Cleaning your computer

[Dick Schmidt]

I just downloaded and ran the newest version of Ad-Aware, a program that removes "crap" from your computer, especially programs that report on what you are doing with your computer. I have used Ad-Aware for over a year, and thought my computer was more or less clean. When I ran the newest version, it found 135 malicious programs on my computer!!!!!! I thought I was being careful, but this really opened my eyes.

The program is free, and can be found all over the net. I got mine from: www.download.com. Or find it on Google. Not only are these programs no longer reporting back home about me, suddenly my computer has a lot of snap that I now realize has been missing for some time. IE opens in half a second instead 5 seconds, and many other programs seem to operate and open faster.

Highly recommended.

Dick

[boxcar]

Dick, once the program gives you a list of all the spyware programs it alleges is on your system, how do you know which ones to delete? From what I've read about the program, it doesn't do this automatically for you and if you zap the wrong files, it can turn your 'puter system on its ear.

Secondly, I thought good firewalls (such as Zone Alarm) will prohibit any data from leaving your computer without your express permission to the contrary? If this is true, then other than for purposes of "cleaning" your system, I don't see what other advantage there would be to this kind of program. Am I wrong here?

Thanks,
Boxcar

[Tom]

I had just run my older verson of Ad-Aware just minutes before reading your post. I got got new version an when I ran it, I had 14 more file spying on me! Thanks for reminding me to update.
Seem that there might be a niche market here for someone to write a program similar to Ad-Aware but that would send back a lethal and complete destructive virus or message or something to destroy the virtual dirt bag.
The one file I always find with the old version is one by Circuit City-where I bought my computer. They have forever lost my business and I enjoyed teaching the local store manager a few words he had not heard in that exact order before <G>

[so.cal.fan]

A man constructed this PC I use, he is in Del Mar right now, so I can't ask him.
I use a PC with WindowsXP. How do I know if I have this on the machine. Also, how do you check your files and know which to get rid of?
I have firewall and a virus protection.
Is that good enough?
I do get a lot of SPAM in my email. I used to use a MAC and was on AOL and EARTHLINK and never got any.
I guess that is the downside of Microsoft stuff and using broadband?
:confused: :confused: :confused:

[Rexdale You]

So.Cal,,,,I don't have that Adware system either,,,I just throw out the cookies after each session,,,,Press Tools,,,,Internet options,,,Settings,,,,View Files,,,,You will now see all the "Barnacles" stuck on your system,,,,Now Press Edit,,,Select All,,,This will highlite your recent contacts,,,,Now press file,,,,then delete,,,,,Bingo the evaporate,,,,,,Rex You,,,,Good Luck:) :cool: :cool:

[BillW]

Guys,

A couple items here:

1) firewall is intended to keep certain IP addresses from addressing your system from the outside. It assumes you have control of things going out and doesn't affect that.

2) Cookies and spyware are 2 different things. Spyware is typically put on your machine legally (See the extremely fine print at the end of the EULA ) when you upgrade a program or download a program from the net. Other spy programs are simultaneously put on your machine and activated.

Deleting cookies (on a different subject) is a good thing. I have cookie persistance set in my browser to be session long only. (i.e. they automatically get deleted everytime I close my browser). I simply object to some marketing idiot trying to reach some conclusion as to who I am by my browsing data!

3) broadband is a cool and manageable thing (I wish I had it!). So. Cal, that leaves ootion "A" as the problem. :mad:

I'll leave guys like Just Ralph who are admins and similar weigh in further.

Good luck, you have my sympathy ...

Bill

[so.cal.fan]

I just checked my programs I have on this PC
I have adware 5.7.
Do I still need to delete cookies?
Thanks in advance, you guys.:)

[BillW]

so cal,

Cookies are a means by which these internet advertising people like doubleclick build databases on people and sell the information to marketers. The worst that could happen (I think!) by not deleting cookies is that they could tie the identity of your machine to you somehow and relate your surfing habits with your credit card records and decide which marketers should annoy you the most, they sell your identity to them. It pisses me off that these underhanded idiots do this, so I delete cookies as a way of neutralizing their schemes. I guess just for emotional satisfaction :) .

Bill

[BillW]

so cal,

I should add that cookies are a means of legit sites like PA of identifying you also. If you delete cookies, you'll have to log in every time you want to post something (you won't have to login just to read, only post) to PA and similar sites.

Bill

[Dick Schmidt]

About Ad-Aware and firewalls,

Ad-Aware lists all the suspicious files it finds, and then allows you the check those you want to remove. I tend to remove them all and so far have had no problems.

A firewall, such as Zone Alarm, which I also use, will indeed block outgoing messages. What it won't do is find and delete the programs that are sending those messages. I've been after one from itsposttime.com for almost a year. It keeps trying to phone home. I have Zone Alarm block it, but Ad-Aware finally found the sucker and stomped it.

Neither Ad-Aware or Zone Alarm will stop you from receiving new spy programs. They sneak in from web sites you visit. I use both Zone Alarm and a Linksys router with a hardware firewall, but seem to accumulate 5 or 6 a week. The only solution is to block them with a firewall from reporting back to whoever wrote them and to delete them frequently with a program like Ad-Aware. Sometimes the websites you visit don't know this is happening. For a couple of days a few months ago, I got pop-up ads when I left PA, and I know he had no idea it was happening. Someone must have hacked his internet provider and added the pop-ups to all the sites it contained.

E-mail, spam and viruses are an entirely different matter, and neither program will help you there. You need something that scans incoming e-mail and quarantines those infected by viruses. I use Norton Anti-Virus, which I update every week and run frequently. It checks my whole computer for viruses and also scans all incoming e-mail. As for spam, you're on your own. One thing I have found is that your internet service provider has a lot to do with how much spam you get. I use Earthlink and get almost no spam. Maybe one or two a week, and rarely a repeat. My mother uses AOL and gets 15 a day. If you are getting buried, ask your provider to do something. If they say they can't, look for a new provider.

What I don't get is why anyone bothers doing this. Does anyone ever buy something from a pop-up add or spam?

Dick

[so.cal.fan]

Thanks for all the info, Dick.
I can't believe your mother gets spam on AOL. I hate AOL because they gave my credit card # to a few of their advertisers and we got charges.....had to cancel our cards and get new ones.
I complained to them, and they just laughed. Very arrogant, AOL.
I will say, I NEVER got any spam while I was with them.
Of course I used a Mac at the time, and I never had to use any virus or firewall protection. This is one thing I miss my Mac for.

I just scanned my ad-aware program. It came up with one suspicious file, but I left it alone, because I didn't know what it was.........<sigh> I better wait 'till an expert can look at my computer- LOL

[boxcar]

Dick Schmidt wrote:

>>
Ad-Aware lists all the suspicious files it finds, and then allows you the check those you want to remove. I tend to remove them all and so far have had no problems.
>>


Thanks for the reply, Dick. It appears the cybergods have been with you with respect to this Ad-Aware program. While the majority of the reviews on the software were quite favorable, the negative ones seemed to have a common thread, i.e. big 'puter troubles if you delete the wrong files. Evidently, not all the files the software identifies as "spyware" are really spy files.

Also, I seem to recall reading that just about everyone recommended dl'g another program that is related to Ad-Aware -- something that had to do with updates.

I'll probably give the program a twirl after my techie comes over next week to test drive a new program on my system that "backs up" all your drives with a few easy clicks of the mousey. After learning how to use that program (Drive Image 2002) I'll find the courage to take more risks.

Boxcar

[Larry Hamilton]

make certain you have a copy of your hard drive BEFORE you run Drive Image 2002, it hosed my hard drive right before my eyes. When I complained to Power Quest, their reply 2 weeks later was, "That Doesnt make sense" DUH!!!!

I own most of the products they have every produced for desk top stuff...this one is seriously flawed.

[boxcar]

Larry Hamilton wrote:
>>
make certain you have a copy of your hard drive BEFORE you run Drive Image 2002, it hosed my hard drive right before my eyes. When I complained to Power Quest, their reply 2 weeks later was, "That Doesnt make sense" DUH!!!!

I own most of the products they have every produced for desk top stuff...this one is seriously flawed.
>>

That's not very encouraging! Thanks for the warning, Larry. Good thing my techie will be testing it out one of his machines first.
And the funny thing is I've heard nothing but good things about Power Quest's products. Go figure.

Boxcar

[so.cal.fan]

"What I don't get is why anyone bothers doing this. Does anyone ever buy something from a pop-up add or spam"?

I sure have NEVER even read them, except by accident.
I DELETE them as fast as I can.
I get a lot of them on MSN.
I once listened to a music album and now I get a bunch of email spams to "burn your own DVDs"
I have also recieved some spam that my Virus software picks up.
Not for a while........hope it stays that way.

That is an interesting question, Dick. I don't think ANYONE on this board would even read this stuff......let alone BUY anything.
Of course, people on this board have higher marble counts than the general population. Someone must buy them?

:(

[Triple Trio]

Re Ad-Aware, as there are constantly new spyware programs, you have to update the definition file -- just like you have to update your anti-virus definition file -- from time to time. There's a program to do this from Lavasoft's website (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/). The program is called RefUpdate.

Don't think that you don't need Ad-Aware if you've got a firewall program already. Some spyware will fool you into believing that it's an innocuous program when it asks you permission to phone home.

There are very very few programs that will fail to work properly because Ad-Aware has cleaned out all the junk files. (In fact if a program stops working after Ad-Aware has deleted the spyware, you probaly don't want to have such sneaky program on your computer in the first place.) One such program that I am aware of is Kazaa which is a file exchange program. It is supported by advertising and will stop to work if you clean out its bundled spyware. However, there are workarounds and you can do a search to find out what the workarounds are.

As others have pointed out, cookies and spyware are different things and that it's a good idea to clean out the cookies regularly. One of the problems with deleting cookies, however, is that you'll clean out the good cookies along with the bad ones. It means that every time you visit a site such as Pace Advantage, you have to login again. This can be a hassle. There's a simple solution however. There is a program called RoboForm which helps you to fill in the forms automatically. This program is really useful because I visit so many sites with different login names and passwords that I hardly remember what they are when I re-visit a site after the cookies have been deleted. With RoboForm, this is not a problem anymore. There may be sites where you don't want RoboForm to remember the info for you, e.g. your bank accounts. No problem, you can tell RoboForm not to remember those sites. Like all the good things in life, RoboForm is free.

While still on the subject of computer maintenance, one program that I like is BigFix, again a free program. What the program does is it will check your computer regularly to see if there are potential problems and will alert you of those problems BEFORE they occur. For example, it will tell you to update your Norton Anti-Virus definition file if one is available. Perfect for lazy guys like me. Only downside may be that the program seems to use considerable resources but this shouldn't be a problem if you have a reasonably fast computer and plenty of memory.

[Zaf]

Norton Anti-Viurs 2002 and Internet Security came with my computer, along with a 6 month subscription for updates.

Is this sufficient ?? What is a spy program ?? What do they do?

ZAFONIC