dtpilot 0 #26 November 3, 2004 XP is good and all but you will have to make sure you are logged in as the admin to do anything to get the adware removed. Sounds like the mom is the trouble maker... gonna have to use netnanny to get her straightened out "Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" -- Friedrich Nietzsche Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sunshine 2 #27 November 3, 2004 QuoteThis thread is funny, all of this information has been talked about more then once, more then twice, quite a few times. I'm amazed when people are too lazy to search, even when its obviously a topic that's been talked about adnausim. I found some good info. And with spyware or anything on my puter, i wouldn't bother with a search. How do i know if info posted a month ago is outdated already? ___________________________________________ meow I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #28 November 3, 2004 QuoteHow do i know if info posted a month ago is outdated already? Its not. You may have to update your spy-killer software to keep up, but all the information remains the same and will continue to remain the same for a good while. Consumer software doesn't advance at that high of a rate, it does outside of the consumer market, on the developer side of the house, but consumer software stagnates then leaps forward, then stagnates and leaps...over and over again. The leaps are the large ones, typically, the ones that everyone knows about, such as new operating systems from MS and large updates such as SP1.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vallerina 2 #29 November 3, 2004 QuoteQuoteThis thread is funny, all of this information has been talked about more then once, more then twice, quite a few times. I'm amazed when people are too lazy to search, even when its obviously a topic that's been talked about adnausim. I found some good info. And with spyware or anything on my puter, i wouldn't bother with a search. How do i know if info posted a month ago is outdated already? Wow, that's pretty harsh, Dave. I have all of the programs mentioned: Pest Patrol, Hijack This, Ad-Aware, Ad-Watch. I've had them for months. I still have problems. My anti-virus crap is up to date and has been. I even have the extra crap with Mcafee to block the extra "stuff." I thought I had all the extra crap to make sure I don't get the junk I don't want! I ran all these programs numerous times, and the stuff won't go away. So, yeah. I didn't think to go under my mom's account and clean it out there because I thought that it did it for all accounts...I thought that it would get rid of the i386 that's in my C drive. Maybe not. Maybe that's why it's still there. Sheesh.There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #30 November 3, 2004 Its not you specifically, I'm talking about the trend. We have a spywear thread about once a week and have for a long while, its annoying that folks (not just you, its not always about you) won't conduct a search of DZ.com for it if they have to ask here and more importantly they won't use the best tool at their disposal: Google.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jjiimmyyt 0 #31 November 3, 2004 QuoteQuoteNope. Macs are immune. Nope! Macs are NOT immune, there are just a LOT less agressive software written for them since they represent such a small percentage of the overall computer market. This thread is funny, all of this information has been talked about more then once, more then twice, quite a few times. I'm amazed when people are too lazy to search, even when its obviously a topic that's been talked about adnausim. Dave, I also hate lazy people. You know the kind of people who don't even read the posts above them. See mine. Lol "This isn't an iron lung, people. You can actually disconnect and not die." -Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #32 November 3, 2004 I saw yours, it blends so well into the thread I wanted to repeat it to make sure its read. That make sense? The "Macs are perfect" thought is previlant throughout the uneducated computer users, which is 100% incorrect, so I was helping you dispell the myth.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #33 November 3, 2004 QuoteConsumer software doesn't advance at that high of a rate That's not really true when it comes to anti-adware/malware and anti-virus software. It has to keep up.it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #34 November 3, 2004 The software its self doesn't advance. The definitions do, so people should do what any good computer user does and update the definitions often, weekly actually.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vallerina 2 #35 November 3, 2004 So, when Mcafee says, "Do you want to allow this crap onto your computer?" and my mom says, "Yes," when I always run and scream and say, "NOOOOOO!!!!!" could that have screwed it up so good? I update Ad-Aware on a daily basis, and I usually scan my computer everyday. I did the day before I left. I updated Mcafee and scanned my computer with that the day before I left. How could things have gotten so screwed up? My computer is even running a whole lot slower.There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #36 November 3, 2004 QuoteThe software its self doesn't advance. The definitions do, so people should do what any good computer user does and update the definitions often, weekly actually. The defs advance all the time, but so does the software/engines. I think multiple updates a year (sometimes almost once a month) is far from "stagnant" QuoteMy computer is even running a whole lot slower. That's a real good sign you've got spyware on there... it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #37 November 3, 2004 QuoteSo, when Mcafee says, "Do you want to allow this crap onto your computer?" and my mom says, "Yes," when I always run and scream and say, "NOOOOOO!!!!!" could that have screwed it up so good? I update Ad-Aware on a daily basis, and I usually scan my computer everyday. I did the day before I left. I updated Mcafee and scanned my computer with that the day before I left. How could things have gotten so screwed up? My computer is even running a whole lot slower. Therein lies the problem. The biggest and strongest door with the best locks on the market won't protect your home if somebody opens it and leaves it wide open... mh . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #38 November 3, 2004 QuoteSo, when Mcafee says, "Do you want to allow this crap onto your computer?" and my mom says, "Yes," when I always run and scream and say, "NOOOOOO!!!!!" could that have screwed it up so good? I update Ad-Aware on a daily basis, and I usually scan my computer everyday. I did the day before I left. I updated Mcafee and scanned my computer with that the day before I left. How could things have gotten so screwed up? My computer is even running a whole lot slower. You don't even have to click "yes" to anything to get spyware. You can just be following a link on some normal-looking website and that can activate the spyware being installed, often without you even seeing anything happening. I have found that Ad-Aware doesn't work very well. I'm now using the corporate edition of Spy Sweeper and I think it works a lot better, but it may be a good idea to run two or three spyware programs if you really want to be safe. (One might catch something that another one won't.) As far as getting the spyware off of your computer, you will need to run the spyware programs while in safe mode and will probably still need to delete some stuff manually. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randy_H 0 #39 November 3, 2004 Get rid of IE as well and install Firefox, that will eliminate much of the spyware, pop-ups and other internet garbage. It worked for me. I didn't even give IE w/SP2 a chance, MS had their chance as far as I am concerned.010010010110010101100001011101000111000001110101011100110111001101111001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edwinsneller 0 #40 November 3, 2004 Quote You don't even have to click "yes" to anything to get spyware. You can just be following a link on some normal-looking website and that can activate the spyware being installed, often without you even seeing anything happening. I have found that Ad-Aware doesn't work very well. I'm now using the corporate edition of Spy Sweeper and I think it works a lot better, but it may be a good idea to run two or three spyware programs if you really want to be safe. (One might catch something that another one won't.) As far as getting the spyware off of your computer, you will need to run the spyware programs while in safe mode and will probably still need to delete some stuff manually. Sucks doesn't it? This is the part of the process that Macs are immune to....spyware/adware/malware riding in on ActiveX controls and getting installed without the user's permission or knowledge.--- Some days it's not even worth the effort to chew through the restraints. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpwally 0 #41 November 3, 2004 Val,,,just break down and buy Mom her own laptop. If she's a happy clicker and clicks yes to every pop up..well your nightmare will continue. I did that with my kids and when they were all locked up and wouldn't work..well they learned. wallysmile, be nice, enjoy life FB # - 1083 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shotgun 1 #42 November 3, 2004 QuoteSucks doesn't it? Yep... But the good news is that the FTC is taking action: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/10/spyware.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites flyingferret 0 #43 November 3, 2004 I will make one post in an attempt to help, and then as I agree with dave, I don't think I will post to anymore spyware threads. My job duties include supporting users who are just now really using terms like spyware/malware. My personal duties include supporting parents in the same boat. Spyware is to this decade what viruses where to the last. This is a bitch to keep up with, and my hat is off to people that try to do so for free. In case you are not aware, the writers of programs like Spybot get routine DDOS attempts from people trying to stop their utils. Imagine fighting spyware without them. Additionally, Dell has stated that nearly 15% of all their support calls are based on Spyware, and I would suspect that number is conservative. That being said: Removing random crap is one of the most prevalent support tickets I get. Yet these same users love to have FreakyEmoticonHell plugins and HotColdUselessToolbar installed. Quite frankly, I am tired of it. Even for those of us that do it very frequently, it is still pretty time consuming. So, this is the bottom line: Ad-aware is tame these days. It removes cookies and some common stuff. The nasty stuff needs more. Spybot is pretty dang good, but even it sometimes misses the newest things. Pest Patrol, HiJackThis, etc all have their uses as well. But, It is always a possibility that you have that a until will not remove. You might have to get old skool, tear open regedit and play around. I would not suggest this to most users. And saying your computer is slow so something must be wrong, is like saying the weather is cold. Define slow. Until you can, all you have is a placebo perception. SO, You have a few other choices. And you know what, these are choices that paid sysadmins face everyday, and really don't have good answers. Perhaps the only good side, is that the common 'user' is starting to the crap that we as their IT guardian have been dealing for the last few years, while they obliviously surf. Choice 1. LOCK IT DOWN. Bugs need a door, no door, no bugs. Consider: NAT, blocked ports, alternate browser, limited jscript and active x controls, no MSN messenger, no toolbars. Most users will not like this, particularly family members dont like IT Nazis. Choice 2. Quarantine certain machines in a DMZ of sorts. Don't let a parents machine touch anything else. Don't let an internet machine host any personal data. Then reghost the thing once a month. This too is kinda of a pain if you are not getting paid to do it. Choice 3. Accept spyware as a modern curse, practice reasonable security, do what you can to stop the worst, and accept common scans to get rid of annoyances. In this model, the end user will probably always think something is slow or not quite right and you have ignore them 50% of the time. Choice 4. Protect your own crap, sqaure your machine away, and practice saying "No, I won't fix your computer" or "What are these computers you speak of?" for when questions arrive. I have adopted Choice 3 at work, due to limited resources and end user autonomy. I am damn close to adopting Choice 4 for my personal life. We spent hours of our time watching this stuff develop and fought against all the end users that wanted their fun like gadgets like Bonzai, cause they are "easy" Well system maintenance isn't in a Windows world. Welcome to the other side. So, with my ranting done, my ongoing advise is: 1. Compute with reasonable caution 2. Install utils like Adaware, spybot, etc. 3. If they don't work, there is no easy answer, use deductive troubleshooting or pay someone else to. 4. Don't ever go to an IT guy with nothing more than "It is slow" Computer are just like cars, rigs, and relationships. They require some maintenance and understanding.-- All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Vallerina 2 #44 November 3, 2004 Quote4. Don't ever go to an IT guy with nothing more than "It is slow" Ummm....I didn't come with just that. There are toolbars that I can't get rid of. Yes, I maintain my stuff. I update my anti-virus crap at least once a week, and I update Ad-Aware everyday that I use my computer. I got rid of a ton of crap from my computer already. There were all sorts of games and crap that magically showed up. Those were easy to get rid of. I CAN'T get rid of the other stuff. In addition to that, yes, I said my computer was slow. It kept freezing up, and I couldn't actually shut it down.There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Opie 0 #45 November 3, 2004 QuoteVal,,,just break down and buy Mom her own laptop. If she's a happy clicker and clicks yes to every pop up..well your nightmare will continue. I did that with my kids and when they were all locked up and wouldn't work..well they learned. wally You are a generous person Wally. Val, I was going to suggest getting yourself a new computer and giving your old one to mom for Christmas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites repeter 0 #46 November 3, 2004 to make a long story short.. windows blows.. if you can afford a mac buy a mac.. in all my years of using computers i've never seen a mac w/ spyware.. and if thats not an option use linux.. you can fuck around w/ linux in a ramdisk w/o hurting your windows install.. check out www.knoppix.net feel free to pm me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AggieDave 6 #47 November 3, 2004 Quote [Quote] My computer is even running a whole lot slower. That's a real good sign you've got spyware on there... Uhhh...I didn't say that, I'm not sure if you were replying to someone else within the reply to my post, though.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wildblue 7 #48 November 3, 2004 QuoteQuote [Quote] My computer is even running a whole lot slower. That's a real good sign you've got spyware on there... Uhhh...I didn't say that, I'm not sure if you were replying to someone else within the reply to my post, though. Val said that, I was trying to avoid posting multiple replies in a row. Sorry if I confused you it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites flyangel2 2 #49 November 3, 2004 Val, I can so feel your pain. With two teenage sons in my house, we had to go to the repair shop every few months to wipe the hard drive and start over because of them downloading all kinds of things. Yes, I'm sure the porn had something to do with it, but they are teenagers I finally got my own lap top that they are not allowed to touch. My oldest son finally broke down and got his own computer, and soon afterwards, my other son followed. Now that they are both responsible for taking care of their own computers, there hasn't been a run to the computer repair store in months. Give your mom the computer she has messed up, and you just reward yourself since you are such a great daughter and buy a state of the art lap top for yourself.May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Vallerina 2 #50 November 3, 2004 I just got this computer last Christmas. I really like it, too!!! If only I could find a geek to fix it for me! There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 Next Page 2 of 3 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. 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flyingferret 0 #43 November 3, 2004 I will make one post in an attempt to help, and then as I agree with dave, I don't think I will post to anymore spyware threads. My job duties include supporting users who are just now really using terms like spyware/malware. My personal duties include supporting parents in the same boat. Spyware is to this decade what viruses where to the last. This is a bitch to keep up with, and my hat is off to people that try to do so for free. In case you are not aware, the writers of programs like Spybot get routine DDOS attempts from people trying to stop their utils. Imagine fighting spyware without them. Additionally, Dell has stated that nearly 15% of all their support calls are based on Spyware, and I would suspect that number is conservative. That being said: Removing random crap is one of the most prevalent support tickets I get. Yet these same users love to have FreakyEmoticonHell plugins and HotColdUselessToolbar installed. Quite frankly, I am tired of it. Even for those of us that do it very frequently, it is still pretty time consuming. So, this is the bottom line: Ad-aware is tame these days. It removes cookies and some common stuff. The nasty stuff needs more. Spybot is pretty dang good, but even it sometimes misses the newest things. Pest Patrol, HiJackThis, etc all have their uses as well. But, It is always a possibility that you have that a until will not remove. You might have to get old skool, tear open regedit and play around. I would not suggest this to most users. And saying your computer is slow so something must be wrong, is like saying the weather is cold. Define slow. Until you can, all you have is a placebo perception. SO, You have a few other choices. And you know what, these are choices that paid sysadmins face everyday, and really don't have good answers. Perhaps the only good side, is that the common 'user' is starting to the crap that we as their IT guardian have been dealing for the last few years, while they obliviously surf. Choice 1. LOCK IT DOWN. Bugs need a door, no door, no bugs. Consider: NAT, blocked ports, alternate browser, limited jscript and active x controls, no MSN messenger, no toolbars. Most users will not like this, particularly family members dont like IT Nazis. Choice 2. Quarantine certain machines in a DMZ of sorts. Don't let a parents machine touch anything else. Don't let an internet machine host any personal data. Then reghost the thing once a month. This too is kinda of a pain if you are not getting paid to do it. Choice 3. Accept spyware as a modern curse, practice reasonable security, do what you can to stop the worst, and accept common scans to get rid of annoyances. In this model, the end user will probably always think something is slow or not quite right and you have ignore them 50% of the time. Choice 4. Protect your own crap, sqaure your machine away, and practice saying "No, I won't fix your computer" or "What are these computers you speak of?" for when questions arrive. I have adopted Choice 3 at work, due to limited resources and end user autonomy. I am damn close to adopting Choice 4 for my personal life. We spent hours of our time watching this stuff develop and fought against all the end users that wanted their fun like gadgets like Bonzai, cause they are "easy" Well system maintenance isn't in a Windows world. Welcome to the other side. So, with my ranting done, my ongoing advise is: 1. Compute with reasonable caution 2. Install utils like Adaware, spybot, etc. 3. If they don't work, there is no easy answer, use deductive troubleshooting or pay someone else to. 4. Don't ever go to an IT guy with nothing more than "It is slow" Computer are just like cars, rigs, and relationships. They require some maintenance and understanding.-- All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vallerina 2 #44 November 3, 2004 Quote4. Don't ever go to an IT guy with nothing more than "It is slow" Ummm....I didn't come with just that. There are toolbars that I can't get rid of. Yes, I maintain my stuff. I update my anti-virus crap at least once a week, and I update Ad-Aware everyday that I use my computer. I got rid of a ton of crap from my computer already. There were all sorts of games and crap that magically showed up. Those were easy to get rid of. I CAN'T get rid of the other stuff. In addition to that, yes, I said my computer was slow. It kept freezing up, and I couldn't actually shut it down.There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Opie 0 #45 November 3, 2004 QuoteVal,,,just break down and buy Mom her own laptop. If she's a happy clicker and clicks yes to every pop up..well your nightmare will continue. I did that with my kids and when they were all locked up and wouldn't work..well they learned. wally You are a generous person Wally. Val, I was going to suggest getting yourself a new computer and giving your old one to mom for Christmas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repeter 0 #46 November 3, 2004 to make a long story short.. windows blows.. if you can afford a mac buy a mac.. in all my years of using computers i've never seen a mac w/ spyware.. and if thats not an option use linux.. you can fuck around w/ linux in a ramdisk w/o hurting your windows install.. check out www.knoppix.net feel free to pm me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #47 November 3, 2004 Quote [Quote] My computer is even running a whole lot slower. That's a real good sign you've got spyware on there... Uhhh...I didn't say that, I'm not sure if you were replying to someone else within the reply to my post, though.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #48 November 3, 2004 QuoteQuote [Quote] My computer is even running a whole lot slower. That's a real good sign you've got spyware on there... Uhhh...I didn't say that, I'm not sure if you were replying to someone else within the reply to my post, though. Val said that, I was trying to avoid posting multiple replies in a row. Sorry if I confused you it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyangel2 2 #49 November 3, 2004 Val, I can so feel your pain. With two teenage sons in my house, we had to go to the repair shop every few months to wipe the hard drive and start over because of them downloading all kinds of things. Yes, I'm sure the porn had something to do with it, but they are teenagers I finally got my own lap top that they are not allowed to touch. My oldest son finally broke down and got his own computer, and soon afterwards, my other son followed. Now that they are both responsible for taking care of their own computers, there hasn't been a run to the computer repair store in months. Give your mom the computer she has messed up, and you just reward yourself since you are such a great daughter and buy a state of the art lap top for yourself.May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vallerina 2 #50 November 3, 2004 I just got this computer last Christmas. I really like it, too!!! If only I could find a geek to fix it for me! There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
