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Confused, from France
federica
Seeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
Just a couple of questions....
I keep getting a pop-up exhorting me to download a Win Antivirus 2006 programme, as there appear to be some new and nasty viruses which my current protection porgramme would not be able to protect me from, so 'download now!!'
AVG has done pretty well... Presumably, I should just ignore this hyped advertisment as software propaganda....?
Or is it worth downloading anyway....
Woult the two programmes be overkill, or belt and braces, or would they conflict?
I ran a tester on it yesterday, and it claimed to have picked up 15 problems.... all to do with a gambling games prog. Nick downloaded....(free, you'll all be glad to know....:orange: )
trouble is, if I'd opted to 'cure' them, I have no idea what it would have done to Nick's prog....
SECOND QUESTION:
The PC takes anything between five and fifteen minutes to shut down...we normally have it on all day.... But given that it's quite a powerful piece of kit, why would it take that long....It's so slooooowww!!
1-syllable answers please, you have a technical fudgewit here.....
I keep getting a pop-up exhorting me to download a Win Antivirus 2006 programme, as there appear to be some new and nasty viruses which my current protection porgramme would not be able to protect me from, so 'download now!!'
AVG has done pretty well... Presumably, I should just ignore this hyped advertisment as software propaganda....?
Or is it worth downloading anyway....
Woult the two programmes be overkill, or belt and braces, or would they conflict?
I ran a tester on it yesterday, and it claimed to have picked up 15 problems.... all to do with a gambling games prog. Nick downloaded....(free, you'll all be glad to know....:orange: )
trouble is, if I'd opted to 'cure' them, I have no idea what it would have done to Nick's prog....
SECOND QUESTION:
The PC takes anything between five and fifteen minutes to shut down...we normally have it on all day.... But given that it's quite a powerful piece of kit, why would it take that long....It's so slooooowww!!
1-syllable answers please, you have a technical fudgewit here.....
0
Comments
I run Spybot every day and it always finds stuff. I also have Ad-Aware and Webroot Spy Sweeper but I had to pay for that one.
Where are these popups coming from? If they're coming from the Web, always ignore them and never click on them, even out of curiosity. You should also download the Google toolbar because it will block popups.
All your security questions can be answered at Kim Komando.com. Everything you need to know about your computer is either on her site or accessible from her site.
Brigid
This particular popup came in a link I clicked on to as a reference for something written by a contributor to a thread....I have google toolbar, and as you say, it successfully blocks the pop-ups....
So, that question being answered....
why would my PC take so long to close down....?
Did this link you clicked on take you to a different website? I'm assuming you clicked a link in a post that someone on a forum provided as the source for the information in their post, like we do on here for accesstoinsight.com, for example? What website did the link bring you to?
Win Antivirus 2006 program is not a safe program and its website is flagged by Site Advisor. Here are two reviews of Win Antivirus:
You're being lured to a dangerous website by that popup. Download the Site Advisor extension for Firefox. It tests websites for various things and rates their safety. Just go to "Tools", "Extensions" and in the bottom right hand corner of the Extension window that opens click "Get more extensions". This will bring you to the Firefox extension site and you can download Site Advisor there. It's a great little program. After you download it and restart Firefox you'll see it on the bottom right hand side of the browser window and wherever you go it will tell you if the site is safe (green), problematic (yellow), dangerous (red, and Win Antivirus 2006 is red) or not tested (grey). When you do a Google search it will also put green check marks next to safe sites, yellow next to...and so on, on the results page so you can tell which sites are safe before you go to them. This is what it looks like on the Google results page.(I hope you can see the green tick marks and the red X next to the different websites. You may have to have the extension to see them. I don't know if they'll transfer.)
I think the problem may be that a program that you or Nick downloaded to your computer has put malicious code on your computer that overrides your pop up blocker and lures you to the Win Antivirus site. The program you downloaded is probably affiliated with Win Antivirus. You may find that the culprits are the gambling programs and websites. Read the Privacy Agreement of any gambling programs you have downloaded because some of them will add adware and spyware to your computer and they tell you in the agreement that they're going to do this. They're counting on people not reading the agreement and just clicking "I Agree". Always read the agreement. Very important.
Or the popup maybe coming from somewhere else.
I've had to reformat my computer twice due to malicious code and I strongly urge you not to have to do this. I didn't back up anything so I lost everything and had to start from scratch. What I would do in your position is run every diagnostic tool you have, all your anti-spyware/adware programs and your AVG and get rid of anything they find. I would also take a good hard look at the gambling programs and their agreements. Spyware/adware is probably why your computer has slowed so much when closing down. Run your cleanups a few times to be sure.
And most importantly, never click on a popup advertisement. And go to Kim Komando. She talks plain English and she's the best.
Fingers crossed,
Brigid
I'm glad I checked before I did anything, although I have now been around computers long enough to be suspicious of anything like this... a couple of years ago, I might have gone:
"Ooooh, look! What a good idea! Those nice little gremlins are trying to look after me!! I'll install it right now!!":crazy: :rolleyesc
But fortunately, I had second thoughts...!!
I'll also check out Kimkomando...Sound good to me, if she speaks plain english...I can't be dealing with jargon - if it can be written plainluy, then why not do it that way in the first palce, instead of confusing the hell out of poor innocent little inept people (like me!!) ??
So I went to Kim Komando and she taught me everything I know about computers via her website and newsletters. She has a syndicated radio show in the U.S. with millions of listeners so she's speaking to a very wide range of people and knows how to explain things so that your grandmother can understand. She's wonderful. I was also very impressed by her professionalism and her impartiality. You can trust her completely and there's no one like her out there. It's very comforting to know she's there.
It's an absolute miracle that I could give computer advice of any kind. I'm not very technically minded, to put it mildly, but I took to the Internet like a fish to water. People can surprise you, even yourself. lol!
Good luck, Fede! Your good instincts will protect you.
Brigid
Any hints on why the PC might take so looooooong to shut down at night.....?
I'm a little nervous about the gambling stuff you have on your computer. See what you can get rid of and check again. Once you have "SiteAdvisor" installed, you can check out the gambling sites and see if they are putting crap on your computer that's slowing it down. Don't go to the actual sites. Just Google search them and view their status on the Google results page.
Another very useful tool is Belarc Advisor. It will scan your computer and give you a profile of your system. It's free and it's wonderful. Extremely helpful little program. (As a matter of fact, I'm going to their site right now to download the latest updates.)
I'll see what I can find out. Trust your instincts and happy cleaning!
Love,
Brigid
You need my other site.. This is what we do for a living
First, read this.
After you've done all that, if you still have spyware, you need to call the voodoo doctor I know in Jamaica. He can help with these things as a last resort. :crazy:
Hey, Brian. I didn't know about this in AdAware. I just unchecked it. If you feel like it, could you let me know what it means? I didn't know you did this for a living. I like your site. I'm bookmarking it for the future. I'm sure you can Fede's problem in a jiff. Man, do I ever love this place. I feel so safe! lol!
Thanks, Brian. You rock! lol!
Brigid
Can I copy, paste and print the page off, to follow the instructions better?
And all the cookies being deleted, gets rid of all my passwords, too....how do I avoid that?
Sure you can print it, many people do
Thank you for the kind words, brigid!
AVG is scanning at the moment. presumably I wait until the scan is over....
And at one point, the instructions recommend closing all windows...Does that mean disconnection from AOL as well....?
I still need walking through some stuff - !!
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2factivescan%2f&NRNODEGUID=%7b3B202047-35D4-4DA2-B310-B1DBEC2971F2%7d&NRCACHEHINT=Guest
-bf
But you'll need to access this site via Microcraps Internet Explorer. Mozilla isn't supported.
-bf
LOL!!!
You're welcome, Brian.
AVG 7.0fw_344a
AVG 7.1
Spybot Search & Destroy
Ad-Aware
CWShredder
Ramboost
Ewido anti malware
Bitdefender on-line virus scan
Panda software Anti-Virus active scan
Hyjack this
and
Zonealarm -
as well as aol autodiagnostic -!!
How often should I run these programmes?
(AVG auto-runs every day....)
can I get them to autorun like AVG or do I have to forever trigger them off myself...?
Is it really necessary to have them all...?? It's getting to the point where I have so much spyware and anti-virus - there soon won't be room for anything else!!
EVERY single time I start up the PC, I get a message box which reads:
"Windows cannot find 'C:\PROGRA ~1\SOFTWA ~1\soproc.exe' make sure that you have entered the name correctly and try again. To locate a file, click on 'Start' then 'Search'. "
What does it mean?
Why do I get it every time?
is it important?
How do I get rid of it?
Software Online uninstaller
And this might be of interest:
Software Online Intelligent Downloader and Soproc.exe
But the first prog you gave me, brings up a black box into which presumably I'm supposed to type something....But it stays up for less than a second, then disappears....
And the second link 'cannot be found'....by ModzF.Fox..... It might just be busy though...So I'll give it a go later.....
Thank you anyway...Nice to see you!!
You have too many programs on your computer. Go to Kim Komando and follow her instructions on how to protect your computer and how to get rid of garbage.
First and foremost, you cannot have more than 1 anti-virus program running on your computer. When you do, these programs conflict. You can't run Panda Anti-Virus and AVG anti-virus on the same computer.
ZoneAlarm is a firewall and offers many other features if you wish to pay for them. But if you just want to use it as a firewall, go ahead because it's a good program.
This is how it works:
(1) You need a firewall. A firewall "hides" your computer by not answering "pings" which are queries from other computers who want to find your computer for various reasons. You must have a firewall protecting you at all times when you go online. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) will have one as does Windows. I deactivate both my Windows and ISP's firewalls and I only use ZoneAlarm. You can't have two firewalls either.
(2) You need anti-virus protection, but only one. I use the paid version of McAfee because it works best with Windows products. I used to use AVG and Panda at one time but had problems with both so I paid for McAfee and got rid of the others.
(3) You need anti-spyware protection and you can have as many of these programs as you want. I run Spybot, AdAware and the paid version of Webroot's Spy Sweeper.
That's a quick summary of what you need to protect your computer. To understand all of this better, go to Kim Komando. She will solve your problems.
As to the message you're getting every time you boot up, it sounds like malware infected your computer and deleted one of your programs, soproc.exe. This is an executable file but that's all I know about it. To find out more you need to do a Google search and find out what other people have done about this problem. Just type in the exact message you get whenever you boot up into your Google search bar and search for the solution.
So before you do anything, do the Google search and go to Kim Komando. I'm going to do a quick search to see if I can find anything.
Are all your programs updated, including Windows? Do you have Service Pack 2?
Brigid
"Description:
soproc.exe is an advertising program by SoftwareOnline. This process monitors your browsing habits and distributes the data back to the author's servers for analysis. This also prompts advertising popups. This program is a registered security risk and should be removed immediately." From here.
There's all sorts of info for you. Here are some links to sites that can tell you more. These are all safe sites according to Siteadvisor:
Try here.
And this.
And this.
Especially here.
The last link says that Webroot's Spy Sweeper, one of the anti-spyware programs I run, will get rid of soproc. The site gives you a link to download the trial version of Spy Sweeper and how to configure it before you use it to scan.
If "soproc" has installed itself in your registry, and it's pretty certain that it has, you'll have to get in there and remove it or it will keep installing itself whenever you boot up. That's why your spyware programs haven't been able to get rid of it completely. I don't know which programs clean it out of your registry (Spy Sweeper might) but you can do it manually and Kim Komando has info on how to do that.
You can also check very quickly if soproc is running whenever you start your computer.
Go to Start, Run and type in msconfig. Click on the "Startup" tab and go through the list of programs that start when Windows start (when you start your computer). If you find it, uncheck the check mark next to it and reboot and it won't start up when windows starts. You still have to take the other steps to remove it from other places, though.
Soproc is not a high security risk but it needs to be removed.
Good luck, Fede!
Brigid
Not necessarily true. If you are behind a router, your computer does not have a static IP on the internet and cannot be pinged anyway. A firewall does much more than prevent you from being pinged. It closes off ports so that a remote attacker has a lesser chance of being able to exploit your computer remotely. You can have a firewall and still be "pinged". ZoneAlarm is good, but it has been known to be slow (especially the free version). If you are behind a router, you really only need the built in Windows XP firewall. If you are directly connected to the internet (as you are if you dial up to the internet or if you have only one computer in the house hooked directly up to a DSL modem or Cable modem), then you probably should invest in a commercial firewall, such as Zone Alarm Pro.
Definitely - you need an AV program. However, McAfee being the best is just wrong. Actually, most of the people in my line of work universally agree that McAfee is the worst out there. It is bloated, slow, and not as effective as most other commercial AV programs. It certainly does not work "best" with windows products. AVG free is good if you simply can't afford to buy good commercial AV software, but I highly recommend Kaspersky AV if you can afford the $40.
The rest of your advice was great. I've never heard of Kim Komando but I'm sure she gives good advice.
No, no, I would never be offended at being corrected by you! You're an expert, I'm so totally not. lol!
So, I think I'm going to upgrade to ZoneAlarm Pro because I only have the freeware version. Unless you can tell me of a better one? You probably don't use them very often but if you know of a better firewall, let me know because I really don't want to have to reformat my system for a third time. Yes, a third time. lol!!
Blasted about McAfee!! Damn! I paid for it, too. That sucks. You know who I believed? The tech from Dell. Are you peeing your pants laughing at me right now? You are, aren't you? I know you are. lol!! Poo, poo, poo. Well, when my tax return comes in I'll be upgrading to the firewall you suggest and Kaspersky. I'm so glad you didn't suggest Panda because I used theirs and had so much trouble with it and with them you wouldn't believe it.
Kim Komando is great and she can really explain things to the layperson. She has a syndicated radio show in the U.S. with 7 million listeners. My machine would've blown up a long time ago if it hadn't been for her.
Thank you so much for correcting my mistakes, Brian, and giving me better info, too. The next time I have trouble with the machine I'm going to your site BTW.
Brigid
Tell me what to get rid of:
Panda and BitDefender are only workable through Windows explorer and aren't downloads...you just kick them off when needed, so strictly speaking although Bookmarked as favourites, they're not on the system per se.....
And how to get rid of this soproc stuff...Incidentally, Brigid, I did as you suggested and unchecked it from the start-up menu, and then rebooted - joy of joys, no sodding grey box....but in laymen's terms, just tell me what to use to clean the system, and then I can sleep a happy wominn!!
I'm ashamed to say that technical jargon, and too much of it completely fazes my brain...I really do need the John and Jane approach....maybe my poor brain is hotwired wrongly.... I'm very artistic; but numerically and "logically" (left hemisphere) speaking...I think it has shrunk.... :rolleyesc
Since you're only using the Panda online scan I think you're fine in terms of your virus protection.
You also asked how often you should run these programs. I update my anti spyware programs (Spybot and AdAware) every few days and I run them every time I come offline. Spy Sweeper updates automatically as does stupid McAfee anti-virus. I run virus scans every week. But how often you run certain programs depends on the configuration of your system and the kinds of programs you have installed so it's hard to say.
So if I have this right, you have a firewall (ZoneAlarm), an antivirus program (AVG) and anti spyware programs (Spybot Search & Destroy, Ad-Aware and CWShredder). I've heard of "Hijack This" but don't know what it does. And I've never heard of Ewido anti malware. But it sounds like you have the right stuff, except that I really like Spy Sweeper because it also warns you before programs are downloaded and added to your startup list. Brian, what do you think?
I'll do some searching and get back to you, Fede.
Brigid
Trial version of Spy Sweeper.
* On the right hand side of the screen click on the link "Download the trial".
* Install it. Once the program is installed, it will open.
* It will prompt you to update to the latest definitions, click Yes.
* Once the definitions are installed, click Options on the left side.
* Click the Sweep Options tab.
* Under What to Sweep please put a check next to the following:
o Sweep Memory
o Sweep Registry
o Sweep Cookies
o Sweep All User Accounts
o Enable Direct Disk Sweeping
o Sweep Contents of Compressed Files
o Sweep for Rootkits
o Please UNCHECK Do not Sweep System Restore Folder.
* Click Sweep Now on the left side.
* Click the Start button.
* When it's done scanning, click the Next button.
* Make sure everything has a check next to it, then click the Next button.
* It will remove all of the items found.
I don't know if you'll be able to see if it found soproc, but look at any items it finds in case it's there and you're able to identify it.
And we'll take it from there.
Brigid
But the grey box no longer comes up now.... which is cool!
I'll keep you all posted - I must have the squeakiest-clean PC ever!!
I have two 'Moodzilla Firefox Set-up' files on my desktop...
One is:
Firefox setup 1.0.7
and the other is:
Firefox setup 1.5
Which one can I dispose of...? or can I dispense with both, now that I have Firefox installed?
If ever I need updates, it advises me anyway....
And what about all the other spyware/antivirus/adware set-ups? Should I keep them too, or can I dellte them/file them elsewhere....?
My desktop is beginning to look definitely very un-Feng Shui-ish ...cluttered - !!
Anything you're not sure of deleting you can send to your Documents. Just right click on the icon on your desktop, point your cursor over "Send to" and a submenu will appear giving you the options to send it to various places. Click on "My Documents" and it will be sent there. Then you can delete it from your desktop.
You can also use the handy thing I use which is to right click on a clean space on your desktop and in the menu that appears point your cursor on "Arrange Icons By..." and a sub menu appears and near the bottom there's an option that says "Show Desktop Icons" and if you click on it the check mark next to it will disappear and there will be no icons showing at all on your desktop. You can always go back to the same menu and click on "Show Desktop Icons" if you want the icons to reappear on your desktop. I hardly ever use desktop icons because I use nice photos as wallpaper and I like things to be clean and uncluttered. I keep all of my programs in the Quick Launch and Desktop toolbars on my taskbar at the bottom. If you want to know how to do that just let me know.
Harmful?
Delete?
help - !
http://www.python.org/
Unless you have this virus: http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_994.htm
-bf
Itself, it is inert. It simply enables a language called Python to work on your computer.
Removing it might break something good
Thank you Brain...I take it then to just leave well alone....
I have so much security on my PC now, I'm surprised it will let ME in - !!
here's the daily ritual:
Start up the PC.
AOL automatically comes up, but the little sand/eg-timer just sits there, and then it the window tells me 'AOL does not respond'.
I shut AOL down.
the AOL re-start option box comes up. I click 're-start'.
OK.... And on....
During the day, even with no window open, no search engines active, the PC is constantly whirring and occasionally clicking, as if a spyware programme were running...though to all intents and purposes, nothing is....
I have every conceivable spyware/firewall programme as recommended by this site....
Ad-Aware
Spybot Search & Destroy
Javacools SpywareBlaster
Panda ActiveScan -IE
BitDefender Online Scanner - IE
ZoneAlarm
AVG latest edition
HJT
Ewido
Webroot Spy sweeper
Things are pretty well up to normal speed during the day, except that submitting posts can be a pain - not so much here, but on 'bigger' websites, sometimes it even times out, even though if I go back in, my post HAS been submitted.....
In the evening, I close everything down, and click on shut down.
I get nothing happening but the sand/egg timer just sitting there...
I know through experience that if I turn off the screen, it will still be there in the morning, so....
I select 'Cont+Alt+delete'
wait for the finish tasks box to come up....
(There's nothing running because i've closed it all down....so the 'finish task' box is empty) go to the stop/finish/close? option (it's in French, so it's 'Arreter?')
select 'disactivate'
Everything closes as normal, except that I get two grey boxes telling me specific programmes are closing down, but once these complete, they tell me the programmes are not responding, and to finish now. I select this option. In fact, I now select the 'terminer maintenant' option before they finish closing down, because I know what will happen....The PC then resumes closing down - until I get to the 'Windows is closing down' blue screen....
Then I have to unplug the PC, or that too, will stay up all night.
So....
What does any Technically-minded genius make of all this?
(I have also posted this above poser elsewhere, to cover all my bases - !!)
I am sooooo frustrated - more by my own technological inadequacy than anything else - !!
I deleted an item off msconfig start-up programmes this morning...(I now have 27 automatically activated start-up items, and four inactive-disabled.....) I had to obviously re-boot the PC to confirm the command.... and closing down, five minutes after I had booted up, took as long as it does in the evening....
What the heck has gotten into my PC that makes it do this - !?!
Someone said my AOL browser should be removed....
I Quote:
"Sounds like the AOL application you have is playing up. Horrible stuff, take it off and just use a normal browser."
WTF is all that about - ?
That's how I surf the internet.... through an AOL ADSL connection....! What do I do, then??
When I last did a panda active scan it found two potential hacking routes and several other problems (running into the hundreds....) It asks me if I want to cure these problems...But the instructions I got (from the person who posted all the instructions on how to rid the PC of gremlins), are to merely send the report.... but if nobody checks the report and deals with it on my behalf, those problems remain in the PC...Should I not just instruct panda to deal with the problems and delete same - ??
:hiding: :banghead: :banghead:
So, is your computer running slow all the time?
-bf
daft as it may sound, it's hard to tell....
Whenever I try to post something, it takes ages for the item to actually be posted, and on a couple of sites (not this one) the page times out - but the post appears to be successful anyway....
Searches seem to be quick....
Nick has a couple of poker sites where he plays - strictly for the fun, cerebral stimulation, and jsut to keep himself sane - !!
Honestly, the way things are at the moment, it's amazing that he hasn't slashed his wrists yet - but I digress....!
Maybe that is slowing the system down...But it's not a site you can bookmark - you have to enter it fresh, every time (a bit like the panda spyware - !)
I guess it's just the shut-down which is just ridiculous, and so frustrating.... at any time of day, it seems! - !
So....also.... what about this Panda Spyware question.....?
Hi BF maybe you can assist me, my computer runs slow as well!
It seems that the time between one-fingered typing is increasing as my fatigue steps in.
P.S. I'm writing this slowly, because I know you can't read fast.:poke:
Concerned Computer Illiterate.:crazy:
Then another box popped up....
"#gen_windows# indexing status programme did not respond."
This is the other culprit.
So what do I do with this?
Could this be what slows the pc down so much?
Pardon?
Files backed up....?
Well, ya learn something new every day.
Tell me about 'Files backed up' Brigid.... *sigh*.....:wtf: :buck: