Build Your Own Clone Message Board

but i can trust you guys.

i have computer problems. i want to go online and find answers about my specific computer problems, but i don't trust any online website claiming to be able to help with virus's and spyware and whatnot. i know for a FACT that some "spyware detection" programs are just spyware.

so, my first question: is it possible for a dsl modem to be infected with something? i keep getting these wierd pop ups, but they don't look like internet popups... they looks like computer errors. the thing is that they showed up on my computer that crashed, and they also showed up on the computer that i borrowed from my parents. my mom confirmed that there were no problems when she lent it, and they popped up as soon as i plugged it in... i hadn't done anything yet.

i found that the popups do not occur when the modem is disconnected, or turned off. so, the problem ONLY presents when the modem is on, and it presents on multiple computers. this leads me to believe that the modem itself may be infected with something.

is this possible? how do i fix?

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safe? who said anything about safe? of course He isn't safe! but He's good. He's the king i tell you!

I can't say for 100% sure if it's possible, but there should be a way to test it. Almost every modem I know of has a factory reset button on it somewhere that would revert the modem to its oldest settings.

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Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important - C.S. Lewis

Those are indeed popups realted to the internet/ THere's nothing wrong with your DSL modem per se. You are infected with spyware/malware/adware.

Download and install AVG FRee (free virus software -- works well) from here: http://free.grisoft.com/

Also get the free AdAware from here: http://www.lavasoft.de/

These should get you most of the way there depending on the infections you have contracted.

Don't click on pr0n ads. Don't click on anything just because it looks or sounds cool. Don't download anything wqihtout knowing exactly what it is, and be really paranoid about installing stuff from the internet. And always, always, wear a rubber.


Barry

Although rather rare the answer is yes. Get this AV program if you don't have one already AVG Free

Second get the free version of Zone Alarm and run it Zone Alarm Free Firewall Temporarily set it to block all internet access. If you get the popup it's coming from your PC, if it stops then it's coming from the network.

Download and run this Webroot Spysweeper PC Scan I use the full version of Spysweeper and it rocks... Here's their website Webroot Spysweeper

Lastly if none of these work contact your ISP and ask them how to do a complete IPL of your DSL modem to reset it to factory defaults. This is not a simple "press the reset button" reboot which just power cycles the box. You may need to do a factory reset which reverts it back to the factory BIOS. I would not attempt this on your own unless you know how to reconfigure it to work with your ISP

And remember the only truly secure PC is one that's broken...

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I... have become... uncomfortably numb...

+1 to these recommendations.

I recently beat all the bugs out of a relative's laptop with these tools*. There were 100s of problems and progress was severely hampered by popups and bogus warnings...if in doubt about clicking on a window, right-click on the relevant tab at the bottom of the screen and select 'close' (assuming it's Windows).

Remember to check your critical updates from 'Microsoft updates'. I also migrated from Internet Explorer and installed Firefox.

*I still ended up reinstalling from scratch as it was 'too far gone' (if it was a dog, you would have shot it).

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Cheers, David.
SoundClick

I built, repaired PC's in a local computer shop for about a year, (no I don't mean Circuit city or Future shop, these aren't computer shops), We made most of our money on removing spyware and virus. 2 weeks later they would be back screaming at us saying we didn't fix anything and of course it would be clogged with 600+ spyware scripts and virus, and Kazzaa, Limewire and all that crappy P2P stuff on there.

At that point we would just format and reinstall windows. Thats what I do. Once in a wile I just format and reinstall windows just for shits and giggles.

At the risk of sounding pious, not everybody realises that a 'puter needs almost daily maintenance if you want it to stay healthy...that's more attention than a car!

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Cheers, David.
SoundClick

Another way to close any program or window (in Windows) is to key:
ALT + F4
Some programs will open windows, but not make them the forward focus on the screen. These are usually there only to open other windows and keep doing so where you can't see them.
To scroll through all open windows (again on a Win machine), hold down the ALT key and use the TAB key to scroll through all open programs. There might be things you never knew were running without doing this. Once you bring the bad stuff to focus, you can use the ALT+F4 to close it without ever using your mouse. Some spyware and other viral junk looks for mouse movement to tell it that you're at the computer. Using your mouse to navigate to those windows is futile because as long as your mouse is moving, the window keeps hiding. Nasty sneaky stuff.

Use the hotkey method, it's as old as DOS itself. It is often overlooked by many virus makers who either aren't old enough to remember navigating that way or think nobody else is.

Cheers,
- JJ

2 things to never worry about computers again.

1. Dual boot Windows and Ubuntu.
2. Have adware/spyware/firewall programs, but when windows gets crappy, just reformat.

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Who needs friends when you've got pedals?

http://www.ubuntu.com/

like 98% of the world uses windows so pretty much all viruses and spyware are made to infect windows os. Using a different os will pretty much eliminate the threat completely.

You mine as well start getting used to linux now, novell bought suse linux so that means in a few years microsoft will basically be linux that looks like windows.

I'm late to the party on this thread, but....

I will third the recommendations for AVG anti-virus and AdAware (for spyware removal). Both are very good, totally legit programs...and they're both free. You can also try ClamAV for antivirus as another free alternative if you don't like the AVG interface.

If you haven't already done your virus/spyware scans, I'd like to offer one huge time-saving piece of advice: delete all temporary internet files (through Internet Explorer) *BEFORE* you run the scans. For some idiotic reason, the default size for the temp file cache is ridiculously high (something like 500 megs if your hard drive is over a certain size). Once you clear those files (and be sure to do it for each user account on your machine), the scan goes much faster. Otherwise, the scanners have to scan each and every file in that cache, and there can be thousands and thousands of files in there. Once you're done scanning, change your IE prefs so that the the temp file cache size is small (like 5 megs or so). You simply do not need half a gig of temp file space for web browsing.

I'm the official tech support for my inlaws, and the first thing I do is wipe that temp file cache. It cuts a two-hour scan down to about 20 minutes.

My other bit of advice for you is to invest in a cheap router. They pretty much all have firewalls built in to them these days, and a hardware-based firewall is, in my opinion, superior to software-based firewalls like ZoneAlarm and BlackICE. Better to stop would-be intruders *before* they get to your machine, not as they are knocking on your computer's back door.

I dual boot ubuntu and vista too. Once you get used a linux operating system they are great. Ubuntu is geared more for desktop PC's so its great out of the box.

I rarely use windows anymore, I don't really game anymore so the only time I use windows is using apps that are windows only.

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Gear Demos
http://youtube.com/martys13

I'm a Debian guy, and previously (about a year ago) had Ubuntu installed. Ubuntu is a Debian derivative, so they're both somewhat similar. I've never been happier. Linux, although it is far from perfect, kicks a truckload of ass.

If you're concerned about running certain Windows apps, you should consider a very awesome program called CrossOver Office. It was designed, originally, to make MS Office run natively on Linux, but has since expanded to several other apps. Right now, I have Office (including Word, Excel, and Power Point), Photoshop, and *sigh* IE running perfectly on my Debian box. NOTE: This not a free application, but they do give back a lot of code to the WINE project). Here's the link:
http://www.codeweavers.com/

And another offshoot product makes many major Windows games run natively on Linux (with full 3d acceleration support). I've got Battlefield 1941 and Medal of Honor installed right now, and they both run fantastic. Of course, there are much more recent games that work, but I likes my old stuff. Here's the link:
http://www.transgaming.com/