My Computer's Gone Berserk!

dieselsmoke1 · Oct 14, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

One additional note regarding SpyBot. AdAware does a fine job of removing spyware AFTER IT'S THERE.

Spybot gives you the option to be proactive and permanently immunize IE against many known offenders, thus preventing them from ever occuring and "phoning home" before they are detected.

AdAware Plus does something similar, however it is not free.

dieselsmoke1 · Oct 14, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Here's an interesting bit of related trivia...

My email address dieselsmoke@cox.net has been used but for one purpose, this board. Created new when I registered and never given out other than here. I log in and check it about once a week, sure enough, spam. How'd that happen??

2 obvious choices. Either a roaming spybot stumbled across my address in this forum, or a spyware program called moma to report the new email address' existance before I switch to SpyBot S&D.

I'm not implying TBN sells our email addresses. The spam has nothing to do with tractors, just crap.

BigIron · Oct 14, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

( Bird,
Do you use a pop-up stopper? I do and it seems to help somewhat.
Here's a free one. Oh Panicware that someone already mentioned /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Panic Ware

Jerry )

On the serious side, Netscape now has a built in pop-up stopper. I get zero pop-ups while using that browser, and, as always, it is free. One of the many reasons I started using Linux: there is a world of good *free* software out there in the open source world!

Paul

Bird · Oct 14, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

( Do you use a pop-up stopper? )

I haven't been using one, and the number of pop-ups I've gotten has never been a serious problem until Saturday. And after running Ad-aware, about an hour ago I got a whole flurry of pop-ups while trying to read some other posts on TBN. I was closing them as fast as I could, and when I finally got them all shut down, I ran Ad-aware again and it came up with 68 more bugs. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I had to get off the Internet and do some other things, so I guess tomorrow I'll try the panicware.

dieselsmoke1 · Oct 14, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Here's a good article on spam and related stuff if you're interested.

r0GuE · Oct 14, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Google Toolbar w/ Integrated Pop Up stopper!

I use this and love it!
Free is a good thing too!
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dozernut · Oct 14, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Bird
Didn't you say you had Norton Anti-virus. I have the 2003 version that has an excellent popup program. I do not have popups! It might depend on what version you have, but click on the Norton desk top symbol and check your menu and see if you have it and if it is activated.

Durbob · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Go to www.crazybrowser.com and download it . It has a built in pop up stopper and works off internet explorer , so it looks like your ie browser. It has tabs on top where you can open multible pages at once and it's free. Once you use it you wont go back to anything else. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

ronjhall · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Bird
I don’t know if this will help your problem. My notebook has been getting a lot of pop-ups. I was looking for a way to stop them.
I was listening to a computer help program in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. The person running the show recommended a pop-up stopper from Google.
I am always leery of any kind of software offered by a search engine. My experience with Yahoo was bad enough to make me switch ISP’s. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
I installed the Google Tool bar about 1 1/2 weeks ago on both my notebook and desktop computers. I turned off the options that I did not want to use. My note book has over 50 pop-ups blocked. Desktop shows 6. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

You may want to try it when you get your current problems solved. Google Toolbar

Bird · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Well, I logged on this morning, got quite a number of pop-ups, including some kind of download that tried to install "Lycos side search". So I ran the Ad-aware again, downloaded and installed the Panic Ware, ran Norton SystemWorks again and it supposedly "fixed" some registry errors, and now I'm trying again. The Panic Ware has an audible beep when it blocks a pop-up, so it did a lot of beeping when I logged on, checked weather forecasts, read the local newspaper, etc. and now it hasn't beeped for several minutes.

I guess I'll give this a day or two to see how it goes. I still wonder what caused the sudden dramatic increase in the number of pop-ups, how it can download and install software that I didn't want, in spite of the firewall being enabled, etc. And I have Norton SystemWorks 2002 instead of 2003 and I don't find any mention of pop-ups in it.

I appreciate everyone's help, and if this doesn't work, well . . ., I'll keep track of this thread and try some of the other suggestions. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

ronjhall · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Bird
My pop-up problems started when I typed a URL into the IE 6 address improperly. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif The site that came up created all kinds of pop-ups. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
I don’t know how to stop a mistyped URL form going to a bad site. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif But I am much more careful what I type into the address bar. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

pruntyc · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Bird, I have the systemWorks 2003, and I don't see anything on it about popups either. But I put the Panic Ware on a few days ago, and it seems to be doing the job for me. Maybe the telmarketers are using popups now, I don't know what is causeing it.

RonL · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Bird

You may also want to disable Javascript when you're cruising the web. Turn it back on when you go to sights that need it and you trust.

RonL

Dozernut · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Bird I have the Norton Internet Security 2003 program. When you go to the menu, it has a specific setting line for popups along with a firewall and other utilities. You evidently don't have this version. You can look at their offerings on their web site. It would be worth considering when you renew your subscription.

bky · Oct 15, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

bird wouldnt it be easer just to format and reinstall windows?

Bird · Oct 16, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

( wouldnt it be easer just to format and reinstall windows )

Believe me, I've thought about it. I did that a couple of times years ago when I had Windows 3.1 and it was pretty simple; just took some time. However, I'm scared to try it with this contraption. This computer came from Dell with Windows ME, along with a certificate to upgrade to XP when it became available for $20. So, when XP was available from Dell, I got the "upgrade" CD, carefully followed their instructions and it didn't work. I don't remember how many phone calls I made to Dell, followed all their instructions each time, and it still didn't work. They finally decided there was no way they could help me. Thank goodness, I had decided to take advantage of the financing they had at that time instead of just paying cash for the computer. So when they gave up on getting it to work, I asked where they wanted it shipped, since I wasn't going to pay for it. They promptly and miraculously found someone who walked me through a "clean install"; much more complicated than formatting the hard drive and installing the software, but it worked. Of course my hard drive became drive E: instead of C: and neither I nor Dell support have any idea why.

And then when I installed my other software from the CDs, in some cases I had to go to the software manufacturers for updated versions to work with XP (Olympus camera software, HP printer drivers, and I know at least one other), so that's why I don't want to try to start over. I suspect I could buy a new computer as cheap as I could buy all new software, but don't know that for sure.

At least this computer is working so far. The Panic Ware stops lots of pop-ups, but not all. Some way or other it managed to download and install at least one program this morning (Lycos side search?), apparently at the same time it was downloading another "critical update" from Microsoft Windows. The unbelievable number of "critical updates" to XP that I've downloaded is another reason I'm afraid to try formatting the hard drive and re-installing everything.

pruntyc · Oct 16, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

I agree with you Bird. If you don't feel comfortable doing it, then you are probably better off, not. I've done it so many times, my computer would think I was sick, if I didn't do it fairly often. lol I generally have done it 2 to 4 times a year. Now this time, everything has worked so well I haven't did it for probably almost a year. This XP if its running good, its good.

dieselsmoke1 · Oct 16, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Bird,

If you are running XP as your operating system, then your problem really is relatively easy to fix.

XP creates "restore" points often, frequently every day. These restore points when executed will restore your registry to it's condition at that point in time. There's nothing to risk, the change can be undone if desired. I'm a bit of a maverick with my home made PC and have used this function many times when a change did not bring about the desired results.

The proceedure:

Start button

Programs

Accessories

System Tools

System Restore

Scroll through the calendar and pick a date prior to the affliction and restore to that point. You will probably have about 30 such points spanning 90 days or more. Any files saved such as .doc. .jpg, .xls etc. files will still be there, just resets the windows registry to what it was at the time.

If you don't like the results, hit the undo button and you're right back where you are now.

Inspector507 · Oct 16, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

Win Me has the restore function as well. Unless you shut it off at some point, then all the previous restore points are wiped out. Win Me is very vunerable to attacks and becomes very unstable. Thats why, right now, I'm upstairs on Win XP. The Me machine has gone beserk and I'll have to reload everything.

dieselsmoke1 · Oct 16, 2003

Re: My Computer\'s Gone Berserk!

ME was really a poor attempt by his Billness. Had to have something to generate revenue while working on XP I guess.

98SE is probably the most bulletproof OS by Bill, however I do like the funtionallity of XP.