[vacantangel]

CAUTION MAJOR RANT AHEAD:

Seems my computer has adware.dealhelper on it.

apparently you get it from going to certain websites. I've only been to my homepage, obviously, and I've never had a problem with that site and then here. Anybody else ever find this on their computer?

I found it by running NAV. Dang thing will find it but does nothing about it. Seems I have to delete this thing manually. and of course, that means going into the registry keys and that makes this computer illiterate person feel extremely uncomfortable and nervous

If I'm getting it from this site, then I will only get it back the next time I return.

If I have NAV and it finds it, then why can't it bloody well fix it too?

Grrrrrrrrrr!!!

[gardenergirl]

AG,
It may have come from Smilie Central. If you dowloaded that for you computer or email, it adds some stuff to your computer. I finally deleted it.

gg

[vacantangel]

Hey gg

I don't have that d/l'd on my computer. I don't know where I'm getting this thing from and to be honest, I'm not really seeing any effect from it either. I think it just gives you those dang annoying pop-up windows.

[wisewoman]

I got bogged down with pop-ups last summer and switched to Mozilla firefox for a browser and downloaded a free spyware program that I have since heard bad things about. Anyone have favorite free spyware programs? How about virus ones? After I got the adware off computers have been fine. Good luck.

[h0kie]

I switched to Mozilla too. I love it. I avoid IE...it picks up EVERYTHING...adware...spyware...you name it.

I have Ad Aware for ad/spyware. I like it. It seems to get a lot of stuff.

My anti-virus is Norton though. It's not free. I got it though school.

[kimmydawn]

yep, firefox is the only way to go for me! no pop ups or anything.

even with adware and virus stuffs plus my DSL customized protection, i was getting bombarded in IE. firefox has kep me from kicking puter many times.

kd

[(JD)]

Have you used lavasoft se? It's free and finds and deletes it all.. better than my paid for McAfee! I run it all the time, plus, I always have my temporary internet files deleted when I close the browser... you can't have your passwords remembered, but it's worth not having probs, IMO.

[vacantangel]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Have you used lavasoft se? It's free and finds and deletes it all.. better than my paid for McAfee! I run it all the time, plus, I always have my temporary internet files deleted when I close the browser... you can't have your passwords remembered, but it's worth not having probs, IMO.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I use AdAware from lavasoft but not sure what that SE is, never heard of it, so don't know if that's what I got or not. I use Norton Anti Virus and that's how I discovered it but unfortunately it doesn't get rid of it. I also delete temporary internet files every time I close my browser. I'm using Internet Explorer 2000 for my browser.

So, what do y'all suggest?

[SpazKatt]

ook
(Ad-Aware SE) is the latest version of Ad-Aware, if you have 6.4 download the new version since they stopped updating so it won't catch everything! Just go to www.lavasoft.de and there is a link for the free version of Ad-AwareSE

[SeptemberMorn]

Somewhere else I posted that I've got AdAware SE AND Error Guard (a-squared).

a-squared/Error Guard

I use both of them. What one doesn't catch the other one will.

At one point, I downloaded Spyware Doctor from the same site as AdAware. Now there's a registry file that I can't get rid of. It shows up at every scan but the software can't remove it, so watch it.

There is also something free called spybot search and destry that works good

[SeptemberMorn]

That's basically the same software as Spyware Doctor. Made by the same people. It worked alright, but it didn't go completely away when I deleted it from my hard drive when I decided to go with Error Guard. Makes it suspect, to me.

[shakes]

For a really good and free virus protection I use AVG. It works just as well as Norton and does not slow your computer down half as much.
For an ad blocker I use Lavasoft Ad Aware. I noticed that it did ok for the most part and it did pick out the spyware.

Jessica

[adieuolivaw]

Shakes, for an antiviral I also really like AVG. I also know how to revive it when the life of the free part wears out. And it will. LOL For spy stuff I use Spybot and ZoneAlarm. And I also use Popupblocker. They catch everything, so I have no problem. Either Spybot or ZoneAlarm (I forget which) has a list of dirty rotten spyware, and it will remove that for you if you ask it to do so.

Adieu

[obsids]

There is one glitch that I know of with Spybot, in that it lists something called DSO exploit everytime you run it, even if that particular problem has been eliminated. I don't know if that problem has been corrected yet.

I was rather obsessed with spyware/adware problems for awhile.... it was a major problem at first... have Adaware, Spybot, Pest patrol (subscription), and Webroot Spy Sweeper (subscription). These days, I don't seem to have any more problems. Spybot and Spysweeper block all known problems, and AOL has its own spyware searcher now.

[shakes]

I never had a problem with the free part wearing out. Everytime they put out a new version I can just download. It never runs out or anything. That is strange. How did you do it? It came on the computer that I am using...a family member put it on there for me.

Jessica

[adieuolivaw]

SHAKES: Well, when I download any free AVG, I remove the "setup" icon from my desktop and put it in the AVG (Grisoft) directory, to the right of any previous "setup" icons that I have saved there. I always put them directly to the right of the executive icon (the file that will start AVG if clicked).

I also save the "Welcome to AVG or Grisoft" e-mail that they sent me after I first downloaded free AVG. I do that because it contains the code or password one needs to re-start the AVG program again.

This is how it works:

The free AVG fails to open & gives me an error message on the desktop where I keep the AVG start icon. The message will say: "No core kernel available" or something similar.

Then I go to the "Welcome" letter in my e-mail, copy the code or password from the letter.

Then I go to the Grisoft directory and click open the last setup file that I saved to the right of the AVG executive file. That leads me through the new registration process, including pasting the password in where it asks for one.

When you have finished the registration process, you are done. Just click open the AVG shortcut you have on your desktop, to be sure it works. Voila!

Advantages of this method? No searching for a download. No waiting while it downloads. No waiting to get a code/password in your e-mail. You are in total control of replacing your expired free AVG.

Adieu

[shakes]

Thank you!!! I never realized how easy that could be. I like AVG so much more then I like Norton. I would recommend it to anyone.

Jessica