Ian's Web Log (Blog)
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Zestyfind.com and look2me.com MySearch: PC running slowly Reducing spam, viruses... This page documents various problems, solutions and observations that I have from time to time. If you've found this page via a search engine, and it solves a similar problem or query that you've had, then this page has served its intent.
3 July 2004
Zestyfind.com and look2me.com -- adware/spyware
Our son's computer became infected with these adware programs.
Symptoms
The PCs Internet Explorer browser would pop-up new browser windows containing Web sites we were not interested in, including directing us to www.Zestyfind.com and www.look2me.com
The Solution
A utility program called kill2me, specifically designed to remove look2me, removed the adware, Download here.
More information only Zestyfind can be found here (I just removed the files named msg117.dll and msg.118.dll from the /windows/system folder), scanned with Spybot (see below), and restarted. There are also some similarly names files msg....acm which must not be touched.
26 June 2004
MySearch: Why my PC started running slowly
You get use to the feel and responsiveness of your computer. So it was a surprise to find that my system started running slowly.
Symptoms
- On selecting various items on my desktop, there would be a slight delay before anything would happen. For example, on selecting a menu from the menu bar, or clicking the red Close icon in the top-right corner of a window. The delay was 'only' about half a second, but enough time to be noticeable.
- Drop-down windows would appear gradually. For example, if I selected the Edit menu, the menu would appear to fade-in gradually, making it look animated. If I moved from drop-down menu to menu, the delay would make it frustrating to browse through them.
- Moving windows around my desktop was very slow. If I clicked on the blue title bar of my browser, and held down the mouse button, on moving the window fairly fast, I would see 'comet-like' tracks behind the window's movement, as the PC struggled to update the display. Every few seconds the display would freeze for an extra half second, making the movement of windows seem to jump across the screen.
- On playing videos, the video would occasionally freeze for a fraction of a second.
The Solution
Although I did scans for adware and spyware, none of them seemed to have picked up the addition of a new search bar in MS Internet Explorer and file Explorer (File Manager) called "MySearch" (the word 'My' has a light blue circle around it). Apparently it's also called the 'MyWay Speed Bar'. [More information] It might have come in with another piece of software. The solution was simply to remove it. Here are the instructions for Windows XP:
- Click on your Start button and choose Control Panel
- Select Add/Remove programs
- Locate the entry for "MySearch"
- Click Remove.
- If there's also an entry for 'Fun Web Products Easy Installer', remove it too.
25 June 2004
Reducing spam, viruses, adware and spyware
Definitions:
- Spam is unsolicited email.
- A virus is a computer program that usually arrives with your email as an attachment, AND, which you have inadvertently opened, and by so doing, causing it to infect your machine.
- Adware is software that delivers adverts to your computer, but may be required by some software to run.
- Spyware is software that sends information from your computer to another, for example, for advertising purposes.
Solutions:
- I have the following software installed:
- Grisoft's Anti-Virus Software, which is available as a free version (AVG Free Edition). It can be scheduled to check your entire system for viruses, and, can be integrated with your email software (I use Eudora) to automatically check for viruses. Unfortunately the integration with Eudora was causing the contents of the occasional message to be lost, so this aspect of the AVG was disabled (and Zone Alarm used instead). Note: It is vital to ensure that your Virus database file is updated regularly. This is file of virus "fingerprints" which are used to check for known viruses. If a new virus is discovered today, and it's not in the virus database, it might get through!
- Spybot, which is free, and looks for unwanted adware and spyware, and optionally removes it. You just have to be careful not remove adware which is required by some software, such as that used to run the free version of Eudora.
- Zone Alarm, which is available as free version, and prevents (a) unauthorised access to your PC from the Internet, and, (b) if you should get adware or spyware on your PC, will stop it accessing it's home server over the Internet. The paid version of Zone Alarm also includes anti-virus software which integrates well with Eudora.
- I never open email attachments unless (a) I am expecting them (b) the email message references the attachment (c) I know that type of file I am receiving. For example, graphic files such as .jpg and .gif, and documents such as .wp, .doc, .txt and .rtf. Never open email with the following file name extensions: .pif, scr (screen savers), .exe, .com
- I reduce the amount of spam I receive by not publicising my email address. I try not to place by email address on Web sites where it might be seen by spam robots, such as on message boards. Where my email address appears on my own Web site, it is either in the form of a graphic image (spam robots just see an image, and not the text), or, I hide the email address using HTML entities and comments. For example:
- john@wherever.com becomes:
- john@wherever.com
- An HTML entity converter can be found here.