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General => Computers / Internet => Topic started by: Yuet_Lee on November 29, 2007, 16:26:26

Title: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Yuet_Lee on November 29, 2007, 16:26:26
hi there,
please help are these firewall,spyware,adware, all the same? ???
Recently I don't know where I've been to, it had a load of pop-up rubbish advert come up >:(
How can I get rid of it? :-\
Does any of you guys know are there any freeware around that you can recommended :)
thank you!
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Lauren S on November 29, 2007, 17:17:00
Hi Yuet,
I had the same problem years ago. I have used (Lavasoft's) Ad-Aware FREE program and it works great. After you download and need any assistance, just email me.
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/ElleEss_photos/Image1.jpg)
Download...Open the program, click START
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/ElleEss_photos/Image2.jpg)
Click NEXT
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/ElleEss_photos/Image3.jpg)
Let the scan progress. I just did a scan, and you can see I have 26 little devils lurking...Click NEXT
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/ElleEss_photos/Image4.jpg)
Click OK
(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa42/ElleEss_photos/Image5.jpg)
Open quarantine list...Click Auto quarantine...Delete (At the bottom)...Ok DONE!

Hope this helps

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: WASSISNAME on November 29, 2007, 22:18:36
Ashampoo Free is a good Firewall I use it, so is Comodo Firewall. I use Avast4 Home anti virus programme also FREE
and I think Superanti Spyware is free
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: windygale on November 30, 2007, 14:27:25
hi, not all these programmes work with vista home premium, vista has it's own, windows defender,

so yuet-lee, what software, ME, XP, VISTA, are you using depends what you can use,
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Yuet_Lee on November 30, 2007, 16:59:03
thank you for you guys replied ;)
I'm on window XP!
 So do I needed all these different software to do different ???
thanks for your help!
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Rhubarb Thrasher on November 30, 2007, 17:06:30
If you run Adaware for the first time, you'll probably get 100's of suspicious objects - most if not all of them will be cookies, and they're nothing to worry about (so they say  ???)
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Lauren S on November 30, 2007, 18:24:17
I run Windows XP
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: windygale on November 30, 2007, 19:15:23
hi Yuet_Lee, when i used XP i used these to look after my computer
Avast4.7(free Antivirus)
Lavasoft Adware SE (free)
ZoneAlarm (free firewall)
if you register all these products you will get free update for a year or more on some ;D
once you set them up they all work in the back ground and if i remember rightly, zone alarm comes up allow if you go on a website, tick remember and it wont ask again,

hope this helps
windy ;D
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: sean on December 19, 2007, 14:48:16
hi just a quick update z/a is a great program or should i say was i had z/a pro and it is now a nightmare to use it blocks msn mail yahoo sites without asking , i use pandasoftware now and it is great.
a good sitefor a free virus and spyware check is www.ewido.com and ignore them selling you antivirus software just use the scan now button by the man sitting with laptop on his lap , this founda virus i had a year or 2 ago and removed it free when every other company i tried said it was free until they find a virus then it is $50 to remove it
well good luck all and happy xmas
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: mrf94 on December 19, 2007, 19:25:11
Adaware is fine , try Antivir for antivirus and Netvedas safety.net for a firewall,
and to clean up your rubbish try Ccleaner
Theres lots to choose from out there  its the ones that you feel comfortable with  that usually work for you.


mrf94
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: pg on December 21, 2007, 18:56:30
Recently I don't know where I've been to, it had a load of pop-up rubbish advert come up >:(
How can I get rid of it? :-\

Another way to stop popups is to use the Blocking popups option that comes with all browsers:

Internet Explorer (IE):
Tools, Pop-up Blocker, Turn on/off

Firefox (in my opinion much better at this)
Tools, Options, Content, tick box Block popup windows, OK

In both IE and Firefox you can set the blocker to accept popups from certain websites (eg your bank website etc) with Exceptions
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: kt. on December 21, 2007, 19:22:14
I use Virgin Media. It provides all spyware , antivirus, virus-scan and everything else for free. It also automatically updates daily.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Vony on December 24, 2007, 10:31:54
Thank Goodness for Apple Mac I don't need any of those.
Vony.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Eristic on December 24, 2007, 12:15:50
Code: [Select]
Thank Goodness for Apple Mac I don't need any of those.
Oh yes you do!

There is now quite a lot of mac specific malware being written as the number of totally unprotected machines rises above insignificant levels. Macs are not immune from virus and intrusion, its just that no one bothered to write the code.

If micro$oft continues to screw up the way it is, more people will turn to Macs making them a very easy target.
Regardless of the make of machine, if it is switched on it is vulnerable.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: djbrenton on December 24, 2007, 14:34:50
"Regardless of the make of machine, if it is switched on it is vulnerable."


You can take paranoia too far. I went to install some software onto a clients PC and noticed he had Etrust anti-virus. I mentioned that it wasn't the best around and he countered that he'd never had a virus since he got the computer. When I went to register the new programme online I realised he didn't have the internet. I suggested he didn't really need an anti-virus running all the time but he insisted he didn't want to take the chance of someone hacking into his PC!!
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Baccy Man on December 25, 2007, 01:15:34
Creating viruses for macs is easy there is no real incentive to do so though microsoft is an easier target.
Mach-O is the native file format used by OSX it is easily infected.
Each file is supposed to start  with  a __PAGEZERO segment, which marks the first 0x1000 bytes  as  not accessible.  The file size there is 0, but you can change it and load  your  code.  All you have to do is pad the file  to  a multiple of 4kb first, to avoid a bus error, then append your code.  After that, set the file offset and size fields, and the protection flags so you can run it.
IDA assumes that the entrypoint is always  the first byte in the __text section. The  LC_UNIXTHREAD  load  command describes the register values for  the  main thread  in  the file.
By simply  changing  the value in the SRR0 field to another value you are able  to move the entrypoint around, but IDA does not notice, and continues to show the old  one.  It's a new type of entrypoint obscuring. 
IDA  refuses to load any segment which contains no  sections  (like __LINKEDIT   and,  more  importantly,  __PAGEZERO).  That  means  your  code  is invisible, yet it runs.

I don't bother using an anti virus program on my own system I do have a free firewall to limit the number of intrusions but they are generally very simple to remove manually & have never caused a significant problem. I  have intentionally infected my system on numerous occassions when I have had to assist someone to remove a virus & I can't be there in person as it makes it easier to talk them through it step by step over the phone if I am doing the same thing myself. I suggest AVG to my customers when I build their PC's unless they go for linux rather than windows purely because it is a free program & covers most viruses/malware they will come across, obviously if they are using linux there is still a chance of becoming infected with a virus but it is very rare so it's not worth devoting resources to an antivirus program.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Plot69 on December 30, 2007, 21:57:21
Thank Goodness for Apple Mac I don't need any of those.

Amen to that brother :)
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: bupster on December 30, 2007, 23:28:05
I know it costs money, but it's effective: Norton. Also backs up all your files. There are some things worth paying for. (Microsoft office is the other, until I can find something better  ???). For everything else, ask google - Picasa is miles better than anything else for looking after your photos.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: sean on December 31, 2007, 01:53:42
hi i see you say norton and i had to reply it is a total load of c - - p for want of a better word i use to have nortom pro system works paid for each year until in the 2007 jan 1 it would not update just crashed i spent alot of money on phone calls to india which is nortons help center well there tech support really helped they downloaded stuff to my machine and killed it do not be fooled norton are total rush as is there products.
now if you want good stuff use pandasoftware also you can get free help online try www.ewido.com don't install there software just do the online scan they are great norton let viruses through and they took it off free of charge when everyone else wanted $50 so if you need help PM me i will give any help i can
cheers
sean
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Baccy Man on December 31, 2007, 02:17:48
Norton/Symantec products used to be worth buying but the current ones just use a lot of resources and are of very limited effectiveness. I get an awful lot of PCs in for repair which have loads of viruses, spyware & other malware which norton has either missed completely or can't correct or in some cases norton itself has been targeted by a virus & either won't start or crashes continuously. The same would go for McAfee products.

Bupster have you tried Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org/) it is completely free & works just as well as MS Office for most people.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: PAULW on December 31, 2007, 04:46:16
Try Spybot and Spyware Terminator both free products and find stuff Ad-Aware can miss, Im not paranoid but I run all three programs to clean up my PC.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: telboy on December 31, 2007, 21:45:18
 - I fully agree with the negative comments about Norton.
 - Zone alarm is excellent & highly rated by 'Which'.
 - Cloudmark (American) blocks 98% of spam & will also block phishing emails.
 - Adware & Spybot are very good also.
One has to remember that loading the above will give you excellent protection but will slow your 'puter down!
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Larkshall on December 31, 2007, 23:22:22
I've been using Ubuntu OS (GNU/Linux) for several months now. Don't have to worry about these things because the file structure is totally different and virii do not work (the system just ignores them).
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Baccy Man on January 01, 2008, 00:25:52
If you simply never run untrusted executables while logged in as the root user (or equivalent), all the "virus checkers" in the world will be at best superfluous. "Hostile" executables (including viruses) are almost unfindable in the Linux world — and no real threat to it — because they lack root-user authority, and because Linux admins are seldom stupid enough to run untrusted executables as root
Any program on a Linux machine, viruses included, can only do what the user who ran it can do. Real users aren't allowed to hurt the system (only the root user can), so neither can programs they run.
Because of the distinction between privileged (root-run) processes and user-owned processes, a "hostile" executable that a non-root user receives (or creates) and then executes (runs) cannot "infect" or otherwise manipulate the system as a whole. Just as you can delete only your own files (i.e., those you have "write" permission to), executables you run cannot affect other users' (or root's) files. Therefore, although you can create (or retrieve), and then run, a virus, worm, trojan horse, etc., it can't do much. Unless you do so as "root". Which it's simple to avoid doing.

For viruses to spread, they need to run, need to be executed. Windows viruses don't run on Linux. At best, infected files can be passed on (eg a Linux mail server delivering mail to Windows clients, or a linux file server serving files to Windows clients). Only in those circumstances, running anti-virus software on a Linux system makes sense.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: bupster on January 01, 2008, 15:41:29
Unfortunately I use my computer a lot for work, and while I agree from my friends' experience that Linux/open office are effective, it's just easier and more straightforward to use the same software that I do at work - don't want to be a cheerleader for it.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Larkshall on January 03, 2008, 23:16:13
Hi Baccy Man, you have explained that very well. Isn't it nice, not to have to worry about all the problems which can happen with windows.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Eristic on January 04, 2008, 01:05:55
If nothing else, it's nice not to have the box removed from my control for 2-3 hours a day while the virus checker runs a scan. My boxes have to be up 24-7 running both public and private web servers and come under constant attack and I could not trust any windows box to do that.

All the same, there are known exploits and in clever hands root and kernal are at risk although most of these come via the server. Mac users are living in cloud cuckoo land if they think they can remain safe without the same protection programs as windows users, as the percentage of machines swing towards Macs.

My log records for last year show a tremendous upsurge in Mac usage from almost too small to count a year ago to a typical 4% current with predictions of 10% before year end. At that level of usage protection by obscurity no longer exists and they will become the no. 1 target simply because of the known lack of security.

2008 will see Baccy Man fixing wacky macs. My prediction.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Plot69 on January 04, 2008, 11:58:26
Mac users are living in cloud cuckoo land

I started living there the day I bought my Mac... Couldn't for the life of me understand why I didn't buy one 10 years earlier instead of wasting all those years with a Windowed PC.

Even if there was as many virii for the Mac as there is a PC, and I agree they will come,  there is still one thing that places it way above any PC I've ever had... It has never crashed or had to be rebooted in the five years I had it.

It just works.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Baccy Man on January 04, 2008, 13:14:16
Hi Baccy Man, you have explained that very well. Isn't it nice, not to have to worry about all the problems which can happen with windows.
I have multiple operating systems running on my PC Windows 2000 Pro, Ubuntu Linux & OSX. All run without any significant problems.
Although I usually reccommend Ubuntu to my customers I don't preach about the benefits & will provide them with whatever they want even though more often than not it is Windows XP because that is what they have heard of, Some people do go for Ubuntu others want both so they can decide in their own time which they prefer. Every now & then I get someone who insists on OSX which complicated to install as it is not really designed to run on a pc but the customer always gets what they want even if it does make my life difficult. I have only sold one copy of Vista since it came out & that was to a Mac owner.

2008 will see Baccy Man fixing wacky macs. My prediction.
I doubt it in this area there are quite a few people who perfectly fit the well known phrase "elitist mac snob" the mac owners usually go to them as they fix the problems free so they can show how intelligent they are. I only get the mac owners who are sick of being told they are stupid for "not being able to correct simple faults & would be better off gettin a PC if they don't know how to use a computer" or the people who have windows installed on their macs ac they are refused help.
Looking through my records that was a grand total of 6 people in 2007.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: grotbag on January 04, 2008, 21:16:43
hi,I keep trying to use ewido,but wen i click on scan now nothing happens ,any ideas why?
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Baccy Man on January 04, 2008, 23:43:57
Do you mean the ewido online scanner? There have recently been some changes to active X controls on the site which were causing problems but it seems to be working ok now.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: sheddie on January 05, 2008, 11:50:04
Hi All,

Just wanted to add that although Norton and Mcafee seem to work well - personally, I find that they are very 'resource hungry'. I've used both and found that they really slowed my PCs down. I find some of the free software available to be just as effective and much kinder on the PC. The anti-virus I run is AVG anti-virus by Grisoft (a few people I know who work in IT swear by this too) and the firewall I run is Kerio firewall by Sunbelt.

Kerio provide a good free version of the software - you get a trial of the full version initially and it then reverts to the free version automatically once the trial runs out. When you install it, it gies you the option to instal in simple or advanced mode. The advanced mode lets you decide for yourself what applications to allow access to the internet - both incoming and outgoing. I found this a bit confusing to be honset, so went for the simple mode - which means the firewall just decides itself what programmes should be allowed access.

Of tried most of the free anti-virus programmes and firewall programmes over the years and have found these two to be the most effective and user friendly.

In terms of getting rid of spyware - I deffintley agree that Ad-Aware by Lavasoft is the best, but I run this along with Spybot too. I don't let either of these run from 'startup' - I just run them every now and again.

Another useful tool for getting rid of 'cookies' (and thus preventing pop up ads) is 'Free Internet Eraser' by Privacyeraser.

I think all of these programmes are available for free download on: www.download.com

Hope this helps!
Sheddie
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: jmassane on May 22, 2008, 09:29:48
Gotta second the whole Linux thing, no spyware, no trojans, no malware, constant security updates and best of all free!

It would be rude not to try it!

www.ubuntu.com (http://www.ubuntu.com)
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Larkshall on May 23, 2008, 22:21:01
With my system I don't need these. My online work is all done with Ubuntu (Linux) which will not allow you to write to any system files without you enter your password first (neither will it allow anything else to write to them). It does not use .exe files which most of the nasties are, so they will lay dormant and useless. I only use Windows XP for offline work with Windows specific peripherals and software.

I am very glad that I changed to Linux. Having used pre-Windows machines more than 20 years ago, maybe I have an advantage with experience of Unix.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: djbrenton on May 23, 2008, 23:47:32
I stopped using any anti-virus programmes years ago and haven't had a single virus on my Windows PC since. I've also had my PC running non-stop for just over a year since last reboot ( and that was because I was upgrading a hard drive). Am I doing something wrong?
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: betula on May 24, 2008, 00:11:00
What ,because you have not had a virus?
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: jesssands on May 24, 2008, 00:17:47
we use the same 3 progs as windygale.
have been happy with them, but I also use Xoftspy SE too, which is good if I think there is something there that others missed, it will find more.
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Emagggie on May 28, 2008, 12:40:50
We've just given Norton the boot (run out) and I downloaded AVG free. Aol offer free McAfee 'firewall plus', is there a better free option that anyone can recommend in the light of negative comments about McAfee?
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Sinbad7 on May 28, 2008, 15:39:01
I use Comodo, Emaggie, that's free as well.  Seems to work for me.

Sinbad
Title: Re: please help with firewall,spyware,adware!
Post by: Emagggie on May 28, 2008, 18:26:39
Thanks Sinbad, will look now.
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