64-bit Windows, that usually is no more and no less than the following:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"

If anything follows after that, try clearing it out.

After OK'ing the Properties dialog, you can test right away to confirm that Firefox now launches your actual home page. Either:

• double-click desktop shortcut
• right-click pinned taskbar icon, click Mozilla Firefox

Success?

My Sincere thanks for your detailed suggestions Jscher2000 I had actually attempted a similar approach but also found this which must have been posted within hours. http://www.myantispyware.com/2017/02/21/how-to-remove-launchpage-org-chrome-firefox-ie-edge/ In Control Panel>Programs and Features all the installs were the main features like Thunderbird Firefox and creative sound, etc. I decided to follow the instructions on the above web and downloaded Malwarebytes to finish off. That was when the PUP reacted and blocked all browsing on all browsers and even windows restore is restricted. I have managed to get back to last month and Firefox 52. but the system is only restored to the point after the malware was installed. Which seems to be exactly the same time as a critical windows update? I do not feel confident about doing any online banking or shopping with this PUP on my system. Seems like I need to go back to the beginning, there is no clear path to the infecting files. I will study your suggestions once again and try to find the Launchpage.org files in my system. Malwarebytes Isolated 13 items but not one was named Launchpage.org ? Part 2 You asked: ''An ISO typically is an image used to burn a CD-ROM. How did you use it? Is there a way you can view its contents without actually installing anything?'' The answer to your last question is no! The sequence was, I clicked on 'Eziset_550_Simpson_manual' for a washing machine, to download the file, but it didn't behave like the usual document, which should have alerted me. Instead it flashed an icon like a disc with ISO, “click to install” and like an idiot I did. But there was mention of a 'Windows critical install, windows agent' or something, but I couldn't find any such link later. The ISO icon was sitting in the download folder and was inaccessible so I deleted it, probably another stupid move. I'm telling myself to expect the worst and try to save my current email exchanges docs and photos etc. As you will see from the 'scrn shot' of my 'Programs and Features' on the 5/5/2017 those files were all implicated in this tragedy and so the risk of loosing them was high. Firefox was disabled by the events Customising my Firefox is a labour of love and it does me so well, I feel happy using the tool and its add-ons. One slip one finger on the wrong button and presto...As if the everyday mongrel impositions, pop-ups and Malware weren't enough. Your assistance is truly appreciated friend its what makes Mozilla Firefox and all of its elements so very worthwhile. Thank you. Tom

Could you try one of the specialized cleanup forums listed in the support article? Removing such deeply embedded malware is beyond the scope of this forum.

Windows has the (bad) habit that it hides some file extensions, so it is not sure what happened in this case. This might be for instance an HTML file with an error message. If it would be an ISO file then I don't think it can do much harm, but if it is one of the file types that Windows thinks it should hide then this could be a dangerous file in case you double-click such a file instead of opening it is a special (hex) file viewing utility.

My very sincere thanks for everyone's input on this problem which was my own making due to a lapse in concentration. Reading more online, which suggested the malware might have come from programs I imported 'way back ', I chose the advice of a specific forum, user. It was after I discovered I couldn't simply format the SSD and reinstall W10 like in the 'old days' not even using an external CD drive, I decided to ditch the SSD, which also allowed an upgrade from an EVO 850 to a 960 with a smidgen in increased speed. This expensive solution and the unwillingness to simply stow the SSD, spurred me to buy a USB 3.0 Case M2 SSD External Enclosure to use the original SSD after cleaning. I dare say there are other ways of solving the problem but quite frankly at that point in time the solution of least resistance won me. Thanks again everyone, I'm truly a non-too bight novice who gets through thanks to you. Cheers Tom