Girl Geekette

These days, Spyware and Adware protection has become a must-have. Like a good Anti-Virus program, an Anti-Spyware program is a need for every computer. With all the new spyware and Adware Programs that are developed everyday, these makers have gotten smarter. In fact, some have even decided they want your computer infected so that they can tell you your computer is infected in hopes that you will download their program so you can clean your computer of Spyware and Adware using their program.

But, what happens when their program actually IS spyware ? At Spyware Warrior, you can see the list of names of programs that disguise themselves as Anti-Spyware programs that are suspected of actually being Spyware. These programs cannot be recommened.  

As of November 10th, 2005 there are 229 suspected applications like this. Before you install an Anti-Spyware program, please check to make sure it is not on this list. 

In America, it seems sometimes that we live in a lawsuit happy nation. Most of the time, it is all about the money. Since lawsuits seem to have been trivialized these days, I did happen to run across one that I am happy to see.

Spyware and Adware can be detrimental. Whether you spend hours cleaning your infected computer, lose privacy and security, or even start out from scratch a computer just never seems to run the same again.

Finally, the FTC has taken the law where it should go. It is now suing Odysseus Marketing of New Hampshire. Their Spyware and Adware -Clientman -  is listed in Computer Associates’ Spyware Encyclopedia. With claims such as "Download music without fear," and "Don’t let the record companies win," it would end up rewriting search engine results and creating popups. By installing its own malicious code, it causes headaches for those who do not give permission for this to be done.

Windows 9x and ME users:

A) Use Regedit.exe to navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesWinsock. 
B) Export the Winsock key to a Winsock.reg file, to save it. 
C) Delete the Winsock key. 
D) Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesWinsock2.
E) Export the Winsock2 key to a Winsock2.reg file, to save it.
F) Delete the Winsock2 key.
G) Exit Regedit.exe.
H) Control Panel / Network and Dial-up Connections.
I) Right-click Local Area Connection and press Properties.
J) Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and press Uninstall.
K) After uninstalling TCP/IP, shutdown and restart your computer.
L) If TCP/IP is NOT automatically re-installed, use Control Panel / Network and Dial-up Connections.
M) Right-click Local Area Connection and press Properties.
N) Press Install.
O) Press Protocol / Add.
P) Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) under Network Protocol, possibly under Microsoft, and press OK.
Q) After the TCP/IP install, power off and power on your external modem, or shutdown and restart your computer.

If you do have a Windows XP cd, you can use Netdiag

You must install the Support tools from the XP cd if they are not already installed.

Use a retail XP CD and follow the following steps to install the Support Tools
        A) Insert the CD and browse to the Support\Tools folder
        B) Double-click on the setup file
        C) Go through the prompts until you get to the "Select An Installation Type" screen
        D) Select Complete and click Next

Once setup completes or if the Support Tools are already installed:
        A) Open a command prompt.
        B) Type "netdiag /test:winsock" (without the quotes) and press Enter

It will return the test results for several network components including the Winsock. .For more details on the test, you can add /v at the end of the command. This will set it to verbal.