July 2007
Monthly Archive
How to get rid of www.regproscan.com
Posted by pcfix on 17 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: Malware, Pop Ups, Program, Registry Cleaner, Regproscan, Spyware, Uncategorized, Windows
RegProScan.com is a website which claims to offer a comprehensive free scan of your hard drive to highlight registry errors and boost the performance of your system. In actual fact it is a fraudulent source of malware which will leave you with more problems than you had before you started!So how can this be so? Surely you’d know if you were downloading corruptive malware on to your system, right? Unfortunately, many users are oblivious to the means in which third party scammers will go about getting their adware on to our systems. What looks like an innocuous scanning utility is actually adware in disguise. When we download and install it, the hacker has succeeded in finding a platform for his advertisements, which more often than not, are used against us from the outset.This is exactly the case with RegProScan. After the user has completed a “free” scan of the registry, the software will return a list of errors and an ultimate solution to fix them all. The solution will typically involve buying an application to fix the problems via the same website that ran the scan. In other cases, affiliates websites will be used or sites that are run by the same owners.This would be fair enough if the program actually delivered what it said. We can’t speak negatively of web services which offer a free scan and then a paid solution, as long as it isn’t taking advantage of the unwitting user.
However, in the case of RegProScan.com, the same can’t be said. Here is a website which will plant errors and adware pop-ups on your system, just so that it can advertise a fix for them! But the fix isn’t anything that the developers have worked tirelessly on. The fix serves only to remove the adware pop-ups from the desktop.
They will look like this;
STOP! WINDOWS REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.
Windows has found 55 Critical System Errors.
To fix the errors please do the following:
1. Download Registry Update from: www.regproscan.com
2. Install Registry Update
3. Run Registry Update
4. Reboot your computer
FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO SYSTEM FAILURE!
Now put yourself in the shoes of somebody who doesn’t have the greatest knowledge of malware threats and the methods used by hackers to attack a system. It’s quite a warning, especially when it comes via the in-built Windows Messenger Service. This means that the error is dressed to look like it comes from Windows rather than an Internet pop-up, which most people are accustomed to dealing with.
It’s easy to get rid of the problem, but you have to be able to detect it in the first place. Unfortunately, many people are taken back by the explicit warnings and do exactly as the scammers have planned. They go to the web sites and download the software to fix the problem. The pop-ups will disappear, but the malware will remain in place. This opens up other opportunities for hackers to attack the system. And of course, the poor soul sat at their desktop has just paid to get rid of the pop-ups that they unwillingly added when they ran the free scan.
To put it bluntly, RegProScan.com is a waste of your time, and a waste of lot of money from its scamming ways. With any luck, the website will be pulled down shortly. Until then, mark it down on your blacklist and avoid at all costs.
Next Step:
More information: Genuine Registry Cleaners
How to get rid of www.patchupdate.info
Posted by pcfix on 17 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: Malware, Pop Ups, Program, Registry Cleaner, Security, Spyware, Windows
PatchUpdate.info is an illegal website which takes money from unsuspecting users in exchange for Microsoft patches which can be downloaded from the actual Microsoft website for free.It is also closely tied in to several other similar websites which place adware on the user’s computer. The adware triggers pop-ups on the desktop insisting that the system is in critical danger and that a fix is needed.And yes, you guessed it. That fix comes at a price. In the case of PatchUpdate.info, the price is $20. It might not sound much for a fix to your computer woes, but what you probably don’t realise is that the problems it will fix are caused by running a free scan in the first place! It has nothing to do with the state that your computer was in before you decided to run the original scan.The third party hackers work tirelessly to place these pop-ups on our computers in the hope that a percentage of the recipients will be naïve enough to believe that having away with their money will resolve the original problems. The pop-ups will disappear, but the malware is still there. This isn’t good at all. In fact, it can leave a system vulnerable to further attacks from more sophisticated hackers.It has been speculated that PatchUpdate.info also dumps a pile of spyware on the user’s system. Unlike the pop-ups, this will NOT disappear when you pay for the patch.So why would anybody pay for the match in the first place? Well, when you visit the website, it’s easy to see why; cyber scaremongering at its best.See the technical description on the PatchUpdate.info website:“A security vulnerability exists in the Microsoft® Messenger Service that could allow arbitrary code execution on an affected system. The vulnerability results because the Messenger Service does not properly validate the length of a message before passing it to the allocated buffer.
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could be able to run code with Local System privileges on an affected system, or could cause the Messenger Service to fail. The attacker could then take any action on the system, including installing programs, viewing, changing or deleting data, or creating new accounts with full privileges.”
Of course, what the website fails to mention is that the security has ALREADY been breached when the same company exploited the same security gap to place their pop-ups on your system.
In short, you’re paying to uninstall their corruptive software!
If you are suffering from pop-ups directing you to download the patch, don’t pay attention to the “advice”. Look instead for an anti-malware package which will scan your system and remove the infestation. This is the best way to get rid of the pop-ups AND the software behind them.
Other methods such as disabling the Windows Messenger Service or upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 2 are viable, but they won’t completely remove the problem.
Always be suspicious when the Windows Messenger Service tells you to visit a blatant third party website. The messenger service has its own use, and that most certainly isn’t to recommend you to random websites across the web. Just think, would Microsoft really include that in their operating systems? We think not!
PatchUpdate.info is surely living on borrowed time before a Microsoft lawsuit. But until then, we suggest that you ignore the false claims of security breaches and protect yourself with a genuine anti-virus suite.
Next Step:
Learn more about genuine Registry Cleaners
How to fix Print Spooler problems
Posted by pcfix on 15 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: Operating System, Program, Windows
The print spooler is an application on your Windows operating system that manages all the print jobs that are sent to the printers or print server. This program will allow a user to delete print jobs, or manage them by pausing, restarting or changing the priority of certain print jobs that are waiting to be printed.If there are problems with the print spooler service it usually means that a printer driver is defective or corrupt. If this occurs, the print spooler service may not run and you will not see anything in your Printers and Faxes folder. You will also not be able to add or remove and printers while the print spooler service is not running.Be sure that you always install only the printer drivers that are intended for your operating system. If you are using a more current operating system such as Windows Vista, be sure to check carefully for the proper drivers on the companies website if they are not provided on the CD you have received with the printer. Also be sure that if you are upgrading your operating system, that you uninstall all printers and printer drivers before performing the upgrade to prevent problems resulting from the wrong version of printer drivers.If the print spooler service is not running, you will not be able to uninstall any printers using the Control Panel or the Printers and Faxes window. One option for completing this task is to download and run the clanspl.exe utility that is found in the Windows Resource Kit Tools. This program does and excellent job of removing print spooler items, but will not remove the print spooler service dependency on any Lexmark services. You can use this program remotely to remove the print spooler items on another computer remotely and when you run the utility, it will ask you if you would like to remove a few things that are installed by default in Windows. It is recommended that you answer No to these questions.Once you have successfully cleaned up the print spooler on your computer using the cleanspl.exe utility, you should be able to reboot your computer and then reinstall any printers that you wish to use. Be sure that you are careful when selecting the printer drivers so that you do not install any drivers that are not intended for the operating system that you are using.If you are having problems with the cleanspl.exe utility, or enjoy managing things on your own, there are a few excellent tutorials that can be found online to help you clean up the print spooler on your own. Just be careful when performing these steps as some of them involve editing the Windows registry, which can cause more problems if it is not done correctly.
Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)
How to fix Outlook Express problem
Posted by pcfix on 15 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: Error, Internet Explorer, Registry Cleaner, Software, Windows
What happens when you are working on your computer and out of the blue your Outlook Express email program starts acting funny? You expect the worst - that you are going to have to delete your email account and set it up all over again, loosing all of your critical emails from important clients. Hold on just a second though, there are some techniques that can help you to get back on your feet in no time!
First of all, as with any problem with a computer application, you should just try a nice and simple restart of your windows operating system. Many people are skeptical of this “reboot” technique, but what you don’t realize is that improperly closed files, memory corruption and damage to system files can often be corrected by doing this simple step. Of course, if this does not resolve your issue, you are going to have to work a little harder to get going again.
Before you start, close all the open programs that you have running on your computer other than Outlook Express and Internet Explorer. Now that you have done that, you will want to navigate to Tools and then Internet Options in your Internet Explorer Browser. After selecting the Temporary Internet Files panel, select Delete Files and follow the prompts to clear all the Temporary Internet Files on your computer. Be sure that when going through these steps that you select the check box to delete all offline files.
What the heck? Why are you deleting files in Internet Explorer if you are having problems with your Outlook Express program! Well, each time a message is displayed in Outlook Express, the application will create a temporary file to help it display the message’s contents. This file is saved in the Temporary Internet Files folder on your system and corrupt temporary files for Outlook may be causing your problem!
If you are still having troubles with your Outlook Express application, you may wish to try compacting all the Outlook Express folders. To do this you will want to select File and then Work Offline. This is to prevent any new messages arriving while your computer is compacting your old messages. Then you are going to want to select File and then Folder. Finally select Compact all folders and do not use your computer until the process has finished. If an error occurs at this point you will want to reboot your computer and then try the process again. The reason this may resolve your issues is that Outlook Express stores a message index in a file called Folders.dbx. If there are problems with this file, Outlook Express is not going work properly. When Outlook Express compacts the folders, it also updates this file, causing any errors to be corrected with the new values.
If you are still having issues, the next thing that you will want to attempt is to reregister Outlook Express. This will cause Outlook Express to rewrite its registry keys on your Windows registry and this will correct issues related to incorrect registry values for Outlook Express. To accomplish this, you will need to navigate to Start and then Run on your desktop. Type in msimn / reg and then select the OK button. In the Internet Explorer window that pops up on your screen, select the Tools menu and then Options. Now you will need to select the Programs tab and select Outlook Express as the default email client.
There are also DLL files that may be causing issues in your Outlook Express program. You can reregister them, or correct any errors in them by navigating to Start and then selecting Run. Type in regsvr32 urlmon.dll and then click on the OK button. You will need to repeat these steps and also run the following commands: regsvr32 mshtml.dll, regsvr32 shdocvw.dll, regsvr32 browseui.dll and regsvr32 msjava.dll.
If you have attempted the solutions above and are still having problems with your Outlook Express program, then you really only have three options remaining. You can export your messages from the current email account and then create a new Identity and import the messages into it. This is of course if your Outlook Express application is running well enough to accomplish this without errors. You may also need to reinstall or repair your Outlook Express Application. However this may cause you to lose all of your messages or contacts. Finally, you can try a third party Outlook Express repair program found on the Internet.
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