Wasted Morning

[Oldman]

Yesterday I was looking for a wav file to mp3 file converter.  So I download  serveral "Demos." Well before I know it I got a new search engine on my desktop.  DOH!  I believe it and the 74 malware--small programs that like to change your settings and adjust your registry--came from the download WAVFILE Converter. It also installed 6 other programs besides the wav file convert.  Each did not uninstall the normal way. When it can to the point that you are asked if you want to uninstall this program and you clicked YES it stopped the uninstall~~! I tried NO and then it took me to a questionnaire. Even then once uninstalled they each left behind they own spyware.

All in all it came to about 130 spyware and malware programs I had to remove this morning. Plus there was one that no matter what it would come back. I findley got rid of it in Safe Mode.

I started on this around 5:30 am and it is now about 10 minutes to 11 am. What a wasted morning.

The only good news if any can come out of this is I did find a good wave file to mp3 and mp3 file to wave converter.  I just paid for it.

The sad part is the program that gave all of this crap I would have purchased that one... Oh well punks.



http://rminor.com

[MallardWacker]

Olds, do you not use a registry monitor??  Also too, my favorite (and yhe best rated and safest)registry tool is <b><font color="blue">jv16 Power tools</font id="blue"></b>.  Very nice and easy to clean up crap when things like that happen.  Also another great program as far as monitoring is <b><font color="blue">RegProt</font id="blue"></b>.


SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know.  But...

[Habanero Smoker]

Olds, are you running Windows XP, if so Microsoft has a beta spyware monitor that works great. Right now they call it a beta program and it is free. Right now they are asking for feedback, and it is unclear if they will start charging after July; but the general feeling is that it will remain free.

Anyway this is really not a beta program it is actually Giant's Anti-Spyware that Microsoft bought out. What is great about this software is that it constantly monitor's your system for spyware that is attempting to load. It is better than Ad-Aware Plus. You can download it from this sight http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=321cd7a2-6a57-4c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&displaylang=en . I've been using it for a month, and had no problems. I am also still using Spybot and Ad-Aware SE.

Also they have a Malicious Software Removal Tool that often works to remove malicious software http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en . Sometimes Microsoft does things right.

[Oldman]

Grrrrrrrrrr

My first reply did not post.

OK one more time. I allowed a program to be installed. Yes I have a reg. monitor system, and a snap shot.

The problem here is more than two fold.

1.) I believed I was installing a clean program and when it the warning came up I allowed it to make the changes.
2.) This program within itself had 6 other programs.
3.) It was not until I figured out that 6 other programs with their malware, and spyware had been installed that I begin to see the light in the tunnel.
4.) Once I removed these programs then removing 99.99% of the crap Adware SE did.
5.) There were still two keys that I had to manually remove.

I know of no safty net that gives you protection if you grant a change.  Yes my snap shot returned everything; however upon re-boot those programs again installed their crap under their already granted permission.

In simple terms I got fooled. I granted the rights to a change thinking it was only for the demo (some programs require this; others do not)without knowing that within this demo all of these other programs where hidden.

If anyone knows of a way to protect yourself from this I'm all ears...[:D]

 <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">It is better than Ad-Aware Plus.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">I don't use Plus I have SE. It did its job. The mistake was mine in trusting a demo download.

Thanks for the links guys. I will check out for sure the MS  Malicious Software Removal Tool. Maybe it might have kept me from going into the reg....I hate editing the reg..

Thanks for your information and offers of advice! Good to have a smokin' family like you guys.
Olds

EDIT: Just ran the MS tool...nothing found [^] Years back I use to have an uninstaller program that took picture and if something went crazy it would completely uninstall everything since its last picture... I wonder if it is still around. It sure would have saved me a lot of trouble.

I just called my buddy Blankman...it has been awhile and his wife told me he also got called up.  Damn to many of my friends over there. [:(][:(][:(]One thing is for sure if he was here that site would have a damn hard time staying up, or they would adjust their download.

I maybe wrong but I <i>almost</i> believe that at one time he was sole reason the  OP's game hacker clan went out of business. I know me taught me a lot, but then there where things he wanted to teach me that I said, NO NO that is a little too much. I'm not going down that path.

Guys there are good and bad hackers. Blankman was/ is IMO a good guy. I wish him well and hope he comes home safe.


http://rminor.com