electronic blues

My system crashed and now I'm flooded with spyware. Anybody have any suggestions? I was using "EZarmor" but it now seems ineffective.

To make things worse, Comcast is my new cable company, and they just shut off my service! Anybody have any dealings with them?

Dont open porn sites? hahahahah

In all seriousness go to
www.pcpitstop.com and let the website run a full system check.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

The thing with spyware is, you have to get your security settings right, if not you will get bombarded.

I beleive you should be running microsoft windows xp home. You need to make sure automatic updates is on and running. If not do a manual update to your operating system.

You can also try spy bot search and destroy <-- You will have to google that one. It is an ol-skool program that will wipe your system of spyware.

Pete:

I use all of these, they are free and work good. After the 30 days if you don't buy the software, just do maunal updates. I think Comcast merged with Time Warner, but so far Raod Runner is still the same.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1 Get both of these

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Pers...dl&tag=top5

http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10122137.html

Doug

As per the post above use the Adaware and Spybot software..
They are very good and a free service. Be sure after loading the software to use its update functions.
Beware there are pleanty of scan softwares that offer to fix your system beacause they found hundreds of errors and for a small fee they will clean your system. 95% of these are a waste of money and time.
If you don't have a firewall I would invest in one as this will help you prevent further problems. I suggest Zonealarm it will set you back 20 bucks for a years runtime with updates..
Good luck..

Download the programs Doug linked to, they are the 'standard' package, and run them. Take note however to not have more than one anti-virus program installed. Update everything, windows, antivirus, anti-spyware etc.
If your system is badly infected, you are facing a reinstall.. If you dont update your system after it is reinstalled, I give it 15 minutes online before it is infected with something again.

A third party firewall installed on your computer is not something I would have used. The buildt-in firewall in Windows XP is "good enough". If you want something more, buy a dedicated appliance unit from e.g. Linksys and get wireless at the same time.
Consider what browser you are using tough, it is a fact that certain browsers are more vulnerable than others when browsing. I am using Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/), and are pretty happy with it.

Your ISP have probably shut down your service in 'self-defense'. Your computer is probably used to send spam e-mails and as a platform for attacking other computers. You need to convince them that your system is OK again before they will open it. A re-installed system should be good enough. If you are going to get a firewall, install it before going on-line again.

I have two different firewalls in front of my home-network, and run antivirus/spyware/malware/adaware scans on all computers every day. Still the family manage to drag nasty stuff on to our computers from time to time, without really trying.. The internet have become very darwinistic.

More like 15 seconds! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

The anti garbage software I was using "expired" without notice; hence the problems. I've done what you guys are suggesting, but a "dll" problem persists. Persists inspite of downloading software expressly intended for ridding dll based spyware problems. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

The one thing that works without fail, is the offer to buy new $oftware!

On the cable front, Comcast is "aware" of the problem.

"The internet have become very darwinistic." Indeed! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for all your help.

Second the notion for adaware...there is a free trial version of their software that works very well.

Occasionally it will not be able to grab a piece of vermin software...I recently had one that was being difficult to remove but found that if I located it in your "processes" (Ctrl-Alt-Delete) and end that process, Adaware could then remove it.

get vista
with vista + defender, I've been spyware free ever since (going on a year now)

And get DRM hell with the system? Much better to go for Kubuntu then, but neither is probably what Pete want.

LOL, I wonder how many folks know what Kubuntu is. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Just get and run the software mentioned above Pete. You will be fine. Except vista - you will have to spend a good chunk of change on hardware upgrades. Zonealarm - is more of a hassle than it does good.
<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

format. reinstall.

Kinda reminds me of the Mac & PC commercials. Are Macs really that good?

Clayton

Use the adaware and spybot!!! Do the install, Download the updates for both scanners, reboot. During the boot up , when you see the black screen with the white progress bar across the bottom (of your screen), hit <f8> start up in safe mode and run the scans. The reason to run in safe mode, is if you scan in normal running mode, most of the spy/mal ware will not be unloaded from memory and just reload it's self upon reboot.

Not a problem if you're a legally abiding citizen and BUY your media and software like you're supposed to.



My 2 year old dell runs it just fine.

The Macs are that good. Reading through this thread hurts my brain.

Happy Mac user since OS v. 1.

This is what really really really really pisses me the hell off about mac users. They sit there from the top of their ivory tower, in the club house that can only be accessed via some special mac-owners password. They look down upon the PC world with some sort of elitist **** attitude as if they are somehow more enlightened than the rest of the planet because they bought a shiney white box. Its truely annoying.

A few things to realize: The reason why spyware and virii exist for windows almost exclusively, is because they overwhelming majority of the computers out there run windows. If you're a pimply-faced angry white geek wanting to secure your hacker name in the annals of IT infamy, you'll be hitting the target-rich environments. If put in his shoes, wouldn't you want to try and cripple huge corporate networks as opposed to a relative spattering of artists' lofts?

Second: OSX+ runs on a *nix backbone. If you don't think there are vulnerabilities in that then you're kidding yourself. The reason you don't hear about them is because, again, the news doesn't report it when a spattering of servers get infected with a worm. I had to patch my linux machine on a WEEKLY basis (not an easy feat) back when I used it for an IPchains box or suffer the fate of all the roving worms that constantly tried to exploit it.

In short, Mac Elitist snobs hurt my brain.

We can go back and forth on this as much as any make or model of (boat|car|motorcycle|aircraft). Fact is Macs and PC share many of the same problems. The only Mac in our office had a system failure a little over a week ago and the user is still trying to get everything back to working order. I manage about 45 PCs and over the last 4 years, I have had only 2 Hard drives fail and rebuilt 1 other machine from scratch (knock wood)

How well you take care of your equiptment will determan how many problems you have with it.

Not much to maintain in a modern computer. Usually they last until the electrochemical fluids dry up in the mainboard components, power cycle the unit, and it never boots again. Even harddrives have become very reliable with almost no bad sectors.

But Maughan, you are not supposed to marry or have religious relationships with OS'es. Microsoft products work relatively well in some settings, but they are not the end-all answer, far from it. As I have said before, all computer systems suck!



This is wrong, and doubly so the way you put it. DRM will hurt you a lot if Microsoft gets it their way, no matter how law abiding you are. It is not only about movies, music etc. it has much longer claws. A good start is: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html

[/quote]This is what really really really really pisses me the hell off about mac users. They sit there from the top of their ivory tower, in the club house that can only be accessed via some special mac-owners password. They look down upon the PC world with some sort of elitist **** attitude as if they are somehow more enlightened than the rest of the planet because they bought a shiney white box. Its truely annoying.

A few things to realize: The reason why spyware and virii exist for windows almost exclusively, is because they overwhelming majority of the computers out there run windows. If you're a pimply-faced angry white geek wanting to secure your hacker name in the annals of IT infamy, you'll be hitting the target-rich environments. If put in his shoes, wouldn't you want to try and cripple huge corporate networks as opposed to a relative spattering of artists' lofts?

Second: OSX+ runs on a *nix backbone. If you don't think there are vulnerabilities in that then you're kidding yourself. The reason you don't hear about them is because, again, the news doesn't report it when a spattering of servers get infected with a worm. I had to patch my linux machine on a WEEKLY basis (not an easy feat) back when I used it for an IPchains box or suffer the fate of all the roving worms that constantly tried to exploit it.

In short, Mac Elitist snobs hurt my brain. [/quote]
Gosh, if I’d known that anyone would be “really really really” pissed off I wouldn’t have posted an answer. Mac users don’t reside in a cloistered ivory tower. We heartily invite any and all to try a Mac and see if your user experience improves.

As to slime ball hackers, they do go after target rich environments. But, think about the first one who actually cracks a Mac. Big time deal to the pimply-faced angry white geeks.

Every OS has vulnerabilities. Fortunately, the Macs have avoided having theirs exploited.

I ran a corporate demo center that used Sun, Dell and Mac clients to demo data storage and caching systems. Even in an environment where we were behind virtual bulletproof firewalls, the PCs were the worst to maintain. The Suns were good as long as the application support engineers kept their hands off and the Macs just kept humming along.

My only complaint with Macs is because of their limited market penetration in the business vertical, they have limited applications availability.

your link is rubbish, or at the very least has significant falsehoods.

You know how I know this? Because:


Is blatantly false. I regularly play ALL my DRM/nonDRM/DVD content over "non-secure" outputs. In fact, I'm doing it right now. SO DRM is NOT hurting me.

I used to be a free media peacenik groupie. I used to download hordes of music thinking that I'm sticking it to the man. I used to think all corporations were EVIL EVIL faceless oragnizations, until I got into the real world. DRM is a GOOD thing. It protects the rights of those who rely on intellectual property to turn a profit. I happen to be in a field where intellectual property is what I get paid for.

Yes.. Read the rest of the document as well please, and dont just skim trough it in search of a statement you can pull out of context.

Real world? Did you take the blue or red pill?

I graduated from the socialist University system.

School colors are red and white, so I guess I took the red.

As for the rest of your document, I don't need to read it. I know that-
1) I've been running Vista for a year
2) I've had NO problems with it or using it. Never once has it told me "oh you can't do that".

I could care less what the document says. In this case, I'll post the quote in the context in which it appears. I think you'll find that I didn't portray it in any way out of context.



(PS, I can't think of anyone that spend that kind of money on a pair of XT1900's that bought not one, but TWO just to play HD movies and not to play their games at the highest framerate possible. Therefore they didn't "waste their money" as this drivel seems to imply)

And what is wrong in the quoted text? I am pretty certain Peter Gutmann would be really interested to learn that he is wrong. Send him an e-mail and let him know, but read the mini-FAQ first.
You did not get the point. Do you have a blue-ray or HD-DVD unit at home for your "premium content"?

Congratulations on your prescience, since you alread know what the rest of the document say. Please let me know the winning combination in this weekends lottery, I would really like to know.
Seriously and all sarcasms aside, DRM is for real, and you will not like it if it comes on-line the way Microsoft and the "industry" want it to with Vista. Read the document before you make up your mind.

No, but I don't use a computer as an entertainment center.

My point with you, in this whole thing is that I've got ancedotal evidence that your fears are unsubstantiated.

I've got real-world experience with the operating system. You, I'm assuming by your glowing endorsement, haven't.

So while you can point to academic papers with impunity and say "read this read this" (which I am, slowly, in between work) I've got the working knowledge that Vista is a solid, reliable piece of software that hasn't kept me from doing anything I've tried to do with it.

Lots of people who have an unfounded paranoia of MS have adopted a "the sky is falling" with regards to the vista release.

I guess I don't have that fear having friends in high places at MS. I do have some major gripes about some MS stuff though. Outlook is horribly slow when physically distanced from its exchange server. WM5 STILL doesn't have A2DP enabled (at least on my phone it doesn't) and the NTFS file system has some functionality issues that I'm quite fed up with, but I don't subscribe to the constant MS-hate speech that employs these two-sided issues as an outrageous one-sided argument.

Tell me what your thoughts are on Wal-Mart Rolph (since you can't seem to spell Maugan correctly) <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

No need for a re-install.

follow these instructions

I've tested Vista somewhat, it runs OK on my IBM X40, but it is more sluggish than XP is. We will not put Vista into production at work before we absolutely have to tough. For the time being, 2000 and 2003 is the workhorse on the Windows servers we have. I am exposed to Microsoft products all day long at work, running and supporting a 40 node WAN based on XP workstations and Citrix servers where the services are critical for operations. I have also worked some years with software development on Windows. I think I know a bit or two about Microsoft products and the company. Remember "Trusted computing"? I have also followed the media industry, and watched their throes since the Internet boomed. Itunes DRM is nothing compared to what they want to put in place.

Your 'evidence' is based on the narrow bit of Vista you have been exposed to, that is probably why I bother going trough all this with you, trying to demonstrate for you that there is more to it. I dont know exactly why I bother, but if nobody starts asking questions about DRM (Digital Restriction Mechanisms, not "Digital Rights Management"), you'll be surprised in a couple of years.
Bill Gates himself think the computer will be the entertainment centre at home in the near future, and I totally agree. But there is more to DRM than just media and entertainment, as spelled out in the document referenced.

I dont know enough about Wal-Mart to say much, most of what I know is what I have slumped by on Slashdot. Never stopped by a Wal-Mart store while in the US.
Rolph is probably how you would pronounce my name anyway, most who speak english natively do. I dont mind as long as it is not pronounced "[censored]" etc.. Sorry if I misspelled your nick, didn't know it meant that much to you. I'll take care in the future.

It'll sure be nice when the weather warms up and people can get out on the water again! Major cases of cabin fever here--seems like too many are itchy for a fight about anything! I'm not, but I'd sure like to fight anyone who thinks I am...

And now back to the TEST <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Maybe computers should be added to religion and politics as things that should not be discussed among friends and family. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Anyway, Rolf, how do YOU pronounce your name? Just curious. I have a German friend named Steen, but he pronounces it Stan.

It's hard for me to shake the phonetics I learned in first grade. During my early years of reading, every time I saw the word "isle" in a book, in my head I pronounced it "izzle." <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Gahh? How do I explain that?? I dont even know where to start. I think some of the sounds are missing from american english, and the combinations.. I usually go by the name Ralph after three or four tries. But the "ro is pronounced like the english do when say "ro-yal". The "l" in "lf" is pronounced like the "l" in "lazy", and the "f" is easy, just straight short "f". Try to connect them, and you can have a whole evening of fun <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You'd be nuts to adopt Vista in production at eve of its release. Hell, we JUST now went to XP.

as for this:



Perhaps I'll be suprised, however I'm willing to jump off the MS bandwagon as soon as I'm displeased with their product. If the sky is indeed going to fall as you seem convinced to think it will, alternate technologies will undoubtedly be available to please those who are displeased with Vista and Gates' vision of planetary conquest.

That paper however, does not convince me. His one-sided arguments can easily be taken from another, less condemning angle.

As for my cabin fever...
<pityparty>
I'll admit I'm stressed out beyond all reasonable measures. Today, I told a vendor that they were "crazy and wreckless" by sending me a confidential clinical laboratory import data in an excel file. I nearly went off on a coworker who basically was trying to throw me under the bus for her own shortcomings and timeline mismanagement. My sailing situation is equally fustrating. After getting the N20, I've found nobody willing to sign up and campaign the boat with me actively as a team - a tribute to my charming personality I'm sure. So it sits in Layline's parking lot. So to say I'm fustrated isn't that far from the truth. I'd rather be sailing than being forced to vegitate in front of these 4 monitors every day and pretending that I like reading email.
</pityparty>

to top it off, my keyboard batteries are dying .,. gah!

Tad,
No frostbiting on Lake Lanier to help get you out of the cabin and keep you out of therapy?

Not on the nacra.

I don't need therapy, I just need human interaction :P

This is insane, I'm going to shutup now.

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Maybe this'll help.

I tried Firefox, but on the last update it went nuts. Lost function of bookmarks most of the time. Had to go to IE 7. Pete did the programs help. Run them first time in safe mode.

Doug

Starting to download them now.

Thanks.

Pete:

Let me know how they do. I run the spyare every nuight and the virus scan once a week. Once it got rid of first viruses, none came back. It stops them dead.

Doug

I would also recommend the free ZoneAlarm. A few hours after the install the annoying requests for permission to access the internet will subside. It gives you substantially more control over your firewall than the XP firewall. You need to run both AdAware and Spybot as neither will do a complete job, but together they do a fantastic job of cleaning your computer.

Keep in mind that Firefox isn't necessarily more secure than IE, just less hackers are out to get Mozilla. I do prefer Firefox to IE, even the latest update of Firefox.

I have also had Comcast as my ISP for almost 5 years now. They are a good service, but as with any cable ISP if the area you live is has lots of suscribers your speed will slow down at peak times. Take advantage of the McAfee software you get for free from Comcast. Their virus software is worth it, the rest is OK.

my 2 cents

hitmanpro-!!!-very effective and free!!