adware program out there?

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10-12-2004, 12:33 AM
nightowl

What's the best spyware/virus/adware program out there?

Just list them on which one you think is best. Lately I've been hearing these "clicking" noises on my computer that sounds like when you click on like IE for example and it for a brief moment that hourglass appears beside the mouse which indicates that something is loading but nothing happens. It would keep doing this and sometimes nothing would happen while other times a pop-up would come up. Anyway I know my computer is filled adware, spyware, trojans, and possibly viruses despite my efforts with Spybot, ad-ware, and AVG and I was wondering if there was anything else out there. Even if it's not free, just list it anway(i have no intentions of paying for it ;))

*sigh* thanks guys
10-12-2004, 01:51 AM
Umbrasquall

"Format C" is a good one I hear. :P

But really, if you have XP just use Windows Restore everytime you get an ad problem. Solves it really quick.

Other then that, I'd use adaware, norton, and if this is a consistent problem get a firewall. ZoneAlarm is annoying but free.
10-12-2004, 02:04 AM
nightowl

thanks, i'll check it out

Quote:

if you have XP just use Windows Restore everytime you get an ad problem. Solves it really quick. [/b]

Are there any consequences though? for example will anything i installed or downloaded get erased as well? If i did do this though I would have to go back many many months. Possibly more than a year back.
10-12-2004, 02:07 AM
Umbrasquall

No you won't lose anything. It just changes the system files etc. But if it's that far back restore probably won't work.
10-12-2004, 02:37 AM
jacobo

my friend had one that would only let him on his computer for a minute then it would shut down... it was funny.
10-12-2004, 04:58 AM
Umbrasquall

Quote:

Originally posted by adidas
my friend had one that would only let him on his computer for a minute then it would shut down... it was funny.

I had that once too. It happened to a lot of people who had XP.
10-12-2004, 06:20 PM
Demerzel

heh.
blaster.
my friend had that. then my school had it. it was funny.
10-12-2004, 06:29 PM
CT

adaware is good for spyware:
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html
TrendMicro Housecall, very good online virus checker:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/.../start_corp.asp
Symantec test:
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default...id=ie&venid=sym
good FREE alternatives to norton antivirus or similair paid program:
Avast! : http://www.avast.com
AVG : http://www.grisoft.com/
10-12-2004, 07:00 PM
Alric

I knew someone who had that virus. They thought their computer was just junk but I happened to use it one day and I was like "It shouldn't be doing that", so I fixed it.

Thats the one thing that really makes me mad about viruses and stuff. Some stupid jerk thinks it funny to mess up someones computer who may not even know how it works. They spend $2,000 on a computer use it for a week then its totally worthless and they don't even know whats wrong let alone how to fix it. Real funny to try and make people cry.
10-12-2004, 07:16 PM
Kaniaz

"shutdown -a" stopped the super hi tech advanced blaster in it's tracks.
10-12-2004, 08:17 PM
nightowl

thanks guys. Ill go research/acquire those programs. BTW, i found out the name of the trojan virus that's been vandalizing my computer. It's called "BackDoor.Afcore.2.G" if anyone was curious
10-13-2004, 12:23 AM
Awaken

Norton is garbage. It's huge and it eats your system resources. BitDefender is a much better choice.
10-13-2004, 12:36 AM
Aphius

I just use Ad-Aware, it works pretty good for me. :)
There isn't anything better is there? :huh2:
10-13-2004, 01:17 AM
Awaken

WebRoot Spy Sweeper is pretty good I hear.
10-13-2004, 01:31 AM
CT

Use firefox and you wont really need to use any kind of spycheck.... and its faster then IE, and its got tabs, skins and extensions.

http://www.spreadfirefox.com/communi.../88x31/get.gif
10-13-2004, 02:27 AM
CarbonCopy

Quote:

Originally posted by CT
Use firefox and you wont really need to use any kind of spycheck.... and its faster then IE, and its got tabs, skins and extensions.

http://www.spreadfirefox.com/communi.../88x31/get.gif

There's the info that you need kids, stop the problem before it starts. Since I started using Firefox and Mozilla exclusively I've had zero spyware/adware, not to mention it's faster and more efficient.
10-13-2004, 02:44 AM
CT

definately!
10-13-2004, 02:46 AM
nightowl

Quote:

Originally posted by CT
Use firefox and you wont really need to use any kind of spycheck.... and its faster then IE, and its got tabs, skins and extensions.

http://www.spreadfirefox.com/communi.../88x31/get.gif

I've had it for a couple months now. it's not that Im getting viruses from using that. I WAS getting virusus when i was using IE and aparrently I still get the occasional spyware and random pop-ups(which popup even when i dont have a web browser is opened, which suggests a trojan/virus). Im going to try to get rid of the trojan with the programs you guys suggested since AVG is incapable of getting rid of it. I keep getting this f*!#*ing notice that does NOT go away saying it's unable to get rid of it or put it in the virus vault or some crap like that(from the AVG program). I have to press it at least 12 times(in a row) to have it finally go away :roll:

ugh...
10-13-2004, 07:36 AM
Alric

I have firefox and only use that but I still keep getting spyware which spams popups in ie. Which is weird since I disabled ie and I can't even use it. I want to uninstall ie but I am not even sure if I can because they make it such a pain.
10-13-2004, 08:12 AM
TheUnknown

best choice, ditch windows completly and get Linux. Not only is it almost 100% immune to viruses, spyware, and adware, its completly free. There are many different distributions to choose from, for many different tastes.

I personally use gentoo http://www.gentoo.org. Its a slim and optimized distro, that runs MUCH faster then windows could ever hope to. The install is a little hard though, so I do not recommend you touch it if you can't read docs well or have never touched linux at all. It takes a few days to install because you need to compile everything.. but its UBER-fast, and once you have it, its extremly easy to install stuff.. (to get firefox, type emerge firefox, if you don't wanna compile it, type emerge firefox-bin for the precompiled, thats it)

Another good distro, especially to start out on is, Fedora http://fedora.redhat.com . This has an extremly easy install, but the cds are a rather long download, and it comes jam-packed with software you probably will never use (you can drop it out though).

I hear alot of good stuff about SUSE linux also http://www.suse.com. Its supposed to be an easy install with all the software you need. Its about the same type of idea as Fedora, never used it though.

Debian http://www.debian.org is one of the most popular distros, its like Fedora and SUSE, but for more of an elite user, you can find the most software choices on this and you can customize it more (not as much as gentoo though).

A new distro that is a package-based distro like all the others i listed except for gentoo is Arch Linux http://archlinux.org/. I really like this one because its install system is like gentoo's, but you don't need to compile everything.

All of the above are free, do not contain spyware, and can do pretty much anything windows can, better. The only negative is most directx games you won't get on linux, because directx is microsoft.. but opengl games like doom3, and enemy-territory you can get to run better on linux then windows.

Don't wanna make this sound like a troll, but I'm sure some of you might be interested, and might wanna take a peek at how Linux can be better then Windows in many aspects.
10-13-2004, 08:14 AM
TheUnknown

btw, i forgot to mention (although i hinted at it), I use firefox on both my windows and my linux harddrives, you would be insane to use IE after you've looked at some of microsofts security announcements..
10-13-2004, 11:22 AM
Aphius

Quote:

Originally posted by CT
Use firefox and you wont really need to use any kind of spycheck.... and its faster then IE, and its got tabs, skins and extensions.

http://www.spreadfirefox.com/communi.../88x31/get.gif

How come you're plugging FireFox all of a sudden? It's in your sig, and your saying "Firefox is r0xx0rz"

:|

Oh, another Linux thing you can get is "Lin-Spire" DeviantArt plugs it a lot. It apparently like windows but... not. :?
10-13-2004, 02:52 PM
CT

Quote:

Originally posted by Aphius+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aphius)</div>

Quote:

<!--QuoteBegin-CT

Quote:

Use firefox and you wont really need to use any kind of spycheck.... and its faster then IE, and its got tabs, skins and extensions.

http://www.spreadfirefox.com/communi.../88x31/get.gif

How come you're plugging FireFox all of a sudden? It's in your sig, and your saying \"Firefox is r0xx0rz\"

:|

Oh, another Linux thing you can get is \"Lin-Spire\" DeviantArt plugs it a lot. It apparently like windows but... not. :?[/b]

I'm getting paid.
Nah j/k, why shoulndt I plug Firefox??? I have been using it for a couple of months now, and I really love it. Besides, this thread is about spyware and trojans caused by browsing the web, and really firefox is pretty much immune to that, and if there's any exploit found in firefox (none as of yet... while IE has got tons) it will be fixed in no time (as opposed to a year or two for IE).

I just wanna spread the joy! Seriously, I wanna share the awesomenes that is firefox!
10-13-2004, 02:57 PM
Identity X

If you can solve the symptoms, stop the cause. Namly Microsoft Intenet Explorer. Use Mozilla Firefox. How I deal with such things is Spybot, AVG, the built-in Windows XP software firewall, and, most importantly, a dial up connection! 56K rules! Broadband effectively invites crackers towards your computer. Having a wire that you can yank out of the phone socket is the most effective way to stop them.

As for CT plugging Firefox, I say well done man.
10-13-2004, 04:19 PM
Umbrasquall

Quote:

Originally posted by Identity X
Having a wire that you can yank out of the phone socket is the most effective way to stop them.

Same with broadband too ya know. :roll:
10-13-2004, 04:56 PM
Kaniaz

Windows is a perfectly fine operating system in many aspects; Linux is a headache to get working.
10-14-2004, 05:52 AM
TheUnknown

Quote:

Originally posted by Aphius
Oh, another Linux thing you can get is \"Lin-Spire\" DeviantArt plugs it a lot. It apparently like windows but... not. :?

Linspire and Lindows are nasty, whenever an OS copies another OS, bad things usually happen, unless they are copying UNIX. Another thing is both those windowsish-linux OS's are not free, and they make you pay for many core pieces.

Quote:

Originally posted by Kaniaz
Windows is a perfectly fine operating system in many aspects; Linux is a headache to get working.

An extremely ignorant response. Yes, in many cases windows is fine in many aspects, and for a person who doesn't mind dropping money on things that become infected with viruses and spyware, its fine, and its.. how can I say this..... (dumbafied?) up enough that a 3-year old can install it. They had to make the install good, because after a year or two the registry fills up, spyware grows in, and it runs like crap, which means another reinstall.

Now, that was a little harsh, i'll hit the high point of windows as being the fact that it has a few shareware programs linux does not like Macromedia Studio, Adobe Photoshop, and Microsoft Office. This goes without saying that linux can emulate all these with a little work, and in the case of Photoshop and Office, there is TheGimp and OpenOffice (respectivly) to replace them, both of which are well put together, and get this, FREE!

In regards to your final remark, Kaniaz. Linux is only a headache to people who have chosen the wrong distro for their needs, or who were not competant enough to read the directions (I'd say I help at least 3-4 people through the gentoo install every week because they didn't read the wonderfully written docs on http://www.gentoo.org. I do not recommend gentoo however, as it is more of a distro for someone who is serious about spending some time to have the fastest running machine possible. I believe however, the Fedora install is just as easy as the windows install (you can even buy the cd's for much less then windows and have it shipped to you in a box with instructions) , I'd say it will take someone a month to get used to the linux feel, and maybe 2 months to discover the true power.

Final thing I'll make note of, is because of the fac that 98% of the software on linux is open-source, things get fixed really fast, also the userbase has a good community through mailing lists, forums, and IRC, so support is really easy to find should you ever have a problem.
10-14-2004, 10:02 AM
Identity X

Quote:

Originally posted by Squall+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Squall)</div>

Quote:

<!--QuoteBegin-Identity X

Quote:

Having a wire that you can yank out of the phone socket is the most effective way to stop them.

Same with broadband too ya know. :roll:[/b]

Sorry for my ignorance. But with 56K you generally spend less time on the internet and are only on the net when you really need to be, since you pay each minute, so I suppose it does offer some sort of protection in that way.
10-14-2004, 02:18 PM
CarbonCopy

Quote:

Originally posted by Identity X
As for CT plugging Firefox, I say well done man.

Indeed, there's nothing wrong with spreading the love.
10-15-2004, 02:30 AM
nightowl

omg...guys..i lost everything ;_;

Something happened(computer was utterly f*!#%, It would not go to the main screen and was in a continous and neverending cycle of "trying" to load the main screen). I had to reformat my computer or something like it and I lost everything.

So..well i guess my virus problems are solved :cry: . I made an out dated copy of my folder/documents but I cant seem to find it. i...think im going to cry in my little corner now.

thanks though guys for the advice...to prevent any more viruses...im going to get some of those stuff....
10-15-2004, 02:49 AM
CT

Wait, if you want to recover files there's tools for that!!!!!! Even though its formatted, you can still recover them.
Google for 'File Scavenger" and use that program, you can recover any file if you still know its filename, you can then search your harddisk for that file if they are important documents.

anyway i suppose its best to read some articles on the subject of recovering files from a formatted disk (which is perfectly possible) so you know how it works and whats goin on a bit more, since i suck at explaining.
10-15-2004, 02:54 AM
nightowl

thanks, you have given me hope

ill look into it
10-15-2004, 03:34 AM
Umbrasquall

You can do that?!? I didn't know! Wait... how does that work if it's been deleted? Hmm...

Man nightowl that sucks. :(

Remember to use Window's Restore early next time.
10-16-2004, 02:33 AM
MSG

Quote:

Originally posted by Squall
You can do that?!? I didn't know! Wait... how does that work if it's been deleted? Hmm...

Man nightowl that sucks. :(

Remember to use Window's Restore early next time.

When you delete something on the harddrive, it does not delete fully. It is just put into overwritable format, which can be easily recovered, even though most operating systems purposely hide overwritable data so people do not get confused. Programs like filescavenger unhide these files and can save them back to writable format