Helpful Adware/spyware Fixes For Your Computer

i saved this a long time ago

Imagine being able to zero in on any document with a single click. Or saving your favorite Web pages--including all the links and graphics--without any hassles. How about getting the Windows help you need delivered right to your e-mail in-box? It's all possible--if you know the insider secrets.

Windows 98 has been on the job a year, and as its first anniversary approaches it's time for a performance review. Easier to set up than Windows 95? Check. Faster? Yep. Supports more hardware? Definitely. Filled with petty annoyances and the occasional usability gaffe? Absolutely.

By this time, we're confident you've figured out the basics of Windows 98--and then some. Now we'll show you the secret settings and undocumented tricks some of our sources at Microsoft don't even know about. In all, we've identified 15 problems any Windows user is likely to encounter eventually: slow Net connections, clocks that mysteriously lose time, and an Explorer that seems like it was designed to hide the files you use most often. Looking for the answers to these frustrating problems? You'll find the never-before-published solutions here.

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NO ADS THANK YOU!


This excellent workaround comes thanks to Michael ().
"This tip concerns the free programs all over the net which, in exchange for using them, put ads all over the program, especially screen savers, and sometimes all over your desktop.
What happens: every time you log on to the Internet, any and all of these programs immediately begin to search pre-programmed sites for ads. This will cause your connection to slow down considerably.
Also, within a few months, your entire hard drive(s) will be full of ads, annoyingly popping up all over the place. This is all done in the background, so most people, even hackers, have trouble finding out where the slowdown is coming from.
Some computer bundles (ALL E-Machines do) have at least one of these. They all create a new directory at C:Program FilesTimesink. If you expand it, you will find all sorts of private information about yourself, your preferences, and probably 300+ ads. Deleting the directory by itself works only until you log on to the Internet again; then, there it is back, in all its glory, only this time with 500+ ads.
To cure the problem: run Regedit -> click on "My Computer" -> click "Edit" -> "Find" -> type in "timesink" (without the quotes) -> hit "Find Next". Every time Regedit finds "timesink", right-click and choose Delete. Hit F3 and delete ALL instances (there should be about 7) until it says "Finished checking the Registry". Go back and click on "My Computer" again -> "Edit" -> "Find". This time choose "tsadbot.exe" (this file is the real culprit: it executes the stealth command to search the Internet for the most annoying ads it can find), hit "Find next", and delete all its instances, until you get the "Finished checking the Registry" message.
Now close Regedit, open Explorer, and go to C:Program FilesTimesink. Right-click on Timesink and choose Delete, or drag it to the Recycle bin.
Win 3.1 and 9x/ME sometimes put the reference to the file "tsadbot.exe" in the Win.ini file under the [windows] section, on the load= or the run= line, so check there too, and remark this executable with a semicolon (;) in front of it by placing it on its own line, or delete it altogether.
Reboot, and you will notice an IMMEDIATE improvement upon startup, ALL of your annoying ads will forever be gone, and your Internet connection will be at least 5% faster, and downloads about 15%. The only side effect is that whenever you run again the program which caused the ads to appear in first place, it may ask you what type of connection you have--go ahead and tell it something--the problem is gone, it will only ask once anyway.
Keep these instructions on hand, because there are quite a few "free" (read "ad-sponsored") programs out there which do this behind your back.
Example: download "Image Carousel II" (freeware), and create a simple screen saver, then log on to the web, and you will see what I mean. Every third picture will be a clickable ad. :("

UPDATES:


AD-Aware Internet spyware removal tool for Windows 9x/NT4/2000/ME (freeware) detects and removes Web3000, Gator, Cydoor, Radiate/Aureate, Flyswat, Conducent/TimeSink, CometCursor, Alexa etc components.

Try the SpyChecker extensive database of spyware software.

See Ojatex's Ad MAD page for more adware/spyware fixes!

"Photocopier v2.01 (free, ad-sponsored) keeps reinstalling Timesink on my system and into my Registry. After removing it (too bad because it's a useful utility), Timesink has not come back." [Thank you M.E. ()!]

"With Iplay Internet gaming site you get Tsadbot.exe, but after following the instructions above Iplay no longer works. I found out if finding the Timesink folder, deleting all the subfolders in the Ads folder, and then making the Ads folder read only, there are no more ads saved on my computer and I can still use Iplay.net." [Thank you Roger (r)!]

"In addition to "Timesink" applications there's another annoying type of AdWare using Cydoor's Ad Loader. The perpetrator is called Cd_load.exe and is located in C:WINNTSYSTEM32 (Windows NT4/2000) or C:WINDOWSSYSTEM (Windows 95/98/ME). Just do a search on the filename and remove it.
To get rid of its registry entries, find and remove the following:
Run Regedit and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftware

and delete the "Cydoor" and "Cydoor Services" keys. Then go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun

and delete the "Cydoor"="CD_Load.exe" value.
This is the Cydoor home page.
You might want to check out what software uses the Cydoor Technology BEFORE installing anything 'free'." [Thank you Friis ()!]


See this ZDNet TSAdBot spyware page for more ad-free solutions.

CPR v1.2 for Windows 98/2000 (free adware) installs these files in C:WindowsSystem: Adimage.dll, Amcis2.dll, Ipccli~1.dll, Tfde.dll, Htmdeng.exe + Msipcsv.exe, and this entry under this Registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
"IPServer"="c:windowssystemmsipcsv.exe"

to run every time Windows starts. They can be removed by completely uninstalling the program from Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs (deleting only the Registry value and the files above makes CPR unoperable). Letting Msipcsv.exe run longer than 10 minutes, drastically reduces system resources!


"Here are details on Aureate/Radiate spying/advertising software, and these are the Aureate/Radiate members/partners using its software."
[Thank you ()!]

NetNak, a freeware [actually "adware" :(] internet performance monitoring tool, uses Aureate/Radiate advertising software, and installs these files in C:WindowsSystem: Advert.dll and Amcis.dll. Uninstalling NetNak should safely remove the files.

Dx21 MS IE Restricted Zones ad-blocking VB Script.

Privacy Power!

Ad free Hosts file.

Bust Banner Ads with Proxy Auto Configuration.

Aureate 'Spying' case.

The Spyware Infested Software List.

Spambot Beware!

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