Firefox Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Recently I have been plagued by a pop-up that opens full screen obscuring desktop, tool bars, task bar ie everything, and also disables right button clicks on the page. It is entitled "search the web" and contains 100's of text links to various supposedly useful resources, gambling, finance, and others. If you get this screen don't click on any links. They only give money to the people who run this disruptive type pop up. I don't mind a few small easily closed down pop ups which help finance web pages, but this kind is annoying because it can catch people who don't know how to clear it. The way to get rid of it is to press ctrl alt delete together to bring up the task list, and then select "search the web - IE explorer" and then "end task". Does anyone know of where this particular pop up comes from? I suspect it may be Hotmail or even a trojan on my machine, though I have scanned with AVG specifically for the this type of ad downloader and come up with negative.
hoverfly Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 If you are using cookies wipe them all out when you are having problems with pop ups. I think there is some kind of advertising spy wear "bait I would call it" among some cookie information. Some of these cookies called are "Double click" "Sextracker" and "Gator" seam to attract those pop ups the most when you visit cretin sights. So I just dump the cookies, pop ups go away, and I don't visit that web sight again. Hello, my name is Hoverfly. I’m a high heel addict…. Weeeeeeeeeee! 👠1998 to 2022!
Firefox Posted October 28, 2003 Author Posted October 28, 2003 Excellent tip, I'll clear them as well now I think, but I don't usually do that unless really plagued by something.
hoverfly Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Just remember your pass words!!! Hello, my name is Hoverfly. I’m a high heel addict…. Weeeeeeeeeee! 👠1998 to 2022!
Tom-NL Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Or just simply disable javascript in your "browser" ...
Ionic Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 I installed a freebie cookie/pop up manager quite a long time ago and this relieved a lot of the nuissance pop ups espcecially those total screen takeover ones. Cookies are either manually set to accept / reject (eg accepted on this web site) or otherwise 'session only' cookies so the web site functions but the cookie is wiped when you shut down. Pop-up blocker can be switched on/off Link referrals blocker is switched on (sorry Firefox if this stops the click through income micro-payments here) Also I have lots of site or image file blockers on lots of adservers. This speeds up of lot of ad-riddled pages. I don't seem to be able to stop ads done in Flash (without getting rid of Flash). The program is a bit ancient now and needs quite a bit of training - CookieCopII - but works fine with browser/Zone Alarm firewall/AVG as other defenses. All I need to do is do lots of version updating now of all those security thingies!!! /I /I
TallSwede Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Also have a look at WebWasher at www.webwasher.com It is a *very* versatile tool free for non-commercial use, originally developed by the computer guys at Siemens AG and later spun off as a separate company. AdAware at www.lavasoft.de (IIRC) and/or www.lafasoft.com will search and destroy adware and spyware on your PC. This is also freeware for personal use. A personal firewall is also quite important. (Free) Zonealarm at www.zonelabs.com is very good (if not the best of all), but it requires you to hunt through a number of pages offering Zonealarm Pro which also is equally good but costs money. Happy surfing! TallSwede
Himark Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 You may have one or more bits of advertising-sponsored software on your machine. Some of the ad bots can be quite obnoxious. You could try downloading and installing a program such as AdAware, or Spybot Search and Destroy. It will search out and remove most ad bots. Unfortunately, it will also remove some software programs that you may find useful, e.g.- KAZAA, which are sponsored by pop-up ads.
jo Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Same advice as before. Get AdAware and clean your machine of junk. Next, download a modern standards compliant browser such as Mozilla which has inbuilt managers for cookies, images, downloads, popups, forms, banner ads, passwords, and so on. You'll never go back to IE after you have tried it!
BobHH Posted October 29, 2003 Posted October 29, 2003 That web search takeover usually installs itself in a directory. Spybot will take care of it, or you can go to My Computer, Control Panel and remove it under Install/Remove Programs.
Firefox Posted November 18, 2003 Author Posted November 18, 2003 I have a Question for the really technically minded. While visiting a hacker site to get something, some alteration was made to my browser. Now instead of getting a 404 error, I am redirected to "internet optimizer.com" which is a website full of all those pay links to casinos and credit applications. It also kindly tells me my link couldn't be found, but I don't like getting redirected to where I didn't ask to go. Anyone know how to get rid of this feature? Postscript: I answered my own Question http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/InternetOptimizer.html For those interested.
WarrenB Posted November 20, 2003 Posted November 20, 2003 Can't they just leave us alone? Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, I'm from the Earth.Now wearing HH Penny Loafers full time.
Firefox Posted November 22, 2003 Author Posted November 22, 2003 It seems not. Anyway, I have successfully solved my adware and spyware problems now. http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/ Gives a free check and some good instructions for removal http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm Enables you to check the meaning of what programs are running on your system at startup Use of start...run msconfig.exe and regedit.exe will enable you to remove unwanted applications (Check what they do at pacs portal first! Don't edit the registry unless you are sure you know what you are doing or windoze might not work) Finally http://www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml Is a good resource which enables you be alerted if applications try to alter the start up programs.
shyguy Posted November 22, 2003 Posted November 22, 2003 Thanks Firefox, some useful links for all of us there, and also a warning about staying away from the murkier areas of the web If you're using Hacker sites, stay safe and use some firewall protection too, this can also stop some popups, and some of the adware/spyware phoning home to report back. http://www.zonelabs.com offers their firewall (zonealarm) in a free version. And Antivirus software, if you don't have any, is free at http://www.grisoft.com for AVG antivirus, and includes free regular updates and works very well. He was so narrow minded he could see through a keyhole with both eyes. Brown's Law: If the shoe fits, it's ugly
Firefox Posted November 22, 2003 Author Posted November 22, 2003 Good advice Shyguy. I have AVG and it is very good. I'm not running a firewall but may have to consider it at some stage. If you don't want to run a firewall then a good tip to stop adware/spyware installing itself automatically on your machine is to go to Tools...internet options...security on the browser menu and make sure that you check prompt before activeX components are allowed to run on your machine for the internet zone. Running activeX automatically (which is a microsoft default setting on IE) is a primary route to how these crooks get their crap onto your set up. If you visit the wrong web page (even a quite innocent one) you will have rubbish installed on your machine "as you browse" if you allow the use if activeX without prompt. Someone in another thread was saying how they trusted the default microsoft security setttings. Think again.
bladerunner Posted December 3, 2003 Posted December 3, 2003 I'd recommend zonealarm as well.Had no problems with it at all,whereas norton's fire wall was a complete pain. I just love those suede heels!!!!!
PJ Posted December 3, 2003 Posted December 3, 2003 I just experienced a very annoying problem. Somehow, my internet brower's home page got changed. The culprit was the web site FASTSEARCH.CC, and it appears to be a legitimate commercial site. First I tried using SpyBot. But that helped only for a very short time before it reappeared. I then tried using Internet Options under the Tools menu. But once again, the cure was only temporary. Then I tried REGEDIT to edit manually edit my registry. This also was successfull for only a short time before the problem returned. As a last resort, I ended up reformatting my hard disk and re-installing all the software. That seems to have cleared it once and for all. As a result, I will never use FASTSEARCH. click .... click .... click .... The sensual sound of stiletto heels on a hard surface.
Firefox Posted December 3, 2003 Author Posted December 3, 2003 There are other less drastic ways of getting rid of adware. You can generally do it using msconfig, regedit, an ctrl-alt-del to see what progs are running. It is difficult though. In your case, it might have been auto-repairing when you connected; even though you had got rid of some components, you didn't zap the updater.
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