Posted on 10/12/2004 5:36:55 PM PDT by El Conservador
Hey, people!!!
We just bought a new PC (a cheap-ass Compaq Presario, but it's good enough for us basic users).
I'd like to install music downloading software like Kazaa or sumthin' like that, but I don't want to plague the new machine with spyware that took the life of Ol' Sparky (the previous computer).
What can you recommend to avoid spyware, and, in general, keep the computer healthy.
Thanks for the anwsers you could provide me!!!
Personally...the best I've used that also has the least amount of spyware is Bear Share.
www.bearshare.com
It's probably safer just to break into a music store and steal whatever you need.
Doesn't Kazaa come with built in spyware?
Don't put any peer to peer software like Kazaa on your machine, IMHO.
Try zdnet and their product called SpyBot. You can demo it for a month I think and then have to buy it. It does a good job of catching spyware as long as you keep it updated. Also make sure you have a good virus protection program (Norton,erc.) and keep it updated and you should be fine.
ping to see answers later
1.) Ad-Aware from Lavasoft
2.) Kazaa Lite (last I knew: www.oldversion.com)
First, you'll need to keep spyware from getting on your computer in the first place. Get a good firewall. I recommend ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs. It's a free download (they have a professional version that costs money, but most of the extra features are conveniences rather than important things). Do a Google search for it.
Also, get an anti-Spyware system like AdAware from Lavasoft. Do a Google search for them. Again, there is a free version and a pay version. Get the free one; it's still very good.
It's also good to have an anti-virus system. It won't catch spyware, but it's definately a good idea. I recommend Norton Anti-Virus by Symantec. It costs about $40, but I would say it's well worth it.
Spybot isn't a ZDNet product, nor does it expire after a trial--it's 100% free.
To be honest I haven't used Spybot in about 2 years so I didn't remeber all the details. Thanks for the heads up.
I've tried Imesh.. that was horrible. Then Warez, but it was fully of spyware. You can clean that out, but it would just quit working. I've heard good things about bearshare, but it's supposedly not as fast...
This is a great site for freeware:
http://www.komando.com/
She has a radio show and I find her info very reliable.
I wouldn't use Kaza. I've heard that unless you really know what you are doing that they can take over your computer. This was on our local news about a year ago.
best thing to do is not to go online ... and if you do, dont go to any websites, dont get any email and for goodness sake, never give anyone your e-mail address, the problem is, as soon as you sign up for an ISP, your email address has been sold to a million companies who are going to send you multiple advertisments per day until you get so sick of it, you kick your computer screen in and never turn on the tower again ...
give the PC to a local charity and buy a Mac.
Problem solved.
Use bittorrent instead. It gets faster the more people are on. But I don't know what it's like as far as individual songs are concerned, I use it to download foreign tv shows.
The FR Search engine is our friend. :-)
Attention Computer Geeks - Which Adware/Spyware Do You Recommend (Vanity) ^
Posted by GreatOne
On General/Chat ^ 10/09/2004 6:23:45 PM CDT · 21 replies · 311+ views
Shameless Vanity | October 9, 2004 | GreatOne
Go to this page of Major Geeks, and let me know what free spyware/adware you in-the-know recommend. It has the following: About:Buster - A removal tool for Home Search Assistant, ie; res://random.dll/index.html#12345 Ad-aware Messenger Service Plugin - Plugin for Ad-aware that will help with the Messenger Service pop-ups. Ad-aware OE/WM Control - Enable or disable the Windows Messenger which loads with Outlook Express. Ad-Aware SE HexDump Plug-in - Find out the URL of the originator of a cookie in Ad-Aware SE. Ad-Aware SE Personal - Scan your system for ad-supported software components and remove them. Ad-Aware SE Personal (Executable Only)...
Freepers how do I get rid of this spyware crap that is on my computer? ^
Posted by Trueblackman
On News/Activism ^ 07/03/2004 11:40:02 AM CDT · 142 replies · 1,537+ views
myself ^ | 3 July 2004 | trueblackman
I have Norton and two pop-killer programs, but my Norton can't remove Spyware and activeware on my computer.
Tenacious Spyware Problem (Vanity) ^
Posted by Born Conservative
On News/Activism ^ 06/16/2004 12:42:22 PM CDT · 105 replies · 409+ views
6/16/04 | Me, Myself, and I
Please excuse the vanity (this is my first vanity post). I am having a problem with spyware. It started when my 11 year old son installed a "really cool" screensaver on the computer (running XP Home) from "screensaver.com". As soon as he told me he did that, I knew that I was up the creek without a paddle. So, I ran Spybot, and then Ad Aware, and "fixed" my Spyware problems. Right. Needless to say, my computer is still infested. I then did some searching on the web,and downloaded Hijack This, since my browser was hijacked to a different home...
Tech?:Did I get spyware from Google or somewhere else that affects my Google results? ^
Posted by finnman69
On News/Activism ^ 05/06/2004 3:33:27 PM CDT · 97 replies · 186+ views
finnman69 | 5/4/4 | finnman69
I suspect I have some sort of hijack software that has change the way my searches on Google come up. Until very recently google searcehs were quick and I would get responses as normal. Now it seems to freeze for a few seconds and the first page of responses are links to other ad or search services. Example for a google search for 'test' I get this on the 1st page: 100% Free Certifications and Elearning Certy.com offers Free certifications/tests in HTML, Java, ASP, C#, Project Management, English, XML, EJB Diabetics! Health Break Through! At last..there's hope for Diabetes sufferers....
MSN Spyware? ^
Posted by OldCorps
On News/Activism ^ 02/27/2004 11:47:06 AM CST · 62 replies · 2,368+ views
Self ^ | Feb 27, 2004 | self
My daughter used AOL IM and MSN hotmail last night. Probably some other stuff too. OS is Windows ME. This morning after booting up i clicked on IExplorer. The computer went to this webpage, showing the usual MSN webpage: http://www.browser-page.com the computer then opened another page: http://www.adwarehunter.com The crazy thing is, I went back to tools, internet options, and reset my homepage back to the Washington Times, and saved changes. I closed down all other operations and reopened IE. Browser again went back to the MSN homepage. What gives? Now i'm really mad, so I ran both spybot and lavasoft...
Got to Drudge website: get hit with spyware ^
Posted by Grig
On General/Chat ^ 02/19/2004 11:51:55 AM CST · 35 replies · 33+ views
I have Spybot: Search and Destroy installed on my PC. It's a great freeware program for removing spyware and preventing it from getting pushed on your system in the first place. Everytime to go to Drudge now I get a popup from Spybot telling me that the page is trying to download 'Avenue A, Inc' a cookie that it indicates is a 'known threat'. I think we need to let Drudge know our objection to this kind of thing.
Spyware cures may cause more harm than good ^
Posted by justlurking
On News/Activism ^ 02/05/2004 9:40:54 AM CST · 151 replies · 222+ views
C/Net News.com ^ | 2/4/2004 | John Borland
Web surfers battling "spyware" face a new problem: so-called spyware-killing programs that install the same kind of unwanted advertising software they promise to erase. Millions of computers have been hit in recent years by ads and PC-monitoring software that comes bundled with popular free downloads, notably music-swapping programs. The problem has attracted dozens of companies seeking to profit by promising to root out the offending software. But some software makers are exploiting the situation, critics allege, turning demand for antispyware software into a launch pad for new spyware attacks. A small army of angry Web users has set up a...
Drudge Site Ripe with Computer Slowing Spyware ^
Posted by BJungNan
On News/Activism ^ 09/21/2003 4:59:04 PM CDT · 104 replies · 117+ views
AdAware ^ | September 21, 2003 | BJungNan
Drudge Site Ripe with Computer Slowing Spyware At the suggestion of another Freeper, I installed spyware that removes tracking programs loaded on my computer that I was told were slowing it down. I had mentioned that my computer seemed to be getting slower and slower. Sure enough, once the little spy buggers were cleared out of my computer, the darn thing sped up to an acceptable speed – even for the dial-up connection that I use. But then it happened again. I decided to have a look into the matter. I cleared all the spyware again – twice to be...
computer questions: ethernet, spyware, viruses ^
Posted by Commie Basher
On General/Chat ^ 09/21/2003 7:30:26 AM CDT · 86 replies · 180+ views
(1) What is ethernet? Does it have something to do with internet connections, DSL, etc? Do I need it? I'm looking for a new laptop. Should I care if it has 10/100 or Gigabit Ethernet? (2) I have a virus/spyware, whatever. How do I get rid of it? Norton Antivirus finds nothing. SpyCOp finds nothing. I have ZOne Alarm Pro. But I have something. I have to type every other letter two or three times. My computer is slow and doesn't recognize every keystroke. My CAPS lights is always on. My USB port works intermitently.
Spyware slowing computer - ad aware fixed it (not a commercial) ^
Posted by BJungNan
On News/Activism ^ 09/01/2003 10:22:33 PM CDT · 32 replies · 187+ views
Lavasoft and me ^ | Me
Sorry if this is viewed as a vaniety. Just trying to pass along a bit of information in case anyone is having slow computer problems. First, I have a dial up so it is slow anyhow. But for the last couple of days it has been crawling - nearly usable. So, for the heck of it, I ran an ad aware scan (lavasoft). Amazing. As soon as I got rid of the spyware it detected, my computer sped right back up to normal. All I can figure is the spyware was hogging up the line. Maybe some of you have...
SpyWare - Scumware - SpyBots ^
Posted by Positive
On News/Activism ^ 02/17/2003 6:02:39 PM CST · 45 replies · 47+ views
Internet ^ | 02-11-2003 | Self
Hey - anybody here get stuck with "Spy" stuff like www.SpyOnYou.com when you go from Drudge to Freerepublic? Have you had your browser hijacked? I suddenly found that when I launched IE6, instead of taking me to my chosen start-up site, it took me to www.searchex.com which is no more than a page full of links to spam sites discuised as a search engine. Today I decided to do something about this. I called my ISP techsupport desk. They referred me to a website and suggested I try Ad-Aware. I tried the free version of Ad-Aware and it said it...
Getting and keeping spyware off your computer ^
Posted by Sir Gawain
On News/Activism ^ 01/18/2003 10:49:27 AM CST · 105 replies · 628+ views
me
Just thought I'd give this little PSA since I'm such a nice guy.Many of you are already familiar with Lavasoft's AdAware, but you may not be familiar with SpyBot Search & Destroy, which is actually more powerful and more up-to-date. Lavasoft hasn't updated their definition file since September because they're working on a new release, so it won't clean newer spyware creations like CommonName. I would keep AdAware however. It's still very useful. SpyBot also has a lot of other cool functionality built into it, like a clean on startup in case you are unable to remove the spyware's .exe...
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