378 new objects found by ad-aware... new record? What advice should I give this user?

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fs5

Lifer
Jun 10, 2000
11,774
1
0
My boss wants me to fix his daughter's computer. She said there's too many pop-ups and the internet is slow. Ya think? Ad-aware finds 378 objects and it's slow? No way!

I'm going to run adaware and install google bar (pop-up blocker). Anything else I can do to prevent this from happening again? Or any message I can put on her computer so she doesn't do this again?
 
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deftron

Lifer
Nov 17, 2000
10,868
1
0
I've found thousands on my bro's computer before.


You need to disable system restore if XP and enable it again to delete the backed up stuff or it will show up again.


 
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fs5

Lifer
Jun 10, 2000
11,774
1
0
Originally posted by: deftron
I've found thousands on my bro's computer before.
You need to disable system restore if XP and enable it again to delete the backed up stuff or it will show up again.
Click to expand...

good thinkin', completely forgot to do this.
 
V

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
Considering that it flags browser cookies as objects, it's not hard at all to have several hundred items.

The only ones I really consider valid are installed software, executables, registry entries, browser hijacks, etc.

Viper GTS
 
BigSmooth

BigSmooth

Lifer
Aug 18, 2000
10,484
12
81
I ran Ad-Aware on my parents computer a while back and it removed 800+ objects, including about 150 registry entries IIRC.
I went back a few weeks later and ran it again, and I got the same results, plus really weird stuff like pop-up windows even when IE wasn't open. My first thought was virus but this was a Dell computer that was preloaded with NAV.

So I search around and I realize that my stepdad had uninstalled NAV.
rolleye.gif
I downloaded and ran AVG and there were 9 viruses... Nimda, Sobig, etc. I asked him later why he uninstalled NAV - apparently, his subscription ran out and he was "tired of the reminder that kept popping up". Sheesh. :)
 
C

ClueLis

Platinum Member
Jul 2, 2003
2,269
0
0
Originally posted by: fivespeed5
My boss wants me to fix his daughter's computer. She said there's too many pop-ups and the internet is slow. Ya think? Ad-aware finds 378 objects and it's slow? No way!

I'm going to run adaware and install google bar (pop-up blocker). Anything else I can do to prevent this from happening again? Or any message I can put on her computer so she doesn't do this again?
Click to expand...

Spybot immunizations or a better browser for the website stuff. Get rid of the file sharing programs (which she inevitably has). Tell her to make sure she checks everything she downloads. Also, for good measure, disable Windows Messenger if she is on XP.
 
SagaLore

SagaLore

Elite Member
Dec 18, 2001
24,036
21
81
Look at the log it generates. You have to realize that most of those are just cookies it found - cookies that aren't necessarily malicous.
 
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