have tried for the past several weeks to get to www.yahoo.com. most recently it is defaulting to the windows search page looking for yahoo.com. it is the strangest thing - feels almost like there is a local dns setting that is masking the www.yahoo.com url.

Have tried to fix on my own with no success. Here is my hijackthis log file:

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Network ICE\BlackICE\blackd.exe
D:\symantec\nortonantivirus\DefWatch.exe
C:\Program Files\ewido anti-spyware 4.0\guard.exe
D:\symantec\nortonantivirus\Rtvscan.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
D:\symantec\NORTON~1\vptray.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe
D:\Program Files\itunes\iTunesHelper.exe
C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe
C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
C:\Program Files\ewido anti-spyware 4.0\ewido.exe
C:\Program Files\Network ICE\BlackICE\blackice.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\DOCUME~1\bj\LOCALS~1\Temp\Temporary Directory 1 for hijackthis[1].zip\HijackThis.exe
C:\DOCUME~1\bj\LOCALS~1\Temp\Temporary Directory 2 for hijackthis[1].zip\HijackThis.exe

R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,SearchAssistant =
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Search,CustomizeSearch =
O2 - BHO: Google Toolbar Helper - {AA58ED58-01DD-4d91-8333-CF10577473F7} - c:\program files\google\googletoolbar2.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [vptray] D:\symantec\NORTON~1\vptray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "D:\Program Files\itunes\iTunesHelper.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [!ewido] "C:\Program Files\ewido anti-spyware 4.0\ewido.exe" /minimized
O4 - Global Startup: RealSecure® Desktop Protector.lnk = ?
O8 - Extra context menu item: &Google Search - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmsearch.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Backward &Links - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmbacklinks.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Cac&hed Snapshot of Page - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmcache.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Si&milar Pages - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmsimilar.html
O8 - Extra context menu item: Translate into English - res://C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbar1.dll/cmtrans.html
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5co...b?1114651267221
O20 - Winlogon Notify: NavLogon - C:\WINDOWS\System32\NavLogon.dll
O20 - Winlogon Notify: WgaLogon - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WgaLogon.dll
O23 - Service: BlackICE - Internet Security Systems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Network ICE\BlackICE\blackd.exe
O23 - Service: DefWatch - Symantec Corporation - D:\symantec\nortonantivirus\DefWatch.exe
O23 - Service: ewido anti-spyware 4.0 guard - Anti-Malware Development a.s. - C:\Program Files\ewido anti-spyware 4.0\guard.exe
O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\11\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe
O23 - Service: iPodService - Apple Computer, Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec AntiVirus Client (Norton AntiVirus Server) - Symantec Corporation - D:\symantec\nortonantivirus\Rtvscan.exe
O23 - Service: RapApp - Internet Security Systems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Network ICE\BlackICE\RapApp.exe

any help would be greatly appreciated....I have had this happen in the past with different symptoms and figured it out by following the various postings, but this one is killing me....

You haven't posted the complete log.

Please move HijackThis to another location, preferably c:\Program Files\HijackThis. Anywhere is fine, other than your Desktop or a Temp folder. If HijackThis is in a temporary folder you run the risk of accidentally deleting the backups or it clutters your desktop with all the backups.
If you use Windows XP it might be that you just double clicked on the file HijackThis.exe, but that only extracts the file to a temporary folder. Please select the file and Extract it to a folder.

How do you make a permanent folder:

Click "My Computer", then "C:\" and then on "Program Files".
In the menu bar, "File"->"New"->"Folder".
That will create a folder named "New Folder", which you can rename to "HJT" or "HijackThis".
Now you have "C:\Program Files\HijackThis". Put your HijackThis.exe there.