ahh!! MS ROCKS!!! Antispyware, w00t!!!

[rewt]

Cannot be done

Sure it can.

The user with pirated copy goes to update their machine. Windows update runs code on the machine through activeX control. The code recognizes the pirated copy and deactivates it and/or prevents it from getting updated.

[oldsk00l]

I can't beleive all the MS butt kissing going on here. MS O/S gets infested with spyware because of their own poor security mentality and lousy coding practices and their solution is to release MS Antispyware??? Ooooo thanks Microsoft.... This is like getting beaten and butt raped by some big black guy who then offers you a tube of Preperation H afterwards... yeah, that makes it all better...

MS should be stopping the spyware from getting on their OS in the first place, not offering software to try and fix the problem afterwards. How about being a computing professional and addressing the root cause of the problem?

I've been running Firefox instead of IE, Thunderbird instead of Outlook, and Videolan instead of WMP for 5-6 months now and I have had no spyware at all other than the occasional "tracking cookie" which isn't really spyware anyway.

Being a Linux user, I just have to say your point is moot. WINDOWS is a spyware app for MS, the least we can do is get a really decent anti-spyware from MS that gets rid of the rest of the spyware.

[Rakeesh]

Sure it can.

The user with pirated copy goes to update their machine. Windows update runs code on the machine through activeX control. The code recognizes the pirated copy and deactivates it and/or prevents it from getting updated.

But how exactly would it deactivate it?

Any specific registry keys? Files?

[GamerGuyX]

You know, one part of me wants to (just for the hell of it) try and see if it says my copy of XP is legal (which its not). The other half of me on the other hand is feeling kinda scared... :hmmm:

Decisions, decisions...

[vampireuk]

I've been running Firefox instead of IE, Thunderbird instead of Outlook, and Videolan instead of WMP for 5-6 months now and I have had no spyware at all other than the occasional "tracking cookie" which isn't really spyware anyway.

Same here but at least they are on the right track now.

[Rakeesh]

You know, one part of me wants to (just for the hell of it) try and see if it says my copy of XP is legal (which its not). The other half of me on the other hand is feeling kinda scared... :hmmm:

Decisions, decisions...

Well, I woulnd't recommend doing anything with it unless you have a little deeper understanding of the auth system than the average person.

I personally tinker with stuff like this all the time, from satellite TV access cards to embedded systems to PCs. Some authenticity checks are better than others, microsofts isn't really anything special though.

[r2d2d3d4d5]

I do like the SpyNet concept though, that you have a massive distributed network collecting information on spyware.

Sure, as long as the military don't use it. SpyNet ≈ SkyNet. :eek: :p

[intercede007]

I wonder if people actually read anymore, or just hop right in and do stuff without acknowledging letters and words at all.

You do not have to validate your Windows XP install to download their Spyware program. Look at the radio button below "Yes, please validate Windows XP.." to the option that says "Do not validate Windows. Just take me to the download."

Easy-peasy.

[vampireuk]

But...but Microsoft is evil?!

[oldsk00l]

Yes, and we cannot join their regime!!! They murder babies, and ask people to commit sodomy against Allah!!! Do they not learn!? The EU decision came from God as their punishment. We must all worship the penguin, and do away with this evil!!!! Join me in the bitifadeh!!!!

[SH64]

Hmm i think its good as some other anti-spyware progs .
i had this adware which keeps poping up whenever i open the explorer window ... i tried many other anti adware/spyware programs with it as well as this one & still cant get rid of it .
& BTW it detects Flashget (download manager program) as a spyware :bleh:

[zsynth]

Other than it installing Alexa, and giving a repetitive false positive detection of spyware called "searchsquire.com" in:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\searchsquire.com

I have no use for this. I will continue to use Ad-Aware, Spybot, and Spywareblaster. It's worked for me for a long,long time.

By using MS AS to remove this entry, which is properly entered in the restriced zone (entry should be reg dword "4"), it allows this adware to now function because it was removed from the restricted zone.

[GamerGuyX]

By using MS AS to remove this entry, which is properly entered in the restriced zone (entry should be reg dword "4"), it allows this adware to now function because it was removed from the restricted zone.

Well you have to remember, it is the beta version of the software. You have no guarantees unless its the complete version.

[zsynth]

I understand it's beta. But this is not software created by "Joe Geekster". It is made by a software "giant" with the power, money, and resources that are second to none. It seems very convienent that it is supposed to remove all spyware, yet it quietly installs it's own "Alexa" data miner at installation. Kinda like a gun company actively pushing the ban of all assault weapons, except for the fully automatic M-bla bla bla that they produce.

[intercede007]

I understand it's beta. But this is not software created by "Joe Geekster". It is made by a software "giant" with the power, money, and resources that are second to none. It seems very convienent that it is supposed to remove all spyware, yet it quietly installs it's own "Alexa" data miner at installation. Kinda like a gun company actively pushing the ban of all assault weapons, except for the fully automatic M-bla bla bla that they produce.

No, it wasn't developed by Microsoft.

It was created by Giant Software (http://www.giantcompany.com/). Microsoft bought them, stuck their name on the product and 3 days later released it to the public as Microsoft AntiSpyware.

2 other things.

1) Adaware, which I ran just now, has *not* detected any instances of Alexa. And I have Microsoft AntiSpyware installed. Depending on what SP and version of Windows you are running, people have said Alexa is installed as part of earlier versions of Windows Media Player. In other words, I don't know where you got Alexa from, but it did not get installed by AntiSpyware

2) " it was time to test how many infected files Microsoft AntiSpyware would find after an Ad-Aware scan. The first Ad-Aware scan revealed 1309 infected objects and a second scan immediately after a reboot resulted in 291 more infected objects reported. After removal of those objects, we ran Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta. AntiSpyware’s scan revealed a whopping 1,877 infected files left over by the Ad-Aware not to mention the nearly 3,000 registry locations infected. One of the files which Ad-Aware failed to detect was WinTools which is suspected to be a Trojan with a maximum threat level."

FlexBeta review of Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta 1 (http://www.flexbeta.net/main/articles.php?action=show&id=84&perpage=1&pagenum=1)

[Banko]

Nothing beats SpyBot

[zsynth]

I have cable broadband. Everyday when I go online, the 1st thing I do as a routine, is check for updates for, and run spybot, ad-aware, & spyware blaster. I also have the most recent host file. My system, win2k-sp4, is fully patched and updated. It was clean. I d\l'd MS AS, installed it, ran it, it only gave me a repetitve false postive of the previously mentioned entry. It did not come up with anything else. Immediatly after running MS AS, I ran Ad-aware, and got 9 entries of Alexa showing up. ??? My setup is set NOT to update ANYTHING automatically. I use the WMP 6.4, and as far as I can tell, I have no auto updates enabled. I run a hardware and software firewall, the only permission is for IE 6 to connect (set to no auto cks for updates), not even WMP has permission to connect without asking. So, everything I came up with, pointed to it being installed with MS AS.
====================================

Update: As I was posting this, I came up with the idea of recreating this scenerio. I uninstalled MS AS, d\l'd and reinstalled it. Rechecked Ad-aware, it was clean. So I humbly retract my statement about it installing Alexa. I never got any input from my previous post asking people to run Ad-aware after installing MS AS. My apoligy's. It still comes up with only the false positve on searchsquire.com . I still cannot figure out how I picked up the Alexa, but as they say, "the more you seem to learn, the less you seem to know". Thanks for the info, intercede007.

Pseudo-amature-geekster :o
=====================

Just had another thought. Previously when I had Alexa, why didn't MS AS detect it? I ran MS AS meer seconds before running Ad-aware had picked it up, but MS AS did not show it as being on my system.

[Rakeesh]

The main thing that bothers me about microsoft is that they'll leave bugs and vulnerabilities intact in the name of compatibility. Take the shatter exploit for example, that basically renders any PC with a guest account vulnerable to a rootkit (or adminkit, whatever you want to call it.) Microsoft will not fix it in any future version of windows either, because it will break compatibility with pretty much every application out there.

Yet companies like apple don't have a problem breaking compatibility, hell look at what happened when they moved from the motorola 68k based CPU's to powerpc, or when they moved from OS9 to OSX. It can work for microsoft as well they just wont do it. (not that I like apple though, honestly that company annoys me worse than microsoft with most of what it does)

[Cota]

Nothing beats SpyBot

spybot is great for blocking malicious sites, but its not as good as adaware for removing some spyware progs.

I haven't got spyware or virus in ages, but I use spybot and adaware when I service customers pcs.

[wshadow]

spybot is great for blocking malicious sites, but its not as good as adaware for removing some spyware progs.

I haven't got spyware or virus in ages, but I use spybot and adaware when I service customers pcs.


We tested adaware verses the new microsoft thing, and the ad aware didnt find the trojans/spyware that the microsoft did! WOW was I suprised!

[Cota]

I tested several pc's on a friends ciber-cafe and on some pcs adaware found spyware that MS didn't (mostly GAIN related), others MS found nothing after running adaware and a couple more not spybot nor adaware found anything after running MS.

If I had to choose only one, I wouldn't. I think they work best as a combo.

I'd choose MS/spybot or adaware/spybot combo.

[superklye]

I have such a strong distaste for Adaware. Maybe it's gotten better since 5.0, but man, that thing was such a steaming pile of ****. I'll stick with Spybot only, I think. The MS one was okay, but meh. Spybot is so great and it's free.

[Cota]

I have such a strong distaste for Adaware. Maybe it's gotten better since 5.0, but man, that thing was such a steaming pile of ****. I'll stick with Spybot only, I think. The MS one was okay, but meh. Spybot is so great and it's free.

Yup adaware was POS, but now its quite good, and the personal edition is free.

[jolle]

MS antispyware seems good, and to be honest, if anyone should know how spyware can creep into XP, what belongs to the OS and what doesnt etc, it should damnwell be MS themselves..
However, aslong as they intend to keep a subscription fee on it, im not interested..

[intercede007]

However, aslong as they intend to keep a subscription fee on it, im not interested..

I really and truely hope you didn't cheer the Microsoft Anti-Trust lawsuits, because you are advocating they do something that would send Mr. Gates right back to court.

You can thank Sun for having Microsofts INFINITLY better JVM permanently removed and discontinued. In the same vein, in Microsoft went to far as to offer any sort of "free" product to WindowsXP users, they would be met with a firestorm not seen since Sodom and Gomorrah.