Can't access antivirus sites

[TheFunnyGuy]

Hey,

I'm troubleshooting a firends PC.

Symptom:
Can't access antivirus websites. IE re-directs to 'spam' sites. When I ping avg com for example it displays 127.0.0.1 (aka localhost). Google searches also get re-directed to 'junk' sites.

Cure:
Unknown. I've search the net for a solution and most forums have the victim download a multitude of scanning apps. Then the thread dies. No "It worked. Thanks!"

Anyone experienced this and found a solution?

Thanks,