Just when you think it can’t happen to you, it does. And what makes it even more funny is the fact that I knew about the problem before hand, but didn’t think to remember it when it happened. Anyways, long story short, I ran Spybot a few weeks ago because my computer was tweaking out. Mind you, I’m not the most “under the hood” kinda guy. I heard great things about Spybot and because it’s free, I used it.
After running the full scan, as with most spyware/adware solutions, I was presented with a list of items which could potentially be hindering/affecting the performance of my computer. Without doing much more research, I decided to let Spybot fix and/or remove all of the potential problems it found. Besides, I don’t really have time to query all of the various cookies and verify on my own whether or not they are evil doers.
Great, the scan is done and problem solved. Or at least that’s what the hope is. Sure enough, I go to login to my affiliate network and can’t because Spybot is blocking cookies. After customizing the browser internet options and making various site exceptions, I’m back in business. However, since the process was such a pain in the ass, I went ahead and uninstalled Spybot altogether. Truthfully, the only reason I installed it was to find the problems and delete them. Problem solved, software gone.
Fast forward a month or so to present day. I’m working on a new commission junction campaign and setting up the landing page links. Weird. The commission junction links don’t work. Contacted the advertiser and they can’t seem to replicate the problem. Contacted my friend and asked him to verify whether the links are working. Well what do you know, they work fine he says. Hmmm…
Oh, that’s right (slips and falls hitting my head on the toilet), didn’t CPA Affiliates mention something about Spybot killing your affiliate sales? Problem is, when I originally read the post, I didn’t really know wtf they were talking about. Oh, I think I have a much better understanding now.
Which leads me to part II of the Spybot search and destroy saga. How exactly do you fix the problem now that Spybot has already been uninstalled? After some Google poking, I came across the following fix:
Locate your “hosts” file in one of the following directories:
Windows 95/98/Me c:\windows\hosts
Windows NT/2000/XP Pro c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Windows XP Home c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Linux /etc/hostsOnce you locate the hosts file, open it up with your favorite text editor such as notepad and remove any lines with the following:
bfast.com
linksynergy.com
qksrv.net
cc-dt.com
commission-junction.comAfter that, save and close your browsers. The links should work now. If the links still don’t work, make sure you are editing the hosts file located in the specific directory mentioned above.
And on a final note, Yodama, a member of Team Spybot, indicates that they have since removed apmebf.com, emjcd.com and kqzyfj.com from the hosts and Internet Explorer immunization. So there you go, short story long. 
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Friend,
I’ve just lost all my commission junction links in almost identical circumstances to your experience.
However I don’t use spybot – but I did recently use Spyware Doctor which has probably had the same effect.
I have checked the hosts file as you suggest, but none of the lines you mention are there.
Is there any other way to get these links restored ?
Sending messages to Comm J, as you know, is an exercise in futility!
Please help
Steve
Steve – Sorry to hear that. If you haven’t done so already, check your internet options privacy and security settings. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of any other fix.
Hi there,
This was very helpful for me.
Thank you for writing it.
Little late here..just want to thank you for your article. I am just starting with affiliate marketing and you gave me some good stuff to watch out for! Thanks for making my life easier!
I have had this ongoing saga for the past 2 weeks now. I cannot find how to fix my CJ links to show in my browser. I have checked my windows host file for those lines and none of them were there. I have added them to my internet options > privacy and still no luck. I also do not have kazzaalite or anything like it on my system. this is so frustrating.
Aha! It WAS Spybot – Search & Destroy! I just um-immunized and now they work fine.
Hi Sara, glad to hear you worked it out. I hope this post helped you resolve the problem.
Hello Friend,
I've just lost all my commission junction links in almost identical circumstances to your experience.
However I don't use spybot – but I did recently use Spyware Doctor which has probably had the same effect.
I have checked the hosts file as you suggest, but none of the lines you mention are there.
Is there any other way to get these links restored ?
Sending messages to Comm J, as you know, is an exercise in futility!
Please help
Steve