I am really dumb when it comes to computers. With that said, I just bought a new hp.pavilion a404x... The first day I had it up and running and went on line, I downloaded the same Spy Hunter program as you. It found 156 severe parasites located in the registry. From what I've been told, that means the manufacterer installed these parasites when they made the computer. Where does the parasite scan locate it at?
Wayfer not: A couple of ideas come to mind why you are still getting hits on that bedbug.
Idea number one is that you still have the entries located in your system restore files. For obvious reasons the "system" took a snapshots of your files and folders just in case you needed to restore your computer to a earlier working point. The utility is probly seeing entries but will not/can not remove them.
First and formost I have a Url for you to look at. SpyHunter has been doing slimy business practices. Take a look at the BIG FAKE WARNING Enigma has been trying to cash in on Patrick M. Kolla's work. Trying to redirect searches to its own Web site.
Today I'm experimenting with a proxy-type web filter, and so far I'm quite impressed. It goes beyond popup blocking to automatically squash ad banners and inline ads, too. It doesn't catch all of them, only about 95%, but that's a HUGE improvement.
I'll post more about it after I've found its quirks, but I'm enthusiastic about it.
You may wish to navigate to the control panel, system properties,system restore tab.
Look for the check box labeled turn off system restore. check it and reboot. Run the spybot and see if it gets it. If so go and uncheck the box from the previous proceedure.
If your problem still remains:
still recheck the box. I dont want you out there with no restore point.
Where do these bedbugs get installed? Registry, system files, anywhere they can be executed.
How did you get them? You were at the wrong place at the right time. These will install without your knowledge, a drive by download so to speak. Bundled software usually include a surprise not unlike a box of CrackerJacks.
When it comes to software, "Free" usually means it comes with malware, scumware, spyware and such. Its how these folks get paid. Serve you a ad, market your personal info maybe you will buy.
Now there are free software downloads which are marvelous! Usually marked by having a Paypal or some means for donations to support the work.
How do I stop this from happening?
You can for the most part. The malware changes faster or as fast as the means to block it.
here is a Url to download GOOD free software to block it even before it downloads. Proactive vs reactive. If it doesnt get on you dont have to clean it off.
As I said on another thread, I belive Spyware is becoming more crippling to computers than viruses. Wow! All this just from the small cirlce of people we know here. Imagine what is happening all across America.
I have found a way to eliminate Spyware completely and have also learned how to recognize those pieces of crap. They all ought to be sued. But it ain't happening.
Just use the two biggies, Spybot or AdAware. Run them regularly.
Scan for viruses regularly.
DO NOT respond to pop ups at all. Do not click on them to close them. Sometimes when you click the little x to close them it is a trick to install something on your computer. You might need to close the pop up some other way. (Not always, depends on the pop up). Use a blocker such as Google task bar.
DO NOT install anything from the internet that pops up and says you need it. (There are a few exceptions...very few.)
Go to start / run MSCONFIG and look at each and every individual item in there and find out what they are for. Each of these items are starting up every time you run your computer.
Get a free program called Spy Sites. Download it and install the thousands of known Spy websites directly into your restricted sites in your browser. This little program will do it for you. Also be sure to add their "worst offenders" list. Then you can not even go to a known spy site if you want to.
But I am sure those pieces of xhit companies will not give up. So you have to stay dilligent in doing some of these things. For example, Gator is changing its name to Claria now. Ha!
John R.
PS - Careful going into the registry. Do that as a last resort. May not be necessary.
PSs - Do not allow children to have access to the Internet. Only thing I know is to not allow it at all unless you are there with them. Want proof? Go into google and type in some things and see how easy it is for them to be exposed to stuff that could cause them harm. You might be shocked.
There are other solutions but it is a lengthy discussion.
[This message was edited by igotout on February 13, 2004 at 13:59.]
I am sure some will shout me down for this but QUIT using MikroKrap's Internet Explorer and move to Opera or Mozilla or Firebird/fox; all are free and all are light years ahead of IE in terms of features and the LACK of security holes, at least of the gross magnitude found in IE.
no, Igotout, not perfect--but being worked on constantly while IE is/has been at a standstill for a while now. Can you say no tabs, no popup blocking, etc.?? And unfortunately for IE users, because it is so ubiquitous, all the script kiddies and other useless klods write all their sheist to take advantage of IE's well-documented holes and ActiveX weak spots. I have NEVER had a problem of this nature with Mozilla, which is QUITE well developed these days compared to 2-3 years ago. I HIGHLY recommend trying Mozilla or Opera--they are light-years ahead of IE....
Good call on the Hijackthis reference Steve. Yes this is one of the tools used to remove stubbon pieces of software, startup entries,ect. But it is a very powerful piece of software. It just shows you what processes and programs you have running on the machine. It does not how ever tell you what you should remove. It only removes what you tell it or check off. Wrongly used you can make your computer non-bootable and difficult to recover.
Dont try to use it to remove entries on your own the first time you use it.
To use the tool Hijackthis I would suggest you go toSWI
and take advantage of the experts help there. The creator of that program (Merijn) posts there as well.
They have extensive knowledge and a arsonal of tools to eradicate whatever bedbug is plaguing your computer. You dont have to register to post there. Its all free. I would recomend you read the FAQ's, and the before you post entries there to get the best results.
John R. Look at Javcools site I posted on earlier. One of his software offerings is Spywareblaster.
SpywareBlaster sets Kill bits on specific ActiveX controls the malware folks try to place on your computer when you visit Web pages. This one of the major ways one gets infected. You get a popup with a yes/no box wanting you to download something (if you are lucky and have set your browser to prompt you). Yet this program it lets the friendly Activex features through so you can enjoy the content of the Website you are visiting.(games, video, music and so on)
I personally do not know what web page is going to have on it when I am surfing. The urls or hosts for these malware guys change often but the methods of infecting the machine not so often. After the fact scanning is important, but its a reactive measure and not a proactive one. I prefer a layered approach.
What is activeX?
ActiveX control is essentially a Windows program that can be distributed from a web page. These controls can do literally anything a Windows program can do.(read, write, execute, download, email, erase, find, search..)
SpywareGuard is another layer to the protection. A real time scanner. Does what your antivirus does for viruses, but is designed to watch for spyware.
I know its sounds a bit complicated, but once you have some of these installed, much of the work is being done for you behind the scenes and can act as "tripwires" so you can get on the with the business of enjoying the browsing of the internet.
People want to be able to use the computer for their benefit and not be its servant twisting its knobs and controls constantly.
Alfakat, You wont find me flaming you on the browser choice. There is so much going for the mozilla/firbird/fox, Micro$oft is going to copy some of its features. If I had the time and bandwidth to download it I would have it in a heartbeat. Tabbed browsing, built in cookie blockers, activex protections to name a few benefits of them.
Side note: spywareinfo.com, merjin.org, tomcoyote.org (major spyware battlers) have been targeted recently by DDos attacks (suspected culprit is one of the malware companies) and have had to block some major isp domains temporarily. So if you cant get into those sites right away thats the reason.
Other note: Sorry to come off sounding hard on you folks that spent good hard earned money on the spyhunter software.
But ripping off someone elses reputation and calling it your own should sound familiar to a lot of us. Emails and demands for money back should be in order. The trend is starting to form with the malware people is that if you cant beat them, fool em into thinking you are a spyware removal company too. Give you free software, target bogus "parasites" and scare you into buying the removal of these parasites with the "professional" versions.
It's called Proxomitron (www.proxomitron.info) and although the author isn't supporting it any more, there is a fan base keeping it alive.
It functions as a proxy server, sitting between your browser and the net. You set your browser to point to Proxomitron as your web proxy, then the browser sends all requests to Proxomitron instead of the net. Proxomitron makes the request, filtering out your personal info. The net sends back the web page, and Proxomitron runs through the text and strips out known banners and ads from the page, replacing them with a simple "Ad" place holder. It also blocks cookies, nosy JavaScripts, popups, pop-unders, flyovers, and browser hijackers.
You can allow certain sites like GSC to pass things through, like cookies, with a couple of mouse clicks.
There's a couple of setup steps, but it's not that difficult. Once running, it's pretty transparent. The only thing you'll notice is the lack of annoying intrusive ads. Worth a look.
Sudo--Mozilla, Opera and Firefox are all fully functioning, free software. Opera has a small ad-box that goes away if you pay and register but it is pretty ignorable. I like Opera and Mozilla--they have different feature sets and are both miles ahead of IE. If you are interested in a mail client with, get Mozilla. Firefox is a very small footprint version of Mozilla's cutting edge browser, not quite as many features but very fast. Try them all; you can always dump em if you don't like em. They all have facilities to import favorites and cookies from IE so you can be all set up to go with all your personal stuff.
Proxomitron is reported to be an excellent tool. I have never heard any bad news by anyone who has used it. Usually terms of "awesome" and "great" are associated with it when asked about it around the antispy/software boards.
Was designed to deal with the popup ads and javascripting plaguing everyone at the time of its creation. It can deal with ActiveX with additional filters and rules manually put in.
I have not used it myself so I can not speak to its effectiveness having come up with other solutions.
As Zixar has pointed out the author has stopped supporting it. But the author Scott Lemmon is still is around the support forums.
The only thing from what I read from reviews and testimonials about it is that it can be confusing to configure for novice users. If you are willing to learn a new piece of software and its controls it is a good way to go as well.
The early bird gets the worm..the second mouse gets the cheese!
That (SpywareBlaster) sounds like an excellent program. I downloaded it and will try it out this weekend.
But with the few measures I have already taken (installing thousands of know spyware sites into my restricted sites) I never seem to ever get any spyware anymore. But I am always open to new ideas.
Microsoft..... yeah, next version will have tabbed browsing and other enhancements, already been announced. And of course it was their own original ideas ...ha! (not)
Question:
What can a company do that has almost $60 billion in cash aside from being one of the worlds largest companies?
Answer:
Anything they want to do. Ha!
John R.
PS - Speaking of mail clients, Microsofts Outlook 2003 is getting rave reviews. I just switched from using OE Express (which is no longer being supported) to the full blown Outlook and so far I am impressed. Last time I tried Outlook was 97 and it sucked. Now it is much better.
But I am also using an add on called Spam Bayes that is an awesome spam blocking tool that only works with Outlook not OE Express. I think this free add on uses that learning Bayesian (sp) technology that Zixar was talking about a few months back. Awesome!
Really ~ Using Opera or Mozilla will solve most of your problems that arise from surfing to malicious sites. There are new problems that Internet Explorer has that are potentially devastating if you fall for some new tricks that Mozilla and Opera are impervious to.
Watch out for things like Crazybrowser and Slimbrowser and Avant Browser ~ they have nice added features to mimic the things Mozilla and Opera do but they are just IE additions. They do improve IE for the times you can't live without it and are recommended but they are NOT different browsers.
Internet Explorer is just dead ~ there are too many thieves and scum working on ways to use it to screw you to make it even remotely safe. Use it for broken sites but make Mozilla or Opera your default. After you use it for a few days you will wonder why you ever used IE. And I am a MSFT fan as well ~ there's just no hope for IE as it now stands. Maybe the version with Longhorn will be different.
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
My new icon is the Mozilla Firefox icon, BTW. So you know where I stand. I know a lot of techies who swear by Opera as well and it is friendlier to the non techy. Mozilla.org is the place to get it ~ I think Opera.com is where Opera is but Download.com has it if that's wrong. Mozilla has a mail client called Thunderbird that is similar to OE. It is very nice but if you use hotmail you have to use hotmail popper or something similar and configure it.
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
I have tried Opera and it was better than IE. I currently am using Camino on my mac and have Mozilla and Firebird in testing.
Mozilla.org is doing a lot of things that IE is not doing or even attempting to do. There is some conjecture that Microsoft may drop out of the Browser wars in the near future. Get ready
I started using Firefox yesterday. So far, I'm very favorably impressed. The tabbed browsing is nice, and the popup blocking is great. I had to install a couple of plugins that either come with IE or are automatically installed by it, but that was no big deal at all.
I just downloaded it, and I must say, I like Firefox a lot. I like the Extensions like Adblock, NukeAnything (the best! Don't like something annoying on a page? Right-click and remove! Poof! GONE.) and IEView(for those pages that insist on IE).
Unless something goes horribly wrong, I may just switch permanently.
Zix--I would be very surprised if anything went wrong. 3-4 years ago Mozilla, and what was then called Phoenix, were still a bit problematic but once Mozilla reached 1.0, it has been smooth as buttah...Phoenix, nee Firebird, now Firefox has been good since the same time. There has been a real groundswell of support, somewhat paralleling the growing interest in desktop Linux, in the last 18-24 months. Reading their roadmap stuff is pretty interesting, at least for us geeks and semi-geeks... :D-->
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Groucho
I am really dumb when it comes to computers. With that said, I just bought a new hp.pavilion a404x... The first day I had it up and running and went on line, I downloaded the same Spy Hunter program as you. It found 156 severe parasites located in the registry. From what I've been told, that means the manufacterer installed these parasites when they made the computer. Where does the parasite scan locate it at?
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Steve!
Well, it it says it's in the registry, then you have to open the registry editor and delete out the keys.
You may also want to go into "Control Panel" and remove it if it is listed under the "Add and Remove Programs" option. Check that first.
And as always keep your virus software up to date.
[This message was edited by Steve! on February 12, 2004 at 23:13.]
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An Apple a Day
Wayfer not: A couple of ideas come to mind why you are still getting hits on that bedbug.
Idea number one is that you still have the entries located in your system restore files. For obvious reasons the "system" took a snapshots of your files and folders just in case you needed to restore your computer to a earlier working point. The utility is probly seeing entries but will not/can not remove them.
First and formost I have a Url for you to look at. SpyHunter has been doing slimy business practices. Take a look at the BIG FAKE WARNING Enigma has been trying to cash in on Patrick M. Kolla's work. Trying to redirect searches to its own Web site.
The real spybot S&D
With that said get rid of the thing and get the real deal.
Run the Spybot s&d you got from the posted site and see if that takes care of it.
If this does not work, you need some other tools to get at them.
I have a few recomendations for helping you keep the bedbugs from getting on your computer in the first place. From legitimate sites and for no money.
Let me catch my breath and will make another post
The early bird gets the worm..the second mouse gets the cheese!
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Zixar
Today I'm experimenting with a proxy-type web filter, and so far I'm quite impressed. It goes beyond popup blocking to automatically squash ad banners and inline ads, too. It doesn't catch all of them, only about 95%, but that's a HUGE improvement.
I'll post more about it after I've found its quirks, but I'm enthusiastic about it.
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An Apple a Day
If your problem remains:
You may wish to navigate to the control panel, system properties,system restore tab.
Look for the check box labeled turn off system restore. check it and reboot. Run the spybot and see if it gets it. If so go and uncheck the box from the previous proceedure.
If your problem still remains:
still recheck the box. I dont want you out there with no restore point.
Where do these bedbugs get installed? Registry, system files, anywhere they can be executed.
How did you get them? You were at the wrong place at the right time. These will install without your knowledge, a drive by download so to speak. Bundled software usually include a surprise not unlike a box of CrackerJacks.
When it comes to software, "Free" usually means it comes with malware, scumware, spyware and such. Its how these folks get paid. Serve you a ad, market your personal info maybe you will buy.
Now there are free software downloads which are marvelous! Usually marked by having a Paypal or some means for donations to support the work.
How do I stop this from happening?
You can for the most part. The malware changes faster or as fast as the means to block it.
here is a Url to download GOOD free software to block it even before it downloads. Proactive vs reactive. If it doesnt get on you dont have to clean it off.
Javacool Software.
Look at spywareblaster and spywareguard. Small very effective programs updated frequently.
Lets hear some feed back on if you got rid of your bedbug.
The early bird gets the worm..the second mouse gets the cheese!
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WordWolf
Actually,
I've had VERY good results from downloading free software.
I prefer to go off recommendations from people who've used it.
I currently use AdAware and Spybot Search & Destroy to knock out
dataminers, registry keys, spyware, etc.
Spybot was recommended here at the GSC. I've had GREAT results with
both.
(I use both and keep them updated.)
If you're not using a Popup Blocker, I recommend using one.
I recommend using at least one spyware killer every day.
(I tend to use 3, but one isn't free. The third actually isn't
particularly impressive, either.)
If you're not using a firewall, you're insane and are just begging for
trouble. There are free reliable firewalls.
I also recommend using an antivirus program.
Yes, there are free reliable ones.
:)-->
In general, an ad offering you a free program is trouble, and the
program has bad stuff attached to it.
Everything I've enjoyed using, I had to find on my own.
The ones on the pay ads-popups and so on-are seeking to make their
money back SOMEHOW by giving your computer access to it-
usually, it is by making your computer accessible to THEM in some way.
I'm no expert, but that's what I've learned.
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WordWolf
Oh, and if you're using Windows,
make sure you're getting all the critical
security updates. Otherwise, your system has
a correctible flaw you're ignoring.
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Steve!
WayferNot - After some checking, and a link posted by Zixar, I found out that, yes, you DO have to go into the registry and delete some keys.
Go to this link:
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/search_google
and type in PeopleOnPage, and it lists a whole lot of entries about it.
Oh, I just saw that Hijack This! takes care of PeopleOnPage - you might try that first.
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igotout
As I said on another thread, I belive Spyware is becoming more crippling to computers than viruses. Wow! All this just from the small cirlce of people we know here. Imagine what is happening all across America.
I have found a way to eliminate Spyware completely and have also learned how to recognize those pieces of crap. They all ought to be sued. But it ain't happening.
Just use the two biggies, Spybot or AdAware. Run them regularly.
Scan for viruses regularly.
DO NOT respond to pop ups at all. Do not click on them to close them. Sometimes when you click the little x to close them it is a trick to install something on your computer. You might need to close the pop up some other way. (Not always, depends on the pop up). Use a blocker such as Google task bar.
DO NOT install anything from the internet that pops up and says you need it. (There are a few exceptions...very few.)
Go to start / run MSCONFIG and look at each and every individual item in there and find out what they are for. Each of these items are starting up every time you run your computer.
Go here: Startup list
Uncheck the ones that you absolutely do not need.
Get a free program called Spy Sites. Download it and install the thousands of known Spy websites directly into your restricted sites in your browser. This little program will do it for you. Also be sure to add their "worst offenders" list. Then you can not even go to a known spy site if you want to.
But I am sure those pieces of xhit companies will not give up. So you have to stay dilligent in doing some of these things. For example, Gator is changing its name to Claria now. Ha!
John R.
PS - Careful going into the registry. Do that as a last resort. May not be necessary.
PSs - Do not allow children to have access to the Internet. Only thing I know is to not allow it at all unless you are there with them. Want proof? Go into google and type in some things and see how easy it is for them to be exposed to stuff that could cause them harm. You might be shocked.
There are other solutions but it is a lengthy discussion.
[This message was edited by igotout on February 13, 2004 at 13:59.]
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alfakat
I am sure some will shout me down for this but QUIT using MikroKrap's Internet Explorer and move to Opera or Mozilla or Firebird/fox; all are free and all are light years ahead of IE in terms of features and the LACK of security holes, at least of the gross magnitude found in IE.
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igotout
I have no probs with IE but then again I kinda like MSFT as a company.
But other browsers / OS's may be better for sure. Less used, less prone. Good suggestion, alfakat.
But they are not perfect either from what I hear.
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alfakat
no, Igotout, not perfect--but being worked on constantly while IE is/has been at a standstill for a while now. Can you say no tabs, no popup blocking, etc.?? And unfortunately for IE users, because it is so ubiquitous, all the script kiddies and other useless klods write all their sheist to take advantage of IE's well-documented holes and ActiveX weak spots. I have NEVER had a problem of this nature with Mozilla, which is QUITE well developed these days compared to 2-3 years ago. I HIGHLY recommend trying Mozilla or Opera--they are light-years ahead of IE....
ps FREE FREE FREE--did I mention that????
:D-->
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An Apple a Day
Good call on the Hijackthis reference Steve. Yes this is one of the tools used to remove stubbon pieces of software, startup entries,ect. But it is a very powerful piece of software. It just shows you what processes and programs you have running on the machine. It does not how ever tell you what you should remove. It only removes what you tell it or check off. Wrongly used you can make your computer non-bootable and difficult to recover.
Dont try to use it to remove entries on your own the first time you use it.
To use the tool Hijackthis I would suggest you go toSWI
and take advantage of the experts help there. The creator of that program (Merijn) posts there as well.
They have extensive knowledge and a arsonal of tools to eradicate whatever bedbug is plaguing your computer. You dont have to register to post there. Its all free. I would recomend you read the FAQ's, and the before you post entries there to get the best results.
John R. Look at Javcools site I posted on earlier. One of his software offerings is Spywareblaster.
Javacool Software
SpywareBlaster sets Kill bits on specific ActiveX controls the malware folks try to place on your computer when you visit Web pages. This one of the major ways one gets infected. You get a popup with a yes/no box wanting you to download something (if you are lucky and have set your browser to prompt you). Yet this program it lets the friendly Activex features through so you can enjoy the content of the Website you are visiting.(games, video, music and so on)
I personally do not know what web page is going to have on it when I am surfing. The urls or hosts for these malware guys change often but the methods of infecting the machine not so often. After the fact scanning is important, but its a reactive measure and not a proactive one. I prefer a layered approach.
What is activeX?
ActiveX control is essentially a Windows program that can be distributed from a web page. These controls can do literally anything a Windows program can do.(read, write, execute, download, email, erase, find, search..)
SpywareGuard is another layer to the protection. A real time scanner. Does what your antivirus does for viruses, but is designed to watch for spyware.
I know its sounds a bit complicated, but once you have some of these installed, much of the work is being done for you behind the scenes and can act as "tripwires" so you can get on the with the business of enjoying the browsing of the internet.
People want to be able to use the computer for their benefit and not be its servant twisting its knobs and controls constantly.
Alfakat, You wont find me flaming you on the browser choice. There is so much going for the mozilla/firbird/fox, Micro$oft is going to copy some of its features. If I had the time and bandwidth to download it I would have it in a heartbeat. Tabbed browsing, built in cookie blockers, activex protections to name a few benefits of them.
Side note: spywareinfo.com, merjin.org, tomcoyote.org (major spyware battlers) have been targeted recently by DDos attacks (suspected culprit is one of the malware companies) and have had to block some major isp domains temporarily. So if you cant get into those sites right away thats the reason.
Other note: Sorry to come off sounding hard on you folks that spent good hard earned money on the spyhunter software.
But ripping off someone elses reputation and calling it your own should sound familiar to a lot of us. Emails and demands for money back should be in order. The trend is starting to form with the malware people is that if you cant beat them, fool em into thinking you are a spyware removal company too. Give you free software, target bogus "parasites" and scare you into buying the removal of these parasites with the "professional" versions.
spyware installing spyware
ok, now I need to go drink more coffee..
The early bird gets the worm..the second mouse gets the cheese!
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Sudo
Hey Alfakat,
Of those browsers you mentioned.. which one do you recommend? And aren't some of them that are free just 'demo' versions?
Zix,
What about it?? Ready to report back in??
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Zixar
It's called Proxomitron (www.proxomitron.info) and although the author isn't supporting it any more, there is a fan base keeping it alive.
It functions as a proxy server, sitting between your browser and the net. You set your browser to point to Proxomitron as your web proxy, then the browser sends all requests to Proxomitron instead of the net. Proxomitron makes the request, filtering out your personal info. The net sends back the web page, and Proxomitron runs through the text and strips out known banners and ads from the page, replacing them with a simple "Ad" place holder. It also blocks cookies, nosy JavaScripts, popups, pop-unders, flyovers, and browser hijackers.
You can allow certain sites like GSC to pass things through, like cookies, with a couple of mouse clicks.
There's a couple of setup steps, but it's not that difficult. Once running, it's pretty transparent. The only thing you'll notice is the lack of annoying intrusive ads. Worth a look.
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alfakat
Sudo--Mozilla, Opera and Firefox are all fully functioning, free software. Opera has a small ad-box that goes away if you pay and register but it is pretty ignorable. I like Opera and Mozilla--they have different feature sets and are both miles ahead of IE. If you are interested in a mail client with, get Mozilla. Firefox is a very small footprint version of Mozilla's cutting edge browser, not quite as many features but very fast. Try them all; you can always dump em if you don't like em. They all have facilities to import favorites and cookies from IE so you can be all set up to go with all your personal stuff.
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An Apple a Day
Proxomitron is reported to be an excellent tool. I have never heard any bad news by anyone who has used it. Usually terms of "awesome" and "great" are associated with it when asked about it around the antispy/software boards.
Was designed to deal with the popup ads and javascripting plaguing everyone at the time of its creation. It can deal with ActiveX with additional filters and rules manually put in.
I have not used it myself so I can not speak to its effectiveness having come up with other solutions.
As Zixar has pointed out the author has stopped supporting it. But the author Scott Lemmon is still is around the support forums.
computercops
The only thing from what I read from reviews and testimonials about it is that it can be confusing to configure for novice users. If you are willing to learn a new piece of software and its controls it is a good way to go as well.
The early bird gets the worm..the second mouse gets the cheese!
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igotout
Thanks, Apple a day,
That (SpywareBlaster) sounds like an excellent program. I downloaded it and will try it out this weekend.
But with the few measures I have already taken (installing thousands of know spyware sites into my restricted sites) I never seem to ever get any spyware anymore. But I am always open to new ideas.
Microsoft..... yeah, next version will have tabbed browsing and other enhancements, already been announced. And of course it was their own original ideas ...ha! (not)
Question:
What can a company do that has almost $60 billion in cash aside from being one of the worlds largest companies?
Answer:
Anything they want to do. Ha!
John R.
PS - Speaking of mail clients, Microsofts Outlook 2003 is getting rave reviews. I just switched from using OE Express (which is no longer being supported) to the full blown Outlook and so far I am impressed. Last time I tried Outlook was 97 and it sucked. Now it is much better.
But I am also using an add on called Spam Bayes that is an awesome spam blocking tool that only works with Outlook not OE Express. I think this free add on uses that learning Bayesian (sp) technology that Zixar was talking about a few months back. Awesome!
Damn spam!
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Flay Minion
Really ~ Using Opera or Mozilla will solve most of your problems that arise from surfing to malicious sites. There are new problems that Internet Explorer has that are potentially devastating if you fall for some new tricks that Mozilla and Opera are impervious to.
Watch out for things like Crazybrowser and Slimbrowser and Avant Browser ~ they have nice added features to mimic the things Mozilla and Opera do but they are just IE additions. They do improve IE for the times you can't live without it and are recommended but they are NOT different browsers.
Internet Explorer is just dead ~ there are too many thieves and scum working on ways to use it to screw you to make it even remotely safe. Use it for broken sites but make Mozilla or Opera your default. After you use it for a few days you will wonder why you ever used IE. And I am a MSFT fan as well ~ there's just no hope for IE as it now stands. Maybe the version with Longhorn will be different.
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
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Flay Minion
My new icon is the Mozilla Firefox icon, BTW. So you know where I stand. I know a lot of techies who swear by Opera as well and it is friendlier to the non techy. Mozilla.org is the place to get it ~ I think Opera.com is where Opera is but Download.com has it if that's wrong. Mozilla has a mail client called Thunderbird that is similar to OE. It is very nice but if you use hotmail you have to use hotmail popper or something similar and configure it.
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
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pawtucket
I have tried Opera and it was better than IE. I currently am using Camino on my mac and have Mozilla and Firebird in testing.
Mozilla.org is doing a lot of things that IE is not doing or even attempting to do. There is some conjecture that Microsoft may drop out of the Browser wars in the near future. Get ready
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LG
I started using Firefox yesterday. So far, I'm very favorably impressed. The tabbed browsing is nice, and the popup blocking is great. I had to install a couple of plugins that either come with IE or are automatically installed by it, but that was no big deal at all.
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Zixar
I just downloaded it, and I must say, I like Firefox a lot. I like the Extensions like Adblock, NukeAnything (the best! Don't like something annoying on a page? Right-click and remove! Poof! GONE.) and IEView(for those pages that insist on IE).
Unless something goes horribly wrong, I may just switch permanently.
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alfakat
Zix--I would be very surprised if anything went wrong. 3-4 years ago Mozilla, and what was then called Phoenix, were still a bit problematic but once Mozilla reached 1.0, it has been smooth as buttah...Phoenix, nee Firebird, now Firefox has been good since the same time. There has been a real groundswell of support, somewhat paralleling the growing interest in desktop Linux, in the last 18-24 months. Reading their roadmap stuff is pretty interesting, at least for us geeks and semi-geeks...
:D-->
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