You may have heard of
Hijack This circulating the net, and no it isn't the song where Madonna is screaming expletives at listeners for "illegally" downloading her latest single.
Hijack This is a browser-hijacker-killing app that is Windows MSCONFIG on steroids, with lots of espresso and a case of Mountain Dew. Hijack This will x-nay any listing in the group of registry keys that run when your computer starts, with a special emphasis on the browser Hijacking apps that hide there. This registry key section, "RunOnce" is also what feeds the MSCONFIG app (part of Windows XP) but Hijack This digs a bit deeper, and gives a lot more info than MSCONFIG does, not to mention searched in other areas that MSCONFIG does not cover. Hijack This will promptly handle anything you can't and won't find in MSCONFIG. IT techies and system admins use this, and for good reasons. Beware though, Hijack This will trash anything you tell it to, but it cares not for things you actually need to start your PC, so be careful. I wouldn't leave this program lying around where the newbies lurk, it could be dangerous. That's my kind of software.