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I don't care what anyone says, spyware and adware should be illegal. It's as annoying as viruses making pop ups and causing my page not found message to be changed and taking me to some stupid site I don't want to go to. It pisses me off and I hate it! And to make matters worse it's so hard to get those crappy stupid programs off my computer! Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I've got the same problem. I was find like 30 trojans and/or viruses and such every day at one point. I don't think it helps that I use IE and I'm constantly connected though.
Posts: 26 | Registered: Feb 2004
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This is why I love using a different browser <insert plug for Firefox here> and why I like programs like Spybot Search & Destroy....
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I used SpyBot Search and Destroy, and wild tangent is still on my computer. I don't know WHAT it did to IE, but I can't change the home page, and can't (horrors!) go to Google! If you type in www.google.com, it goes to wild tangent!
How do I get rid of it?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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As has been said, use a different browser. Its become so other browsers provide more functionality than IE, anyways. The only thing is there are still a few certain sites that refuse to work with anything but IE -- in which case you still have IE around.
As for getting rid of Wild Tangent, the advice I see is to remove it in add/remove programs.
If it still does that with google it possibly just left an entry in the HOSTS file. To take care of this:
Find the HOSTS file in the appropriate directory -- Windows XP=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
Windows 2K=C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
Win 98\ME=C:\WINDOWS
It will just be called HOSTS. Open it in a text editor, like wordpad. Find any lines that mention google or wild tangent. At the very beginning of those lines, put a "#" (not the quotes, just the pound sign). Save it again.
Before proceeding with the above you may want to make a duplicate of the HOSTS file entitled HOSTS.bak or similar.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Fire fox... ludosti, is that like firebird. I notice that it is one above my version of firebird.
And, katharina, if Fugu's advice is not good, (I have no idea) Ad Aware 6.0 you should try this. Wild tangent is a game program that is required to play some Shockwave games. If you have someone playing these games, then let them no not to download it.
Posts: 262 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Grrr...I hate spyware companies. I had to spend 10 minutes the other day trying to figure a way around the permission restrictions in place on my work machine to change my homepage back to what it should have been.
I can't remember the name of the domain, though, which is a good thing for them. Still, I do remember signing up their support and webmaster email accounts for spam while at work (what comes around, goes around), so maybe I'll look up the domain name when I get to work.
That little event necessitated copying an old copy of Firebird to my work PC (company rules state that I'm only not allowed to install programs - nothing about just dumping it on my spare partition). Screw corp standards, I want a browser less than 4 years old!! (our copy of Netscape is 8 years old!!!)
So yes, I think that they should pass a law (or just look the other way), while people go out and hunt down the spammers, spyware companies, and phishers are either hang them to a wall (using dull, rusty nails) by their sensitive areas, or just going back on tradition and stoning them.
And yes, I am a sadistic little SOB (according to lusti). Posts: 851 | Registered: Oct 2001
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If you're not faint of heart, you could try "Hijack This," which will detect browser add-ons that even the automated spy-checkers won't catch. It's hard to use, and isn't automatic, so it might not be the best solution for everybody.
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Yay Firefox! Best bloody browser I've ever laid my eyes on.
I'm partial to Ad-Aware, but you should probably use 2 just to cover anything one or the other might have missed.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
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I like Firefox for using a browser when I go other places—it fits on my pen drive—but for my machines, no other browser has the amount of options that Avant Browser has. People who diss IE just haven't ever used the IE engine on a front-end that takes advantage of its flexibility.
That said, you need to check the sites you visit, if you're getting so much of the type of spyware that installs things on your computer. Additionally, you may want to stop clicking "OK" and "Yes" when dialogue boxes pop up while loading a page. Were this any other forum, I'd just say "stay away from porn sites," though porn sites aren't the only ones who employ this technique (some crappy sales sites and places like RealNetworks do, too).
And editing the HOSTS file probably won't fix Kat's problem. Wild Tangents legally installed something when their install prompt was accepted. This is what I mean about not installing anything, even if they claim it improves your "internet experience." The best you can do is go to their directory in the Program Files section and look for an uninstall, or you quite likely don't have an uninstall program. If the latter is the case, you'll have to go into the registry manually to get it out—long process of finding it, so I'm not getting into details. On top of that, it would have to be removed form the startup folder in your Start menu. On top of that, you may have to go into the startup services (MSCONFIG) to disable it, as well. It really depends on the type of spyware they employ, because there are a few other techniques, as well. If this is on your home system, Kat, you might me kinda screwed and have to reinstall IE, since it's harder to get things like this safely out of 98 than it is 2000/XP.
Never click OK unless you've read all the agreement and understand what you are agreeing to. If there is any question, don't risk it.
More than half the annoying spyware and adware that is out there exploits the most insecure part of the computer: the user. Flashy special website cursors, web "interface" helpers, special game "plugins," and more—these are all the reason spyware and adware infest your computer systems worse than the flu on your days off. They are the number one door-opener to all these malicious trackers and scripts.
Posts: 779 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Leto -- and what's even better is, sometimes reinstalling IE doesn't work, or even makes the problem worse. Particularly when its IE 6 on 9x/ME, in my experience. I frequently had to do the boot to safe mode, repair IE, reboot to safe mode, downgrade IE, reboot to normal mode dance with people to get IE back to functional after a reinstall of it.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Something keeps making random zapping noises when I go to websites that usually have popups...and I haven't installed anything.
Posts: 9057 | Registered: Nov 2000
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Nothing! Plus, my internet explorder now freezes when I try to delete all the offline content cookie history thing.
Posts: 9057 | Registered: Nov 2000
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Try booting into safe mode and running the spyware removal tools. That might stop some of the programs from starting up (and then switch over to Firefox!!)
Posts: 851 | Registered: Oct 2001
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The very first browser (edit: or maybe just firewall software?) I ever used was called Firefox. I think by a company called Novix? Back in '94. Think Mozilla's trying to cash in on a name that inspires nostalgia?
And, man...I never get spyware. I'm not sure what y'all are doin' with your boxes, but the only time I have to run Ad-Aware and Spybot anymore is when I format and have to reinstall programs with spyware like iMesh and Edonkey.
quote:And editing the HOSTS file probably won't fix Kat's problem. Wild Tangents legally installed something when their install prompt was accepted. This is what I mean about not installing anything, even if they claim it improves your "internet experience." The best you can do is go to their directory in the Program Files section and look for an uninstall, or you quite likely don't have an uninstall program. If the latter is the case, you'll have to go into the registry manually to get it out—long process of finding it, so I'm not getting into details. On top of that, it would have to be removed form the startup folder in your Start menu. On top of that, you may have to go into the startup services (MSCONFIG) to disable it, as well. It really depends on the type of spyware they employ, because there are a few other techniques, as well. If this is on your home system, Kat, you might me kinda screwed and have to reinstall IE, since it's harder to get things like this safely out of 98 than it is 2000/XP.
Crud buckets. Hmm.... I think a cleansing may be in order.
I don't accept anything if I don't know what it is. The computer I'm on was loaned to me by a very sweet friend (Thanks, Coccinelle!) because I started school and need a computer to do the schoolwork on, and Zevlag currently has the not-quite-functional hard drive to my own computer. It was being used by her 18-year-old sister, and it's LOADED with spyware and crud. We just got it set up this week, so maybe on a free day, we can reformat and start from scratch.
I'm not sure why I felt the need to defend myself against possible idiocy. On the upside, I got the Google toolbar so not getting to Google is no longer giving me heart attacks.
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