ISP-supplied modem hijacks Safari homepage preference :-(

Question

ISP-supplied modem hijacks Safari homepage preference :-(

I recently signed up for a new integrated Internet/Phone/TV service from DartyBox, a French ISP, and during the set-up procedure (running the ISP's proprietary MacOS installer to set up the modem) it changed the homepage preference in Safari to its own AOL/DartyBox portal page. I changed it back to my usual preferred homepage, but everytime I wake my computer, the ISP has changed it back to their own. It only holds my own preference until the next time I put my MacBook to sleep.

Does anyone know if there's a way to prevent this from happening? It is REALLY annoying, and nothing on the ISP's help pages makes mention of this -- I assume because they don't want anyone to be able to override it.

If anyone has had this problem with DartyBox (or ANY ISP that foists its own homepage on its customers), I'd like to hear your solution...

Thanks!

SP

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.3)

Posted on Jun 23, 2008 11:34 AM

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Answer 1

Mulder

Level 6

8,990 points

Jun 23, 2008 12:06 PM in response to SmartypantsFR

I've never heard of this before, or seen it happen. You might want to try changing your DNS servers in Preferences > Network to these numbers and restart Safari to test it and see if that solves your problem.

OpenDNS:

208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

Of course, write down the DNS numbers you have now, just in case you need to revert back to them.

Mulder

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Answer 2

Jun 23, 2008 6:22 PM in response to Mulder

Thanks, Mulder!

I wouldn't have thought to try that, and it seems to be working...

FYI, when I went to change the DNS config as you suggested, I noticed that a new Network Location had been created. Rather than being set to Automatic (as I've always had it set), the DartyBox set-up assistant had created and assigned a new Location called "DartyBox" and the DNS number and Search Domain ("darty") that it had assigned +were grayed out and couldn't be deleted or modified+!

I changed the Location setting back to "Automatic" and assigned the DNS addresses you suggested, and now I seem to have wrestled the settings back into my control.

Thanks for the work-around! It's much appreciated! :-D

SP

Message was edited by: SmartypantsFR

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Answer 3

Jun 23, 2008 6:24 PM in response to SmartypantsFR

..

Message was deleted by: SmartypantsFR

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Answer 4

Jun 23, 2008 6:25 PM in response to SmartypantsFR

*Whoops! I spoke too soon.* 😟

This didn't solve my problem after all, but I think you're right that the Domain Name Server is the issue,

The next time I quit and re-launched Safari, the Location was still set to Automatic, but Darty's had added its own DNS number and Search Domain name, and those are now greyed out and cannot be deleted or modified in the settings for the Location called Automatic!

So, I guess the new question is this (or rather, two questions):

1) How did my ISP get away with assigning a DNS and Search Domain that cannot be user-modified or deleted?

and

2) How can someone (me) override it?

😟

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Answer 5

Jun 23, 2008 6:32 PM in response to SmartypantsFR

One more tidbit of info:

The DNS number that is assigned and cannot be deleted is the same as the IP address of the router, if that info is of any troubleshooting value...

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Answer 6

Jun 24, 2008 1:58 AM in response to SmartypantsFR

Mulder (or anyone):

A possible work-around occurs to me, but before I try it, I am wondering if you think this sounds like a good solution:

I have an Airport Express that is connected by Ethernet to the modem/router, and used only for iTunes/Airtunes.

If I set up the Airport Express to extend my wireless network, so that rather than connecting wirelessly to the Darty modem/router, I connect to the AE, will the forced DNS be seen by the AE and not by my computer?

In other words, if the Airport Express gets its DHCP config from the Darty router (and the forced DNS info is in the Network Config of the AE), but my MacBook is getting its DHCP config from the Airport Express, do you think the Airport Express will act as a "firewall" and protect my laptop from the effects of the modem's forced DNS configuration?

(I know this is getting away from a Safari Support question, but the Safari Homepage preference seems to be the only problem caused by this issue.)

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Answer 7

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

Jun 24, 2008 2:59 AM in response to SmartypantsFR

Hi

he ISP's proprietary MacOS installer

is likely the key here - It probably created a startup application that resets safari's home page.

If you look in System Preferences-accounts-startup items; it may be listed there....but there are lots of places they could hide it.

running activity monitor & looking for it may get you the name... then it may be possible to search for it.

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Answer 8

Jun 24, 2008 6:02 AM in response to andyBall_uk

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Answer 9

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

Jun 24, 2008 6:06 AM in response to SmartypantsFR

a misunderstanding there 🙂 Activity Monitor ( assuming it's the same in Leopard as Tiger ? ) is an application found in Applications/Utilities/;
it shows the processes that are running.

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Answer 10

Jun 24, 2008 6:08 AM in response to andyBall_uk

Doh!

OK, I will go check on that! Thanks...

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Answer 11

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

Jun 24, 2008 6:19 AM in response to andyBall_uk

However, let's get clear on exactly what's happening - IF the homepage set in Safari preferences is being changed - meaning you set say google.com, and when you look again, the setting has been altered to something else.... then the installer software must be altering it behind the scenes; I don't know of any way forit to be done by a webpage link, unlike some browsers.

OR, if the setting remains as you left it, but safari seems to ignore it, then likely it's the modem forcing that page on you, which is harder to fix w/o some googling into the problem.

the lccdaemon is fine, it's a logitech mouse or keyboard thing.

-----

does the same thing happen with other browsers - if you have any?

Message was edited by: andyBall_uk

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Answer 12

Jun 24, 2008 11:43 AM in response to andyBall_uk

1) This ONLY affects Safari. The homepage preference setting in Firefox is impervious to the problem. I don't see any other change in behavior of Safari or of any other Application.

2) Yes, what you describe is what is happening: I launch Safari, and a homepage appears with the address http://portail.dartybox.com; I go to http://www.nytimes.com, launch preferences, set that as the home page, and as long as I do not quit Safari or put the Macbook to sleep, the NYTimes remains my home page; when I wake the computer or relaunch Safari, it's back to the dartybox portal as the homepage (and that's what the field reads in Safari's preferences).

3) I tried doing what I suggested above, connecting an Airport Express to the modem/router, and then connecting via Airport to the Airport Express, rather than the ISP's modem, but the problem persists.

In this case, DNS numbers can be added, but one assigned by the modem can't be modified or deleted on either the Airport Express's network settings or my MacBook's, and the greyed-out DNS numbers are the same as the router the device connects to: On the Airport Express, the DNS is the modem's address, and on my MacBook, the DNS is the address of the Airport Express (10.1.1.1). But whatever the modem is doing to alter the home page preference can't be stopped by using the Airport Express as a buffer in the middle.

4) I can't see in the Activity Monitor window anything suspect, but then again the info Activity Monitor generates WAY over my head.

5) I suspect that this is indeed some hard-wired thing in the modem that is simply not negotiable. Google searches in English and French turn up nothing helpful. Nothing at all about this issue appears in English, and only a handful of entries in French from disturbed users come up, but no solutions offered.

6) I don't WANT to use Firefox! I know people swear by it, but I've been a Safari user from Day One and just don't want to give it up over this one annoyance. It's SO ******* me off! >:-/

Edited to add: Sorry about that previous post with the long log lines from Safari's activity window. I can't edit or delete the post, and I know it's made this thread a pain to read...

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Answer 13

Mulder

Level 6

8,990 points

Jun 24, 2008 11:48 AM in response to SmartypantsFR

Based on what you've said, I would suspect this is something that the modem/router is configured to do, and if that's the case, it can be changed. You can try logging into the router by typing 192.168.0.1 into your browser and see if that takes you to the modem setup page.

And if you can't figure out what to change there or aren't confident, I would call your ISP and ask them how to make that change so you can set your own DNS servers and home page, without their choices being forced on you.

Mulder

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Answer 14

iBod

Level 7

29,351 points

Jun 24, 2008 12:27 PM in response to SmartypantsFR

I have a feeling we might be looking for too complex a cause to this.

Have you tried logging into another user account on your machine, setting Safari's homepage in this new account and checking it is retained between Safari restarts/logouts/machine restarts?

If that works correctly, we know the issue is solely due to a cause within your regular account and nothing router/modem/ISP software based.

If you don't have another user account to test with, you can use System Preferences -> Accounts -> \[+\] to create one (and \[-\] to remove it later if needed).

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Answer 15

Jun 24, 2008 2:15 PM in response to iBod

Wow, iBod! Interesting idea.

I created a test account and logged in to it, and you're right! My home page preference sticks and is not overridden by the modem!

So that leaves me with the original question: How do I resolve this problem on my main account? Do you have any idea what's causing the problem, and how to clear whatever bug is gumming up the works?

Obviously I don't want to start from scratch with a new account just to solve this one problem, if I don't have to. (And, preferably, I don't even want to start from scratch even in Safari alone, with all its stored keychain items, history, bookmarks, etc.)

Is there somewhere specific I should look (like keychain items, or the like) where this kind of information might be "corrupted" and modifiable?

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