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Thread ID: 52792	2004-12-30 02:26:00	Some Adaware program has installed itself on my computer	paragone (6714)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
308847	2004-12-31 00:54:00	It would pay to also download , UPDATE and use Spybot S&D, www.majorgeeks.com Yes Indeed. Make sure you activate Teatimer in Spybot and if you are using IE activate SD Helper as well (but better still toss IE and get Opera or Firefox).	Mycenius (6715)
308848	2004-12-31 01:09:00	as much as i hate IE (and love opera) its not really practical for a lot of uses to toss IE. IE is a requirement for a lot of programs :( therefore its stil wise to keep the patches uptodate and run some sort of protection even tho you don't use IE. the other thing is useing non-IE browser won't save you from spyware but will cut down the odds of it installing via your browser. don't forget a lot sites trick users into downloading and running infected software/files rather than just expoloiting the browser.	tweak'e (69)
308849	2005-01-01 18:32:00	Wow! You guys in the southern hemisphere got the same problems we have here up north . The WILDTANGENT thing is a replicator virus . It is capable of totally filling your hard drives with garbage that won't let you clean/scandisk/defrag or anything but fdisk . It has been running wild here, especially on dial-up isp's . DSL's seem to not be so adversely affected, but you have to run GOOD anti-spy killers . I had to drill down in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Run and then look for things like this: WildTangent CDA RUNDLL32 . exe"C\ProgramFiles\WildTangent\Apps\CDA\cdaEngine0400 . dll",cdaEngineMain It MAY not be in the programs add/delete area . It might be there, but in stealth as "white-on-white" . exe or . cmd prompts that generate the replication into the hard drives . These "white-on-white" codes are left over from the days of SHIFT/F1 control devices in the 6-level keyboard accesses in the old PET 40-40 opsys . They were insidious in their day, but I thought that this would be so old fashioned, that it would not be used in modern times . Ah! Not so! Here it comes like deja vu all over again! lol! :badpc:	SurferJoe1946 (6716)
308850	2005-01-01 18:37:00	I forgot to add: DO NOT FORGET TO CLOSE ALL THE FILES YOU OPENED IN THE DRILL DOWN!!!! If you don't do that, the drill down will all be for naught. Close all files and collapse the tree when you are done, and then go to "FILE" on the toolbar, >File,>EXIT. Failure to do this will make the changes you just made NOT take effect! Sorry for the omission. SURFER JOE in Southern California. :thumbs:	SurferJoe1946 (6716)
308851	2005-01-01 19:03:00	I forgot to add: DO NOT FORGET TO CLOSE ALL THE FILES YOU OPENED IN THE DRILL DOWN!!!! If you don't do that, the drill down will all be for naught. Close all files and collapse the tree when you are done, and then go to "FILE" on the toolbar, >File,>EXIT. Failure to do this will make the changes you just made NOT take effect! Sorry for the omission. SURFER JOE in Southern California. :thumbs: Thanks Surfer Joe, useful information and I suspect not widely known.	Safari (3993)
308852	2005-01-01 19:46:00	Now comes the hard part! To keep the WildTangent virus out, the following steps had to be done on my puter, and I do the same things on all the units I have to exorcise here too . 1) Turn off SYSTEM RESTORE (yup! viruses like to hide there, and a system restore will just bring the little virus back to life) 2) roll down the "Days to keep pages in history" in Internet Options to 0 3) clear history 4) delete files 5) delete cookies 6) get SPYBOT S&D 1 . 2 with the words "Kolla" and " . de" in the url (there are phonies out there!) 7) get AdAware, not ADWARE from Lavasoft The latter is more spyware . 8) get SPYWAREBLASTER 9) in INTERNET PROPERTIES >advanced tab, unclick Enable third-party browser extensions 10) disable third party cookies 11) get SP-2 ASAP! It will not be available forever! Actually, get the disc from Microsoft before it's too late . And I have received another 4 updates since I got SP-2 too! 12) update, update, update all and every time you go online . Remember that viruses get started when you re-boot or cold-boot your puter . They won't usually cause any problems 'till you restart . By that time you don't remember what you did last time that brought all this on your head . 13) get Firefox by Mozilla, and make it your default browser . You can always keep IE for those few time you might need it . . . just use descretion! Now the maintainence part: In Spybot, check the scanned exceptions area (advanced mode) . Once in a while, I find and don't know how it happens, that some of the exceptions boxes which were all unchecked, are now checked . It might be spoofs or timebombs in the system, but it happens . . . so check it some times . AdAware will not update itself unless you buy the commercial version which has no different scanning capabilities than the freebie . It just updates automatically . Update it all the time . SpywareBlaster is a very special killer . It fills the voids left by the other killers . Use it and enable all protection . . . leave no stone unturned! All these programs run silently and invisably in the background in my equiptment . The only strange thing is that Spybot will constantly find a "DSO EXPLOIT" in the results of the scan . It is Spywareblaster that it sees . I don't click the DSO exemption box; I just let the files get found over and over . It is small price to pay just in case there are someday a new DSO exploit it finds that isn't Spywareblaster . BTW: Wildtangent will not always call itself by that name . It generates some files with the prefix: "wt . . . . . . . etc" . It seems to randomise new file prefixes all the time, and therefor once it's in, it is very hard to remove . Take the above steps, and if you find that you run for a while with no more incidences of it raising up from the dead, go ahead and reinstate system restore if you absolutely have to . I never do . Surfer Joe In Socal	SurferJoe1946 (6716)
308853	2005-01-01 21:08:00	The WILDTANGENT thing is a replicator virus. It is capable of totally filling your hard drives with garbage that won't let you clean/scandisk/defrag or anything but fdisk. It has been running wild here, especially on dial-up isp's. I have found WildTangent games installed on certain new computers (Packard Bell was one, I think). Is that related to the WildTangent you are talking about?	FoxyMX (5)
308854	2005-01-01 21:23:00	Thats possible Foxy. I would find out what those games are, and do a search on google or yahoo. If they are remove them.	Speedy Gonzales (78)
308855	2005-01-01 22:01:00	I have found WildTangent games installed on certain new computers (Packard Bell was one, I think). Is that related to the WildTangent you are talking about? support.wildgames.com WildTangent is an online video game software company with partnerships with many companies like HP, Dell, Compaq, Logitech, AOL, and others. We package our games with their products such as computers and computer peripherals. We do not install our software onto your computer without your knowledge and consent. * If you have found WildTangent software on your computer, but didn’t install it, it was installed onto your computer in the following ways: Your computer manufacturer, such as HP, Dell, Compaq, or Gateway, preinstalled the software and games on your computer. Playing any of our games, like Polar Bowler, Blasterball or Tradewinds, or any AIM Games, like Lexibox and WildCards, will install WildTangent on your computer. *In conjunction with AOL, we supply our games as a part of AIM Games. Trying one of our games from our website partners like MSN Gaming Zone, Yahoo and Shockwave. *To view all our games, please go to our WildGames website. Someone in your household has played or downloaded any one of our games.	Safari (3993)
308856	2005-01-02 18:13:00	My answer here is without predjudice: Let me copy/paste your reply: If you have found WildTangent software on your computer, but didn’t install it, it was installed onto your computer in the following ways: Your computer manufacturer, such as HP, Dell, Compaq, or Gateway, preinstalled the software and games on your computer . Someone in your household has played or downloaded any one of our games . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry to burst your bubble there, person from WildTangent . I have never played any games, never allowed anyone else to use this computer, never bought an out of the box puter, and this one is custom made with no . . . repeat NO previous input by anyone . I built it, gave it life and was there for the birth . I have never allowed any . . . and I mean ANY games to exist on it . Now, the truth of the matter is this: There is a virus running around . . . it is called WildTangent, and if it's yours, then I suggest you get to the bottom of the fact that somebody has either spoofed your games or disassembled your code and written in something else of which you are not aware . There are great numbers of people here who hold WildTangent with utter contempt and on about the same level as the after effects of a tsunami . Get it? While you are probably just an ivory-tower dweller, here in the real world there are a lot of hard drives being destroyed by your so called games . I will mail some of them to you if you like; you can open them up and find for yourself just what it is that you have defended as nothing more than a harmless little ol' game . Real world destruction is no funny thing . . . . I thoroughly dislike the inferrence that I somehow installed or allowed to be installed any games or downloads from any of your sites . The very existance of the virus, and the fact that even Spybot considers it as such and scans for it, are proof enough that there is some insidious reason why it should be removed . (I hold Mr . Patric Kolla in the highest esteem, and as such feel that he has no contentious attitudes toward you/your company personally, he just thoroughly dislikes what is considered 0's and 1's being the cause root of spying, hacking, trojans and viruses and other malware . Read his licensing and reasons why he does what he does) . And, it isn't just that these anti-spy killers don't want WildTangent reporting to the mother ship . These programs are destructive to . . . <let me look to my right here> . . . the 6 destroyed hard drives that I have piled up next to my chair . There are websites and blogs just like this that are teeming with ways to remove something that you call "games" Do you wonder why? Is there some general hate for "games" or is it that there is truly flame at the base of all this smoke? Since I have just spend another 11 hours trying to exorcise another friend's computer of your so called games and I have a splitting headache from being up all night doing so, I am in no mood for platitudes from any one who would so cheerfully indict me for failures I have as an end user . As it is, their hard drive too, was so junked with replicant data/files with the "wt" prefix, that today is another day that the local Staples Electronics will have their purses gilded . Donations will be gladly accepted . Would you like to volunteer to pay for all the drives that are ruined so far? How about tomorrow? Will you and your company take responsibility for what you say is just games? As the vocal representative (and sole defender so far) of your company, will you pay for this? You have the bully pulpit for your company . . . . . a non-happy exorcist . :stare: :xmouth:	SurferJoe1946 (6716)
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