Can people recommend one removal program over others? Reasons too please.
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Can people recommend one removal program over others? Reasons too please.
Lavasoft Ad-Aware
Spybot Search and Destroy
Use BOTH of them, and you get almost everything. They are free.
I hear the Windows one helps also, but I think you have to register their stupid "Genuine Advantage" program, which means they track you, so fuck that.
If you mean the pest known as the "Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool", I would not trust it further than I can throw it. It has been rumoured to delete more than just adware/spyware - Microsoft can code it to delete any file that they don't want you to have. And technically, according to the XP SP2 EULA, they're allowed to do so.Quote:
Originally posted by Aristotle
I hear the Windows one helps also, but I think you have to register their stupid "Genuine Advantage" program, which means they track you, so fuck that.
When I'm setting up a computer with a fresh XP install (after completely wiping the hard disk, so there cannot possibly be any malware left), I'll get all the available updates - EXCEPT Windows GPA and Windows Malicious Software. Not that that's going to protect anyone; Automatic Updates will probably pick up both, if the buyer has a broadband connection of any sort.
Just as a matter of interest, I wonder if there is ANYONE in the whole world who actually thinks that it benefits the end user to have a "genuine" copy of Windows...Quote:
Originally posted by Aristotle
I hear the Windows one helps also, but I think you have to register their stupid "Genuine Advantage" program, which means they track you, so fuck that.
Never heard of the word. What does "genuine" mean?
I thought using two spyware programs created a problem, with one seeing the other as a breach or problem.Quote:
Use BOTH of them, and you get almost everything. They are free.
Never had that. And I use both Ad-aware and SpyBot S&D.Quote:
Originally posted by kestra
I thought using two spyware programs created a problem, with one seeing the other as a breach or problem.
As do I.
well I just saved myself $50. Tried both, and found a good chunk of stuff.
Thanks fellas!!
You can use multiple anti-spyware progs, but you can't use multiple anti-viri progs at the same time. They'll hose each other or hose each other and your OS.
OK. Here's how it happens.Quote:
Originally posted by Brannick
Never heard of the word. What does "genuine" mean?
If you install Windows from a standard Microsoft CD, it'll ask you at some point to type in a 25-digit product key. And with XP, once you have it installed, you also have to activate it, usually by ringing them up and begging for a 42-digit activation code to type in.
Suppose you manage a 100-computer network in a big company. You don't want to do that work for every single computer. So you buy a site licence from Microsoft, and get a corporate CD made that has your key embedded into it. Then when you install, it doesn't ask for either the product key OR activation. Great!
Then one of your employees "borrows" a Windows CD to take home. He installs XP on his home computer. That's piracy, and Microsoft doesn't like it - but there's not a lot they can do about it (if they make it too hard, big companies just won't buy Windows, and that hurts).
Some of these stolen keys get shared around a lot of people, though. When a million people are all using the same pirated key, MS do something about it: They block the key from automatic activation, and stick it into their WGA list of bad keys. Voila! Anyone who uses that pirated copy now can't use it any more!
So what about the legit users? Tough luck for them, isn't it?
Hence WGA's pestitude.
Well. I'm sure Microsoft is laughing their ases off, pointing fingers and snorting "Sucks to be you!"
Yeah, they help. A lot. Though even they cannot take care of ALL the shit in one's computer. If after those two, you still have some problems or if you just have a big problem with some spyware/malware and it's still there - try some of the web-forums where people specialize in helping with this kind of situations. From my experiences I can recommend Wilder's Security Forums. Those guys helped me twice in some really nasty situations.Quote:
Originally posted by kestra
well I just saved myself $50. Tried both, and found a good chunk of stuff.
Thanks fellas!!
Well if it's real bad you can format your drive. I'm rather partial to it now. But since I use my computer strictly for entertainment (and the occasional essay), it's an easy choice for me to make. I save very little, too.
But, your computer is shiny and new afterwards! I mention this because I just so happened to get a virus on my disc that I couldn't get off for the life of me. It's my understanding some viruses can actually hide and may have segments scattered about- making roundup even harder. I believe it was something called backdoor.hackdefender, I don't remember.
I would love to see capital punishment for people that code viruses.
Oh- this thread was for spyware. Sorry.
http://www.download.com/HijackThis/3...ml?tag=lst-0-1
This is another freebie. it's not quite as user-friendly as the other two aformentioned programs, but it works for some of the pesky infections that AdAware and SpyBot can't get rid of.
*Disclaimer: You should use this program only if you are very familiar with Windows and which processes are normally supposed to run. It could severely damage the installation of Windows if not run properly and cause you to have to re-install.