I am getting drowned by adware.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 5:47 am

Ad-Aware has not been able to staunch the flow. Do I have any other recourse other than doing a full reinstall?

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 9:29 am

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Spybot S&D works pretty well.

If it can't manage uninstalling something, you can google whatever it names the thing as and probably find a manual removal method.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 9:50 am

After running (in order): Ad-Aware, Webroot Spy Sweeper, Spybot S&D, and Hijack This, and then doing quite a bit of manual (and occasionally random) registry hunting, I appear to have finally reached a position of detente with the dastardly horde.

Let us pray.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 11:23 am

An alternative browser will help (Firefox is what people recommend as of late) but you may be really used to Internet Explorer, like it's an old, comfy catcher's mitt or spanking gauntlet or something.

chris · Post by **chris** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 11:38 am

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:An alternative browser will help (Firefox is what people recommend as of late) but you may be really used to Internet Explorer, like it's an old, comfy catcher's mitt or spanking gauntlet or something.

Or that annoying neighbor you just put up with, but secretly wish would die a painful and horrible death.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, should be putting up with Internet Explorer when far more capable (and secure) browsers like Mozilla, Firefox, and Opera exist.

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:10 pm

Unfortunately, my screenreading company might as well be sucking down Microsoft's fat, greasy, and no doubt

the gayest hot dog commercial in existence wrote:GIIIIRETHY,

as well as corporate cock, and does not seem in any particular hurry to work with any other browsing programs, including Mazilla. Which means I'm stuck with IE, which is extremely annoying as of late because it has decided to just go on strike and give me the pattanted "IE has encountered a problem and needs to close" whenever I launch it unless I do what I'm not supposed to know I can do and type the internet address into the my computer box. Still though, I might give firefox a try someday just to see how well it works without any support.

Casual Observer · Post by **Casual Observer** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:18 pm

Lysander wrote:Which means I'm stuck with IE, which is extremely annoying as of late because it has decided to just go on strike and give me the pattanted "IE has encountered a problem and needs to close" whenever I launch it unless I do what I'm not supposed to know I can do and type the internet address into the my computer box. Still though, I might give firefox a try someday just to see how well it works without any support.

My IE did that too, and I tried everything including using the xp pro install disk to "repair" windows and "reinstall" windows - all to no avail. My only recourse was to format c: and reinstall. I fucking hate windows sometimes. . . ok all the time.

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:48 pm

chris wrote:Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, should be putting up with Internet Explorer when far more capable (and secure) browsers like Mozilla, Firefox, and Opera exist.

Yeah, and no one should be using gas guzzlers when they can get a hybrid, some people just don't give a shit.

Reality Check · Post by **Reality Check** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 1:04 pm

pinback wrote:Ad-Aware has not been able to staunch the flow. Do I have any other recourse other than doing a full reinstall?

Pinner, you should use your "guest" account when you surf porn sites - that way the spyware can't infect your registry.

Sousa · Post by **Sousa** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 6:50 pm

pinback wrote:Ad-Aware has not been able to staunch the flow. Do I have any other recourse other than doing a full reinstall?

After running SpyBot & Ad-Aware and using Advanced Unistaller Pro and then switching to Firefox, I'm online and no longer annoyed. Also, switched to Thunderbird and the Junk Filter does a fine job...

YMMV

-- Mike

Jack Straw · Post by **Jack Straw** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 1:35 pm

bazooka's another good one that'll find stuff you have to manually remove, but gives you links on how to do it. The others, if it knows it needs to be manually removed they won't even tell you about it.

nessman · Post by **nessman** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 9:23 pm

Remember this - Windows since the 98 release has IE integrated into it so that its a part of your OS. You can't get rid of it - it's always there. Yes, IE has its inherent flaws but it's still a good browser. Just gotta surf carefully and not click yes/OK to everything that pops up. Ditto with e-mail.

I've used IE/Outlook for quite some time because Netscape 4x became bloated and buggy. I'm used to the MS products that it pains me to switch back. Outlook 2003 is just too cool to use. I don't think there's any turning back.

Besides, I don't have the virus/spyware problems that many people have because I'm careful surfing/e-mailing and know how to maintain my PC's.

Debaser · Post by **Debaser** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 9:56 pm

No one here's pimped Opera. I use Opera. I have had zero spyware/adware/virus related problems since I started using opera. Opera's other advantages:

1. Loads much quicker than Mozilla and a little quicker than Firefox.

2. Best interface of all the browers I've found. Easy to dick around with settings if you need to allow one popup or want to play a flash game but usually leave flash off. Containing all the windows in one uber-gui is so clean and elegant I don't know why no one else does it.

3. All sorts of built in searches if, for whatever reason, a basic google search is insufficient.

4. The targetted text ads are consistently amusing in their blind, awkward flailing at keywords. The Jolt Country main page used to always give me an ad for some flower shop in Fort Collins until Robb put up that concert review he and Vitriola did, then it started offering me places to buy leather clothing. Best of all is the way the targetted add politely wink out in favor of a generic "Please Buy Opera" ad whenever I visit a porn site.

The only downside is that, for whatever reason, Opera seems to give me all sorts of little quirks when visiting certain websites. Usually this is no big deal, but I keep Mozilla primed with my email site as its homepage, since Opera reads those scripts rather awkwardly.

bruce · Post by **bruce** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 9:01 am

nessman wrote:Remember this - Windows since the 98 release has IE integrated into it so that its a part of your OS. You can't get rid of it - it's always there. Yes, IE has its inherent flaws but it's still a good browser. Just gotta surf carefully and not click yes/OK to everything that pops up. Ditto with e-mail.

It's people like you who make Bill Gates undeservedly rich.

"Oh, this browser makes it really easy to install spyware/adware/viruses...well, that must be a problem with me, not it."

You idiot, the computer is your slave, not the other way around. You shouldn't have to tiptoe around a program's bugs; if a program stays buggy, you should just get another program that, you know, isn't, rather than making lame excuses for it like a battered wife with three missing teeth and two black eyes.

Bruce

nessman · Post by **nessman** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 10:18 am

Bruce - I disagree. You can have the best car in the world - but it's only as good as the idiot whos driving it.

chris · Post by **chris** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 10:50 am

nessman wrote:Bruce - I disagree. You can have the best car in the world - but it's only as good as the idiot whos driving it.

And yet a bad car can't be controlled, even by the best driver. Such is the case with IE....it's the AMC GREMLIN of web browsers.

Changing browsers is pathetically easy....all of the good ones (and by "good ones" I mean everything but IE) will import your IE favorites list for you, and all of the good ones will block popups. That ALONE is more than enough reason to switch.

nessman · Post by **nessman** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 12:12 pm

chris wrote:Changing browsers is pathetically easy....all of the good ones (and by "good ones" I mean everything but IE) will import your IE favorites list for you, and all of the good ones will block popups. That ALONE is more than enough reason to switch.

You're right - but my point being is that unless you're running Windows 3.1 or 95, you cannot get rid of IE (well, it's possible that you can - but not entirely easy either). It's a significant part of the Windows 98 and higher OS whether you want it not, security flaws and all.

bruce · Post by **bruce** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 6:12 pm

nessman wrote:It's a significant part of the Windows 98 and higher OS whether you want it not, security flaws and all.

But you don't have to use it for your day-to-day browsing.

Keep it around for Windows Update, and use something else to actually, you know, go to web sites.

Bruce

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 5:09 am

One problem I am having with Firefox is that if you try to post on this BBS with a guest account (without logging in, in other words), Firefox immediately locks up.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

k. roo · Post by **k. roo** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 6:51 am

Firefox doesn't lock up on me, but it does for some arcane reason automatically mark everything as read when I do log in as myself, which is annoying. Otherwise Ff. is it.

I am getting drowned by adware.

I am getting drowned by adware.

Re: I am getting drowned by adware.

Re: I am getting drowned by adware.