Just one good reason to Hate Windows and PCs in general!!

[Darth_X]

I also like to use Norton Systemsworks clean sweep "smart sweep" when installing software.. it helps when you want to uninstall software that you install on windows but don't like. Its not perfect, but its does the job most of the time.

I hope Norton adds spyware removal tools...


(Maybe the people who write virus-scanning software and hard drive system tools should get together and put together a commercial product suite like Norton Systemworks. I'd buy it.   Good idea?)

[Quixote]

Alkemyst advised:

NO way am i installing windows.

Check this out.
 
http://www.hevanet.com/peace/microsoft.htm

;-) After reading the link provided by Alkemyst, I downloaded and installed Mozilla and am using it now.  So far, it works just fine.

:-? (Although the radio buttons look a little weird...)

[The_Editor]

I run Pest Patrol.
Here's the latest scan report that I've just run....


Date: Feb-09-2003 12:28:26
User Name: Paull ****** Hovell


Volume Name: System
File System Name: NTFS
Volume Serial No: 6836*****
Windows Version: Microsoft Windows 2000 5.0.2195 Service Pack 2
System Root: C:\WINNT
Windows Registered Owner: Paull ****** Hovell
PestPatrol Version: Mar-1-2002
PestPatrol.DAT Version: Apr-12-2002
Scanning for: 33,235 pests in 9,066 families.

Auto Check for Spyware and Active Pests: Checked files in or referenced by 23 auto start areas of the registry, ini files, batch files, and directories, and checked for active spyware.

Registry Entries Checked: 178
Startup Files Scanned: 14
Startup Bytes Scanned: 1,594,067
Elapsed Time: 0.06 seconds

File Areas Selected for Scanning:
  -
  - C:\
  - C:\Documents and Settings\Paull ****** Hovell\Desktop


Pest Found: CoreMetrics Spyware
Found In File: C:\Documents and Settings\Paull ****** Hovell\Cookies\paull ****** hovell@data.coremetrics[2].txt
PVT: -1319254059
MD5: a102554fc0a1c1d509e6e0bf75094c9a
Threat: This file appears to be a cookie, and might compromise your privacy when you invoke your browser.
Action: paull ****** hovell@data.coremetrics[2].txt deleted at user request.


Pest Found: DoubleClick Spyware
Found In File: C:\Documents and Settings\Paull ****** Hovell\Cookies\paull ****** hovell@doubleclick[1].txt
PVT: 1765853651
MD5: 6f673dee877df011e899fd5b460ea7f5
Threat: This file appears to be a cookie, and might compromise your privacy when you invoke your browser.
Action: paull ****** hovell@doubleclick[1].txt deleted at user request.


Pest Found: Engage Spyware
Found In File: C:\Documents and Settings\Paull ****** Hovell\Cookies\paull ****** hovell@engage.everyone[1].txt
PVT: -871291242
MD5: 36bf5597225bb4ace3ef2232329c499a
Threat: This file appears to be a cookie, and might compromise your privacy when you invoke your browser.
Action: paull ****** hovell@engage.everyone[1].txt deleted at user request.


Pest Found: WebTrends Spyware
Found In File: C:\Documents and Settings\Paull ****** Hovell\Cookies\paull ****** hovell@statse.webtrendslive[1].txt
PVT: -1141766515
MD5: 4bc4a7f586bb485ec5f79394d6ad1472
Threat: This file appears to be a cookie, and might compromise your privacy when you invoke your browser.
Action: paull ****** hovell@statse.webtrendslive[1].txt deleted at user request.


Pest Found: ValueClick Spyware
Found In File: C:\Documents and Settings\Paull ****** Hovell\Cookies\paull ****** hovell@valueclick[1].txt
PVT: 681580327
MD5: 41179ad158ea991436958641485db5e8
Threat: This file appears to be a cookie, and might compromise your privacy when you invoke your browser.
Action: paull ****** hovell@valueclick[1].txt deleted at user request.


Summary:
Files in Selected Area: 54,428
Files Scanned within Archives: 535
Total Files Scanned: 30,094
Bytes Scanned: 4,294,967,275
Elapsed Time: 354.41 seconds
Pests This Scan: 5
Scanned 30,094 files and 4,294,967,275 bytes at a rate of 121,186 bytes per second using Patent-Pending DeepSearch Technology.

@ Paul Gadd....  I.E 6 tools..  Net2Phone?    WTF is that ??

[mikeymike]

http://www.hevanet.com/peace/microsoft.htm

While I agree with some of what the article has to say, there is a lot of FUD in it.  The problem is with an article like this is that the content is so dependent on the writer's opinion of what is considered acceptable behaviour.

At the end of the day, if I were to write a similiar article, it would be very short:

"Microsoft is interested in providing functionality over security.  If you value your privacy on your computer as much as most people do over anything that goes on in their home, then you have to seriously consider your choice to use MS software, and if you choose to use MS software, you have to keep on top of the latest security news on it, and read EULAs very carefully.  Microsoft are interested in their increased income, not your privacy."

Having said that, the number of companies that want to do 'the right thing' when a potential conflict of interest between that and their income comes into view, are becoming few and far between.

[kostas]

- Get rid of Kazaa. You can use without any problem Kazza Lite.
- Run Ad-Aware once a day. You will see that after Ad--Aware you will not be able to run Kazaa because it's missing some components!
- Don't use M$ programs. For example, use Mozilla for browsing, IRC & e-mails and Winamp for music and videos (or ashampoo).
- If anyone can't find kazaaLite (it's veeeery good), I can send it to him. I couldn't find it at Kazaa and I found it at WinMX!



 

[alx]

For example, use Mozilla for browsing

I've got a bit of a horror story about IE5.  It was running on Win ME, and I'd noticed that the hard drive was very full, and that there was something huge in the Windows directory.  I eventually traced it to Temporary Internet Files, but after "clearing" it, the directory was "empty", but still tool up loads of space.

Eventually, I found an article about how M$ can make files really hidden (not just hidden).  I had to go to a DOS prompt and follow through some really complex instructions to wipe of a huge amount of stuff that had been left on.  There was also a text file, containing every web page i'd ever been on.

That's why I don't use IE!

screw XP anyway...sure its better then 98...but 2K is just as stable if not more...and dosent have all the BS..

[The_Editor]

Agrees with Mips !!

[Alkemyst]

screw XP anyway...sure its better then 98...but 2K is just as stable if not more...and dosent have all the BS.

True

[amigamad]

thanks to google newsgroups i now have adaware 6 pro its much better than previous versions . :-)

[amigamad]

i also sugest you try opera 7  web browser download free version it is less trouble than ieand 7 i have no problem with sites not yet anyway

[amigamad]

thanks to google newsgroups i now have adaware 6 pro its much better than previous versions . :-)

[vortexau]

"Do not attempt to adjust your WindowsXP PC.
We will control all that you see and hear.
We repeat- there is nothing wrong with your WindowsXP PC ....."

Inner voice
:-?

[Vincent]

@alx

I had to do the same when I was running Win98, now that I've installed Win2K, I'll have to do it again.  Even though we don't use IE, it's a good idea to make these drawers visible so you can keep an eye on them.

We've got 2 accounts so, it's not quite as easy as it says here (we've to look in the seperate accounts in the "documents and settings" aswell).

Since discovering that article, I've used K-Meleon, Mozilla and Netscape.  I'll never use IE again.

[Quixote]

alx announced:

...Eventually, I found an article about how M$ can make files really hidden (not just hidden).  I had to go to a DOS prompt and follow through some really complex instructions to wipe of a huge amount of stuff that had been left on.  There was also a text file, containing every web page i'd ever been on.

:-? I've noticed that with Windows NT, the VNC server will allow my  A4000 to see files on the PC that are hidden even from the PCs Administrator login.

;-) Correction: it' not VNC that allows this, it's Samba.

[The_Editor]

The Outer Limits...

So Kewl !!