Freakin Spyware Ads Popups Crap Crap Crap

[korme]

All that stuff is annoying.

And I didn't think I'd have to deal with it anymore because I use Mozilla (Firebird). And it is great. I've never had a Mozilla popup. Awesome.

But guess what? I still get popups from Internet Explorer (my default browser is Mozilla..), so I guess that means stuff is on my computer and it is just randomly popping things up.

So I run Ad Aware. It finds 11 files. Awesome. Same problem afterwards though. I look in Add/Remove Programs and I am not seeing anything.

How do I get rid of all this stuff that I can't seem to find? regedit? Anything?

Help :(

[Draft Dodger]

google's toolbar has stopped all my popups

[korme]

But I don't even use IE anymore. So it has to be in my computer's files.

[Noop]

Use 'Spybot - Search & Destroy'

:)

noop

[Draft Dodger]

popops aren't all caused by spyware. ESPN's site has popups - spyware isn't the cause of them.

all you can really do is either use Mozilla or get a popup blocker

[sabotai]

Popup Stopper (http://www.panicware.com/)

They have a free version. Stops all my popups. Can be annoying because you'll have to hold down CTRL in order to open another window. But it's more than a fair trade-off.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by sabotai
Popup Stopper (http://www.panicware.com/)

They have a free version. Stops all my popups. Can be annoying because you'll have to hold down CTRL in order to open another window. But it's more than a fair trade-off.

google's toolbar is even easier to use.

[The_herd]

I use Spybot and this one, spyware blaster, it prevents spyware from being installed on your computer. Its a pretty nice program, you only run it once, then you really don't have to worry about it. Spybot hasn't found any spyware since I installed it.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

[Killebrew]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
google's toolbar is even easier to use.
I concur, why install an extra background program just to block pop-ups when your browser can stop 'em no problem. The fewer programs running on your PC the more enjoyable the geek ride.

[korme]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
popops aren't all caused by spyware. ESPN's site has popups - spyware isn't the cause of them.

all you can really do is either use Mozilla or get a popup blocker

DD, did you read my first post man? I use Mozilla and get no pops, they are all generating from IE. And it will be like when I have no browser open, and one just pops up out of nowhere. HAS to be spyware.

[Killebrew]

Shorty - do a google search on how to remove adware, there are a ton of sites with easy to follow step by step instructions.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
I use Mozilla and get no pops, they are all generating from IE. And it will be like when I have no browser open, and one just pops up out of nowhere. HAS to be spyware.

Well, given that you haven't told us what IS running on your machine, it's entirely possible that you're running something that's requesting these pop-ups.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
DD, did you read my first post man? I use Mozilla and get no pops, they are all generating from IE. And it will be like when I have no browser open, and one just pops up out of nowhere. HAS to be spyware.

you think people read your posts?

Mozilla has popup blocking stuff built in. IE does not. That would explain why if you browse with IE you get popups, and with Mozilla you don't.

if you are getting popups without a browser even open then you've got more problems than just popups and difficulties with explaining things clearly in English.

if you run adware/spybot again, are those spyware programs that were removed back?

[korme]

What do you mean what IS running?

[korme]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
you think people read your posts?

Mozilla has popup blocking stuff built in. IE does not. That would explain why if you browse with IE you get popups, and with Mozilla you don't.

if you are getting popups without a browser even open then you've got more problems than just popups and difficulties with explaining things clearly in English.

if you run adware/spybot again, are those spyware programs that were removed back?

Not sure. I just opened Ad-adaware to see if the same things come up.

I get popups from IE when 1) Mozilla is running or 2) when no browser is open. I don't use IE AT ALL anymore, so I believe it doesn't have anything to do with me being at any site, because they come randomly and often.

I'll post the results of this next ad aware session.

[sabotai]

"google's toolbar is even easier to use."

I realize that. Call me old fashioned, but I simply do not like having those third party tool bar things on my browser. I find them annoying.

[AStott]

Hey, Shorty, I know what you're talking about. It's been happening to me too. I don't have any browser up at all. I'll be in the middle of playing a single player (non-internet based) game, and wham! I'm dumped to the desktop to view a lovely little popup ad for software that will block these kinds of popups (sounds like mafia protection money to me). I ran AdAware and blew away some things, but it popped up again, then I reran AdAware, realizing that I'd missed some settings, and it killed another thing. Haven't seen any since, but not sure if that's because I killed it, or I just haven't waited long enough, since it seems to be very intermittant.

[korme]

Ok, 10 minutes in it appears I already have 11 objects recognized...

[daedalus]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
Not sure. I just opened Ad-adaware to see if the same things come up.

I get popups from IE when 1) Mozilla is running or 2) when no browser is open. I don't use IE AT ALL anymore, so I believe it doesn't have anything to do with me being at any site, because they come randomly and often.

I'll post the results of this next ad aware session.I'll have to admit that I was as confused as DD the first time I was trying to figure out what you meant. It's hard to figure out what might be the problem with your computer without more information.

What IS popping up? Like, what site is being pimped? (If it's the one with the monkey thingie, then you'll have to go into the registry.) According to your later posts, it sounds like you're not running IE at ALL so you're running Mozilla *only* now, right? What sites are you at or what are you doing when these popups are occuring?

[korme]

Yes, only use Mozilla. Only. Never IE.

I couldn't tell you exactly, but it really is a bunch of different ones. I actually still use an IE popup blocker, and it clicks when it blocks a popup. So I'll here 15 clicks in a row no lie very fastly, and then one will actually pop up getting through the blocker it seems. Sometimes it is a big blue popup, sometimes something small. I usually don't pay attention and exit it quickly. I'll pay attention if that helps. Really, I'd love to just not have to use an IE popup blocker when I don't even use IE. I'd love if I could just unistall IE or something.

What sites I'm usually at, hmm, here? LOL, here or nowhere and they just popup. But it seems they regenerated from last nights Ad Aware run through.

[Calis]

One thing to make sure, and this might be too obvious, just checking...

Make sure you turn off System Restore is you're using XP..I ran into this problem with bad files, you're going to find that XP is bringing the files back every single time after you delete them if you're running restore.

[korme]

how do i do that?

[Calis]

Go to your control panel, then select system. Should see a System Restore tab, just make sure that it's checked to turn off system restore on all drives.


edit: I'm assuming you're running XP, if not...disregard this.

[Alan T]

The suggestion to use Spybot Search and Destroy was a good one. I find that tool to be better than Adaware in almost all cases.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
What do you mean what IS running?

Well, you insist that spyware is NOT running, so what IS running? There must be something loaded in the background that's requesting popups.

[HeavyReign]

Originally posted by AStott
Hey, Shorty, I know what you're talking about. It's been happening to me too. I don't have any browser up at all. I'll be in the middle of playing a single player (non-internet based) game, and wham! I'm dumped to the desktop to view a lovely little popup ad for software that will block these kinds of popups (sounds like mafia protection money to me). I ran AdAware and blew away some things, but it popped up again, then I reran AdAware, realizing that I'd missed some settings, and it killed another thing. Haven't seen any since, but not sure if that's because I killed it, or I just haven't waited long enough, since it seems to be very intermittant.

If you are getting the grey popup with the ad and only the option to click ok, you should be able to prevent this. It isn't caused by spyware on your system. There is a thread about it here. (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12002)


Shorty,

You might have already done this but it may help if you haven't. Make sure you click the check for updates option in adaware before you run the scan. Some of the stuff you are encountering might be new than the current definitions file that you have for adaware.


Edit: It seems they posted a new version of adaware as of last month. You have to download that version in order to get the latest updates. I would make sure you have that and then run the scan again.

[korme]

Wow. Wow. WOW.

Thanks for that tip heavy.

With the latest reference file, about 2 minutes into the scan, it has recognized 88 objects.

Sheesh. Thanks.

[korme]

And just hitting the Program Files, it has already found 200 objects. Good god.

[Anthony]

WOW! 227 objects found! deleted all those bitches. this is how we do it in NYC. die slow muthafuckas.

thanks heavy reign, it had seemed that the old version of adaware was useless. got the new one and ka-pow!

[daedalus]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
And just hitting the Program Files, it has already found 200 objects. Good god.That's a LOT of pr0n surfin'! :D

[daedalus]

I don't know if any of these applies to you but this article on TechTV (http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/catsclicks/story/0,24330,3390544,00.html) may be worth a read.

[FrogMan]

My dad got Xupiter, one of the bad things mentionned in the link from daedalus, on his computer about a month or two ago. He says he never accepted anything to be install ed on his PC, but anyway, it was a major pain in the buttocks to clean... Kept reinstalling itself or something like that...

FM

[MizzouRah]

I just want to say how happy I am with the new google toolbar. I don't ever see any popups anymore. Very nice.


Todd

[vulcan]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
google's toolbar has stopped all my popups

It may have but I believe they have spyware in there software.

[MizzouRah]

Originally posted by vulcan
It may have but I believe they have spyware in there software.

If you read their toolbar privacy policy HERE (http://toolbar.google.com/privacy.html) , you can turn any feature off that is used for data collection from your pc to their servers. I also ran ad-ware just in case.


Todd

[vulcan]

Originally posted by MizzouRah
If you read their toolbar privacy policy HERE (http://toolbar.google.com/privacy.html) , you can turn any feature off that is used for data collection from your pc to their servers. I also ran ad-ware just in case.


Todd

Wow..I didn't see that. Thanks for the heads up. I may have to try that now. :)

[MizzouRah]

:)

I've had 77 pages blocked so far....


Todd