Messages

426

General Software Discussion / Re: Nice blog post on the parasitic software hosting sites bundling junkware

« on: April 01, 2014, 06:25 PM »

Although this link is to a how-to article called 'Remove Trovi.com redirect', it turned out to be a good way to clean up my machine from other crapware problems.
It gives links to four cleaner programs and tells what order to run them in.
It's recommended by malwaretips.com as a sub-link.

Tnx for the head's-up on Softonic.

-bit (April 01, 2014, 03:28 PM)

How strange... I just joined MalwareTips.com, and was cordially invited to post in the 'new members' section, and at the bottom of the page it says  (You have insufficient privileges to post here.)
For security purposes I would rather withhold my username there as of yet, but that is a very odd experience.
It did not say to look for an authentication email, nor did I get one, so I don't know what the deal is.
So I have 'membership' but no 'privileges'.

(edit) Okay they just sent me an email confirming my membership. Usually as a new member of a forum, you just get an email to click on a link, but they don't do it that way there.
Instead there is a 12 to 24-hour delay and then they just approve your membership.

(edit) Malwaretips.com forum has this special web page for assistance with malware removal.
The subsection has a 'Read Me Before Posting' sticky instructing to post your problem in a new thread, not someone else's thread, because it is very important for you to get advice specific to your own malware removal problem.
It also says it is staffed by volunteers, but the forum seems quite active.
Volunteers actually write executable scripts specific for unique user malware problems, but again, they say don't just use someone else's script or you could cause problems for your machine; post  your own problem and they will write you your own executable script at no charge to deal with your specific problem.
The ReadMe sticky there at the above link explains the whole thing in more detail.

427

General Software Discussion / Re: Nice blog post on the parasitic software hosting sites bundling junkware

« on: April 01, 2014, 03:28 PM »

Although this link is to a how-to article called 'Remove Trovi.com redirect', it turned out to be a good way to clean up my machine from other crapware problems.
It gives links to four cleaner programs and tells what order to run them in.
It's recommended by malwaretips.com as a sub-link.

Tnx for the head's-up on Softonic.

428

General Software Discussion / Re: dual 6800 GS w/256MB ram vs. (1) GeForce GTS 450?

« on: April 01, 2014, 06:12 AM »

I finally got my machine to work with the newer NVIDIA GTS 450.
It was an old installation procedure that did the trick.
My machine wanted to 'see' the old 6800 VGA card.

So to 'fix' it, one first tries to boot with no VGA card.
That makes the pc stop looking for the old one.
Then one reboots with the new VGA card, and now the pc can see it.
I thought that 'trick' went out with plug and play, but apparently not.

429

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: March 25, 2014, 09:59 AM »

430

General Software Discussion / Re: Malwarebytes is moving away from lifetime licenses

« on: March 25, 2014, 09:41 AM »

I run Malwarebytes on my Win7.
When I installed it in my WinXP, I think I merely used the same download to save time.
Both work fine.
I wonder now if I'm running the same install on both?

431

General Software Discussion / Re: How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 20, 2014, 05:42 AM »

Your timing is quite okay:

Changelog for CloseAll v2.0 (March 15, 2014):

•     New fully redesigned user interface
•     Added installer and uninstaller for your convenience
•     Full support for Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP

I’ve found that when multitasking I’m often looking for a “Close all except this and this” feature for application windows – something very simple, but more advanced than “Close other tabs” in modern internet browsers. That’s why I decided to re-write my old CloseAll.

What can be easier than a task list with check boxes and OK button? Just select apps you want to close and click OK. It’s CloseAll v2.0

-CloseAll

CloseAll (“Close all except this and this”) v. 2.0: http://www.ntwind.co...-implementation.html
Freeware.

 (see attachment in previous post) (see attachment in previous post) (see attachment in previous post) (see attachment in previous post)

NOTE: In order to display information about UAC elevated processes on Windows Vista and above, CloseAll requires to be installed in the system %ProgramFiles% directory.

-Curt (March 18, 2014, 03:30 PM)

This works great! Reminds me of the old EndItAll, but works faster. Tnx! 

432

General Software Discussion / Re: How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 18, 2014, 03:08 AM »

^^^;D
I would prefer something like VistaSwitcher's trick with Alt-Tab if only it would simply close all open windows without shutting down the computer.

433

General Software Discussion / Re: How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 16, 2014, 07:39 PM »

BTW, when I've got a million windows open and want to close them all at once, is there a shortcut command for that?

434

General Software Discussion / Re: How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 16, 2014, 07:34 PM »

BTW, when I originally went to install Windows 7 Pro, the 64-bit disc-install process would hang over and over again and again, so I finally had to install 32-bit.
Is there a way to just convert my OS from 32-bit to 64-bit, or do you have to start all over and reinstall and rebuild the entire OS from scratch?

435

General Software Discussion / Re: How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 16, 2014, 07:23 PM »

You're doing it wrong  

Firefox (Pale Moon/Waterfox):

Menu->Web Developer->Inspector:
 (see attachment in previous post)
Click picture:
 (see attachment in previous post)

-4wd (March 16, 2014, 12:37 AM)

Okay so far that doesn't seem to bring up a link for me in Firefox.
Do you think I should install Pale Moon or Waterfox and try again?
Maybe I should try that.

-bit (March 16, 2014, 07:09 PM)

Works fine here in Firefox 26.0 and Pale Moon 27.0 - so if you're not seeing it you're holding your tongue wrong.

You don't even have to click on the image on a page, just mouse over it and the relevant line in the source will be highlighted in the Inspector window.

-4wd (March 16, 2014, 07:17 PM)

In Firefox I run AdBlock Edge, Ghostery, and TrackMeNot, plus I don't know what else; maybe that's interfering?

Okay, with PaleMoon and Waterfox; in preview screens PaleMoon is a brighter overall look and Waterfox is darker and easier on my eyes.
The Waterfox official download page only shows 64-bit; but I see they do offer a Portable version which is far preferable to me.
Can I install Waterfox Portable 64-bit on my Win7 32-bit OS?

I found a 32-bit Waterfox but it's from Softonic, and I'm not sure if that's going to load me down with add-on crapware or not, which happened once and it's hard to remember which software hosts do that and which ones play fair.

436

General Software Discussion / Re: How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 16, 2014, 07:09 PM »

You're doing it wrong 

Firefox (Pale Moon/Waterfox):

Menu->Web Developer->Inspector:
 (see attachment in previous post)
Click picture:
 (see attachment in previous post)

-4wd (March 16, 2014, 12:37 AM)

Okay so far that doesn't seem to bring up a link for me in Firefox.
Do you think I should install Pale Moon or Waterfox and try again?
Maybe I should try that.

437

General Software Discussion / Re: How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 15, 2014, 07:10 PM »

hm... I didn't even know there could be limitations on Tumblr!

Firefox (Pale Moon):

(see attachment in previous post)

Or do you meet the limitations in some other contexts?
Please enlighten me, I know nothing about Tumblr.

-Curt (March 15, 2014, 06:13 AM)

Yes, I think the context would be that I'm not a member of Tumblr.
Maybe copying is possible if one is a member, but not sure.

But the above program went at it like there was no tomorrow, downloading every pic on the page in minutes.
It did not however give me the ability to just right-click any pic and get a link to refer back to in posts elsewhere, and I tried IE, Chrome, Firefox, and Seamonkey; all failed to do that with or without the Tumblr ripper.

So I wonder do you have to be a member of Tumblr to be able to do it?

438

General Software Discussion / How link to pix in Tumblr?

« on: March 14, 2014, 11:46 PM »

All my browsers are unable to give me the ability to right-click on a picture in a Tumblr blog and grab a link to that one picture.
Other web sites can do this, or allow me to 'view image' in a new tab or same tab, but not on Tumblr.
Or can anyone tell me if there is a Donation Coder coding snack or other program that can do this, and what is a safe software host to download it from?

edit: found a 'tumblr ripper' (image downloader). tnx!

439

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: multi-stage password

« on: March 08, 2014, 02:42 PM »

I suppose my idea may have been a bit over simplistic.
Perhaps the encryption is so bound up in the TrueCrypt or ScramDisk type software that it cannot be co-opted by a shell or front end program.
The idea was, what if you could start the shell, and use it to enter multiple up to 64-character passwords before opening a file?

That's not quite like having a container within a container, which limits you to sequential or serial 64-digit passwords.
I've read how someone set up a case with multiple video cards to crack longer passwords.
So I thought to myself, what if you had to enter two or three 64-digit passwords before anything unlocks?
And to do that, what if your shell program could just run two or three copies of TrueCrypt, and sort of dialogue with them all at once?
So that, in what I'm thinking, you would need two or three 64-digit passwords set up in advance before anything is opened at all.
But perhaps I'm not perceiving the true nature of the encryption software in the first place, and maybe it just doesn't work that way.

440

Post New Requests Here / IDEA: multi-stage password

« on: March 07, 2014, 02:54 PM »

Normally, you engage an encryption program like TrueCrypt or ScramDisk, and you type in 'one' password or passphrase.
This proposes what might be termed a 'shell program' or 'front end', that sets up either one of two things;
1) that two or more copies of TrueCrypt, ScramDisk, or whatever, open side by side in 'parallel',
2) that two or more copies of TrueCrypt, ScramDisk, or whatever, open one after another in 'series'.

Thus, you start 'shell', and it automatically opens one copy of TrueCrypt, and you type in a passphrase.
TrueCrypt, operating in 'shell mode', receives the first password, unlocks, and reports back to 'shell'.
'Shell' thereupon opens number 2 copy of TrueCrypt, and you enter a second password.
TrueCrypt #2 unlocks, and reports back to 'shell'.
'Shell' confirms sequential entry of passwords, and unlocks.

The above is a clumsily worded description.
The idea is, you combine multiple instances of TrueCrypt, ScramDisk, or whatever, into a Multi-encryption shell-unit, unifying them into something that basically requires multiple passwords to unlock.

Thus, complexity is compounded, but unlocking is simplified by x-units of passwords entered either in parallel or series mode.

441

General Software Discussion / Re: Rambooster. Junk?

« on: February 20, 2014, 11:12 PM »

I uninstalled Advance System Optimizer 3 from my old Win XP alternate OS that I keep on an old HD for older apps, and which the ASO3 was managing the ram. The OS got sluggish and crashy after I uninstalled ASO3 for some reason, so I dragged out an ancient copy of RamBooster from an old A: drive disk and installed it and Win XP seems quite a bit happier now.

442

General Software Discussion / Re: Veoh crapware - its Web Player installs stealth virus

« on: February 09, 2014, 03:02 PM »

^You've got a point.
My complaint is directed at Veoh, not OpenCandy.

At the above link at 'Remove Trovi Redirect'.
The clean-up includes running four different anti-malware tools, in the following order (quote);
How to remove Trovi.com Homepage – Virus Removal Guide

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove Trovi.com from your Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.
STEP 1: Remove Trovi.com browser hijacker from your computer with AdwCleaner
STEP 2: Remove Trovi.com from Internet Explore, Firefox and Google Chrome with Junkware Removal Tool (JRT).
STEP 3: Remove Trovi.com malicious files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 4: Double-check for the Trovi.com infection with HitmanPro
(end quote)

These are fantastic programs, and really do a job on PUPs and other unwanted items.
HitmanPro gave a free one-time trial run and cleaned out a few other things as well.
But like it says, you have to follow the above steps in correct order, and now I have all four.

443

General Software Discussion / Re: Veoh Player

« on: February 08, 2014, 11:53 PM »

Thank you, I sort of see what they mean.
Veoh is bad news. From wikipedia;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veoh

"Included with recent installations of Veoh is a program called OpenCandy, which some security programs, including Microsoft Security Essentials, classify as adware. It also installs Delta Search, setting all the user's browsers to use an ad and tracking-loaded search engine without prompting for user confirmation."

"Veoh restricts users from playing full-length videos on Veoh.com, unless the Veoh Web Player is installed within their browser. The player also enables users to download video from Veoh.com and other websites."

A.K.A. 'adware', or PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program).

Veoh's Web Player and its unannounced hijacking of your home web page through stealth installation of a PUP, is very 'impolite', as a friend puts it.
Veoh's squeaky clean mainstream image puts you off your guard, then hits you below the belt.
I've retitled this thread to something that seems a little more appropriate: 'Veoh Web Player installs stealth virus'.

And here is one good place to go to deal with the 'virus infection' (it's not a PUP in my book), after uninstalling Veoh's crapware; http://malwaretips.com/blogs/trovi-com-removal/

444

General Software Discussion / Veoh crapware - its Web Player installs stealth virus

« on: February 08, 2014, 05:56 PM »

At this location: download Veoh Player.
I'm in the US, and if I visit without a proxie, it says 'Oops! Google Chrome could not connect to www.softologic.com', and 'softologic download gkcmr'.
If I use a proxie to go to the download page, then it offers the download.
Upon downloading, if I scan it with malwarebytes, it says there is a PUP, or 'Potentially Unwanted Program' (i.e. actually, it qualifies as a 'virus' in my book), so I told it to delete the PUP and the Veoh Player download disappeared.

If I go to CNET and download it from there, scans come back 'clean', but when I prepare to install, it tells me that using normal install I 'agree' to allow the installation of some offbeat search engine, change my home page in IE, Firefox, and Chrome, and prevent changing back of my home page.
I didn't have to scan further, I just deleted it.

So what's the deal? Why am I being blocked from accessing the Veoh Player from America?
Is there a 'clean' version of the Veoh Player download that isn't infested with a PUP?

445

Living Room / Re: Cute jokes' thread

« on: February 06, 2014, 06:11 PM »

There once was a worn-out comic,
Whose jokes were no longer tonic,
Till he met a young child,
Whose sensibilities were mild,
And their friendship soon became chronic.

446

General Software Discussion / Re: Rambooster. Junk?

« on: February 05, 2014, 05:04 PM »

So.......is RamBooster junk, or what's a good RAM manager?

-bit (February 05, 2014, 04:43 AM)

Yes; recent version of Windows.

-justice (February 05, 2014, 05:31 AM)

IOW, Windows 7 does a perfectly good job automatically?

447

General Software Discussion / Re: Rambooster. Junk?

« on: February 05, 2014, 04:43 AM »

So.......is RamBooster junk, or what's a good RAM manager?

448

General Software Discussion / Re: need freeware .vob to MP4 converter

« on: February 04, 2014, 01:20 AM »

Okay, one video file can actually consist of 10 or more sub-files in .vob .ifo .bup .dat formats, and the entire video folder for the one video can be a total of up to 4.5GB, or about the size of a full DVD.
I've got about 30 videos I need to do this, but I think they can if necessary be deleted after each send to make room for the next.
Does anyone know of a good free file transfer service that can handle that?
BTW, these are rare out-of-circulation public domain videos that are not copyrighted, so there is no danger of that.

449

Living Room / Re: silly humor - post 'em here! [warning some NSFW and adult content]

« on: January 29, 2014, 07:22 PM »

Then there was the one about a guy named Arthur who was always wrong, until one day he came down with arthritis.

450

Living Room / Re: Anti-Tracking Smartphone Pouch

« on: January 29, 2014, 01:52 AM »

I'm just enormously curious because I've never owned a cell phone and currently have no intention of getting one, and I hear all these stories.

-bit (January 28, 2014, 11:54 PM)

Well you sure are spending a lot of words for something that you don’t own and have no intention of owning! Why all the concern?

Just curious.

Jim

-J-Mac (January 29, 2014, 12:06 AM)

Actually, I have thought about getting a cell phone.
I suppose the only time a LEO might search a cell phone is at a mass transit security checkpoint like an airport terminal.
So just being pulled over on the road, or approached in a mall, doesn't seem to represent any such possibility.
If it's in my bag, and I refuse to allow a bag search, they'd have to make it an order.
I would want to know in advance what rights I can insist on.
Like they say, if you don't know your rights, you don't have any.
Thus my curiousity here with all the questions.

Or like I say, there may be ways to interpose passive physical or software obstructions to them gaining your data that are not illegal, and could be remarkably difficult for them to overcome.

When you delete any info from a cell phone, is it still there, or is it really gone and irretrievable?
Perhaps I could just make a habit of hitting 'delete' after every call.

BTW, I said I was thinking of getting a cell phone, not planning to.
I suppose I could just ask a friend or relative. Thank you.