pop ups

Archived Posts from this Category

Regfixit

Posted by admin on 11 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: regfixit, pop ups, malware

Regfixit is one of the most documented and controversial scams to hit the Internet consumer market in recent years. And yes, it is a scam. Regfixit.com is no more than a rogue software outlet, distributing a product that will do absolutely nothing to help your system but rather infect it with more spyware.

When you visit the Regfixit website, you’ll notice what looks to be a perfectly legitimate registry scan and fix product. Charging around $40 to provide a full clean up of your system and remove traces of spyware, it’s quite easy to understand why an unsuspecting user might buy in to the claims. But what you probably won’t realize at first look is that the Regfixit product isn’t selling anything that you can’t have for free by accessing the Microsoft website.

Under the banner of a registry fixing software, Regfixit will download automatic Microsoft updates and pass them off as part of its service via the Registry Update website. The customer rarely realizes that the updates could be had for free, and when they do, it’s usually too late. Refunds are hard to come by and customer service is what you’d expect from a scam orientated business.

The most sinister twist of all is that people are actually encouraged to purchase the Regfixit download by the planting of spyware pop-up alerts that will appear on the user’s system.

An infected user will suffer from pop up messages initiated by the regfixit software. These will typically draw attention by claming the presence of hundreds of errors that can only be fixed by downloading and purchasing the special Regfixit software. You’ll be told how your registry is corrupted and could stop working at any given moment, all in a bid to send you along to the Registry Update website where a quick buck will be made on your non-existent problems.

Of course, you may have registry problems after all. And if you’re suffering from the regfixit rogue software problem, you will actually be doing yourself a favour by downloading the Microsoft updates. This will magically cause the pop up errors to disappear as if you’ve made the purchase of the century. In actual fact, you’ve paid money to switch off software on your own system. Software that was planted there by regfixit to get you to dispense with your cash in the first place.

As far as money grabbing scams are concerned, this continues to be one of the most effective means that third parties have devised for making a quick profit on unsuspecting users. It’s wrong on many levels and it completely spits in the face of the consumer, but that is – unfortunately – the way that a scammer pays his bills.

You can avoid the Regfixit problem by keeping your anti-virus software up to date and by only installing registry scanning utilities that have good reviews from reputable sources. Always look out for scam reviews and deal with cynicism when it comes to purchasing software that claims to be able to improve your system performance. Sometimes, this is the case. Other times, you’ll be paying for sweet nothing.

Stop Pop Ups for Free

Posted by admin on 12 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: privacy, pop ups, security

If you truly believe that irritating pop ups are the only reasons that can justify your recent suicidal tendencies, I think it’s about time you started looking for the right solutions. Now, it’s true that there are plenty of solutions that can help you stop pop ups in their tracks, but since most of them require you to pay a hefty amount for getting the user license, it’s highly unlikely that you would be interested in them. If that is the case, then it’s quite obvious that you are looking for something that can stop pop ups for free.

Freewares and sharewares that claim to stop pop ups for free are readily available in huge numbers, but you just cannot rely on these because most of them either prove to be ineffective or contain malicious software codes such as viruses, Trojans, worms, spywares etc. If you install and use these software programs you can easily get a lot more annoyed and irritated than the pop ups might have been making you in the first place.

So, won’t I ever be able to stop pop ups for free? Well, you actually can, but you see there are a few strings attached. I say so because in the end you will always have to do some manual work for stopping the infuriating pop ups in their tracks. To start with, you will have to download and install the trial version of any of the popular pop up blocking software. Most of them will scan and identify the .exe files that create pop ups, but since trial versions generally do not offer the automatic pop up removal facility, you will have to do this manually. This is not all that difficult because all you have to do is follow the link to the .exe file and press Shift+Delete. By deleting all the identified .exe files, you can thus easily stop pop ups for free.

Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)

Getting Rid of Porn

Posted by admin on 12 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: pop ups, antivirus, security

If you want to test the effectiveness of your antivirus program, I would recommend that you visit as many porn sites as you possibly can. I say so because it is usually the porn sites that contain most of the viruses, Trojans, worms, spywares and other types of malicious software programs. If your antivirus is good enough, it will definitely protect your computer, but if it is not then chances are high that your computer will itself become a porn site.

What you are most likely to see on your screen then are irritating pop-ups, containing graphic images and links to porn websites that you might have visited. And since they will reappear on your screen every 10 seconds or so, you can be sure that porn will stay on your computer until and unless you do something to remove them.

Getting rid of porn is necessary because not only do they waste your time, but also because there is always the possibility that the seemingly innocuous pop up might be downloading or running spywares in the background. If something like this happens, you can easily end up revealing your personal data such as your credit cards numbers, bank account numbers and passwords to third parties.

The easiest way of getting rid of porn is to avoid surfing porn sites. However, since porn can also come in due to the activities of other users on your computer, I would recommend that you install a pop up removal tool in your computer. Many of these are readily available on the Internet and you can download and use any one you like.

For complete protection, you would however require a fully functional computer security program. This is necessary because some graphic pop ups are so stubborn that they just cannot be detected and removed by a free pop up removal tool. It’s only after this can you be sure that graphic porn pop ups will never reappear on your computer screen. Then you could say that you have succeeded in getting rid of porn.

Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download 2 Mins)

How to delete pop ups

Posted by admin on 03 Feb 2008 | Tagged as: pop ups

Pop ups have become a big menace and if you are looking for ways that will help you delete pop ups and remove them completely from your system, then just keep reading. The easiest and probably the most convenient way to delete pop ups before they actually pop up on your screen is to use a good browser that has the ability to block pop ups.

Pop up blocking facility is available in explorer 6 and beyond and you can use these to block all types of generic pop ups that seem to have infested the World Wide Web in recent times. Mozilla Firefox is another good browser that you can use for eliminating all types of pop ups from your computer screen. Firefox is completely free and since you get continuous updates from time to time, you can rest assured that none of those niggling pop ups will ever appear on your computer screen.

However, since pop ups are also becoming more and more smart just like the browsers, you might sometimes be required to deal with pop ups that appear all by themselves even when you are not logged on to the Internet. These types of pop ups get installed automatically when you are online and run as .exe files either at startup or when you click on a specific file or folder.

To delete pop ups like this, you will be required to install a dedicated pop up removal software on your computer. You can also opt for free pop up scanners that have the ability to detect all types of malicious pop ups and tell you exactly where they are stored on your computer. You then just have to follow the link, select the malicious pop up .exe file and click delete. Using “Shift+Delete” might be a better option though, especially if you are sure about what you are deleting.

Use these options and see if you can delete pop ups from your computer. If somehow you don’t succeed then I must admit that you might have to seek professional help.

Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download 2 Mins)

How to Fix Runtime Error

Posted by admin on 30 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: anti virus, pop ups, configuration, error, spyware, internet explorer

“A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to Debug?”

If you have been receiving this message while browsing the Web, it’s likely that you’re suffering from scripting errors caused by configuration options or malicious malware.

Runtime errors can arise out of many things. Maybe you have a pop up blocker installed. When a window opens to execute a script, the pop-up blocker terminates the script before it can complete its command. This leads to what is known as a runtime error.

With every runtime error, you’ll have the chance to debug where the problem is in the code. Of course, as a casual web browser, this isn’t really any of our business. So instead we end up clicking through “OK” messages until the alerts disappear. As such, it can take several clicks to load a single page!

Another problem involves the configuration of anti-Virus software. While it’s certainly advisable to browse with protection, always make sure that you have the right permission levels within the application. If you switch off scripting, you’re likely to get quite a few runtime errors. It’s also important that your anti-Virus suite is configured NOT to scan the Temporary Internet Files. This can lead to all kinds of problems.

Some people find themselves flooded with annoying runtime errors, yet the website itself seems to function properly. To fix this, follow the steps below.

  • Go to Tools and Internet Options in Microsoft Internet Exporer
  • Click on the Advanced Settings.
  • Disable script debugging.
  • Disable the script error notification box.
  • Save changes and relaunch your browser

This will prevent reports of errors being returned when you load a page. Note that it won’t prevent the actual collision. But you won’t have to click OK several times before a page actually loads.

It’s possible that runtime errors are the result of a spyware infestation. Many malicious users design software which sits under the browser and springs up pop-ups. Due to the rough cut nature of most malwares, they can lead to an unhealthy number of errors. Ultimately, they’re not designed with the end user in mind and in desperation to blitz your browser with third party ads; you’ll be fighting off many errors.

To deal with spyware, there are many excellent free system cleaning utilities available on the market. These will tear through your computer and eliminate the bad apples. They’ll also clean the registry and improve the overall performance of your computer. Most runtime errors are born from collisions with the code. If you’re getting them persistently on reputable websites, the problem is most likely spyware or a spreading virus.

It’s not out of the question, however, that the runtime error is the fault of the developer who created the page. Programming languages aren’t a walk in the park by any means and there is plenty of scope for errors. If the site is using bad code, there’s nothing you can do other than to find a different website. You can eliminate the error reporting however, as we mentioned above, and this is often enough to make a website usable.

You can usually tell when the problem is on the part of the developer. If the errors are occurring on innocuous websites designed for the masses, it’s likely a fault at your own end. Remember that most reputable businesses and organizations are forced to design tidy code that won’t clash with pop-up blockers and anti-Virus software. Still having problems? Remember the three most likely reasons;

  • Spyware
  • Pop-up blockers and anti-Virus software
  • Script configuration settings in Internet Options

 Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)

What is www.regfixit.com ?

Posted by pcfix on 26 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: regfixit, pop ups, malware, software

You may have had a window appear on your computer screen while browsing the internet that states you need to download and run Registry Update from www.regfixit.com to fix the 55 critical system errors that Windows has found on your computer. This program will cost you about $40. www regfixit com is a website and software that sends out pop-up ads to internet users pretending to be a registry cleaner that can fix all of your problems whether they actually exist or not.The truth is that this is a scam. The software that they are trying to sell you only provides patches that Microsoft provides to users for free. However, these pop-up ads do have a positive side to them. They show that your computer is very insecure and you need to take action to correct this.This type of spam has become very common but comes as a useful warning to internet users. It shows that a computer is not taking proper security measures when communicating with the internet and is open to attacks from threats including the Blaster Worm and others. In order to properly protect your computer from these threats, you will need to install a decent firewall. Some people will recommend that you just disable the Messenger service in your Windows operating system. This will prevent the message from showing up on your screen, but this is just a way of ignoring the problem and does not protect you from future threats.For other regular internet pop-up ads you may want to try a program such as 12Ghosts Popup-killer, Pop-up Stopper or the Google Toolbar, all of which can be downloaded for free. You could also switch to a different internet browser that has the ability to block pop-ups. If you are getting pop-up messages even though you have installed a pop-up blocker, you will need to remove adware or spyware that has already been installed on your computer. To do this you can try using Ad-Aware or SpyBot, both of which are very good at locating and removing these problems.You are also going to want to make sure that you are running a good anti-virus program. Some are available for free to home users and can be found online with a quick search on Google. Just remember, this is not the only thing needed to stay safe online. Use common sense and read through a EULA before agreeing to it. Most of the time, you have agreed to let companies install adware and spyware without knowing it.

Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)

Ad Aware review

Posted by pcfix on 26 Aug 2007 | Tagged as: ad aware, adaware, pop ups, anti spyware, antispyware, spyware, lavasoft, security

Spyware is becoming a very big problem for internet users. It is a program that will hide itself from the user but will perform operations in the background that intrude on your privacy. These programs will often come with other free downloads such as Kazaa, Imesh or Cuteftp. The reason that these programs have been given to you for free in the first place is because companies will pay the developers of these programs to insert their spyware programs into them.

Spyware programs can cause many different problems with your computer. They will often create pop-up advertisements, or more seriously, log everything that you type into your keyboard and send the information back to the spyware developer. This means that they can see every email, password or information that you type into your internet browser! These programs will also often cause your computer to crash often or weaken your computer’s security making it more venerable to attacks from other hackers.

There is one program that you can use to help you protect your computer from spyware. This is to use a program called Ad-Aware. It is the recommended program for detecting and removing any spyware that has accumulated on your computer in the past. Once you have installed Ad-Aware, you are going to want to perform a system scan to see if you have any spyware installed on your computer. The most concerning of which are components that are found in the Registry keys.

Sometimes a program will not work properly once you have used the Ad-Aware program to remove the spyware component of it, but in this situation you have to ask yourself, do you really want to use a program that requires spyware in order to work properly? Kazaa is an example of one of these programs, so if you must have Kazaa, do not run Ad-Aware.

Ad-Aware is a must even if you decide that you just want to uninstall the program that has come with the spyware in it. In some cases, using the uninstall program for that application will also remove the spyware associated with it, but sometimes this is not the case. The people that have included the spyware programs in the software packages just want to steal information from you, so are you going to trust them that the spyware has been removed with their program? The only way to be completely sure is to run Ad-Aware or another similar program to scan your system for spyware.

Ad-Aware is an antispyware application that has been created and distributed by Lavasoft. They offer a free version of Ad-Aware for personal home users, but there are also several different levels of the program available for commercial use. Of course, these versions will offer more options and will cost money. To help you decide which version of Ad-Aware is going to suit your needs the best, Lavasoft has included a product comparison chart so that you can quickly determine the right Ad-Aware package for you based on your needs.

How to get rid of www.regproscan.com

Posted by pcfix on 17 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: pop ups, registry cleaner, regproscan, malware, program, windows, spyware, Uncategorized

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: pop ups, registry cleaner, malware, program, 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

www.registrycleanerxp.com problems?

Posted by pcfix on 13 Jul 2007 | Tagged as: registry cleaner, registrycleanerxp, pop ups, malware, windows, error, software

Did you know that there are over 120 websites offering fraudulent registry fixing software? That’s more sites spreading corrupted files than there is hosting working – and hopefully useful - applications!As you’d expect, in a market saturated by false claims and malware abuse, consumers have become highly suspicious of genuine registry fixing utilities. This makes it hard for the reputable developers to get their products out there when so many hackers are choosing to exploit their field, often with claims of much more comprehensive programs.One of the chief websites to mark up on your black-list is WWW.REGISTRYCLEANERXP.COM. Here is a company which has built strong organic search listings and infected more computers than its own brash testimonials claim to have fixed!The website boldly states that it will “make your system more stable, run quicker, and prevent annoying pop-ups.”It all sounds rather nice of them to share such a program with us, but there’s one small problem. The utility is hopeless at fixing the registry errors and system tuning, as it claims to do. The only thing it is good for is the slowing down and introduction of pop-up advertisements on your desktop – hardly something that you’d desire.“ERROR MESSAGE! - REGISTRY DAMAGED AND CORRUPTED.To FIX this problem:Open Internet Explorer and type: www.registrycleanerxp.com
Once you load the program, close this message windowAfter you install the cleaner program you will not receive any more reminders or pop-ups like this.VISIT www.registrycleanerxp.com IMMEDIATELY!”To the unsuspecting user, pop-ups on the desktop like above can be incredibly misleading – and ultimately deadly to a system’s future. Of course, it’s dressed to look convincing by exploiting the Windows Messenger Service, and thus having the look of a genuine system message.If the user takes up the seemingly critical advice and downloads the program, they’ll find themselves harbouring even more infections and even further from the ultimate ideal of a nice clean system which isn’t controlled by a malicious third party hacker.
Thankfully, there is a simple solution to the problem.The Windows Messenger Service has been taken out of operation since the release of XP Service Pack 2. And as such, the malware is no longer a threat to newer systems. But if you’re on an older version of Windows, you can manually turn off the Messenger Service without a detrimental effect on the system.
It may sound like it, but the messenger service has nothing to do with instant messaging, so you’re safe to proceed.

Go to Start, and open the Run box.

Type “services msc”.

Disable the Messenger Service.

This will get rid of the unwanted desktop pop-ups, which can become seriously irritating in no time at all.

It is also possible, and highly recommended, that you update your system to a version later than Windows XP. This will completely wipe out the threat of malware using the Messenging interface to mislead. You don’t have to upgrade to Vista. A copy of Service Pack 2 will suffice since the service was discontinued at this point.

WWW.REGISTRYCLEANERXP.COM is a website that we could ultimately do without. It ruins the trust of the consumer public in registry fixing software, and it will cause your system a whole lot of damage in the process. If you wish to make your computer a vehicle for somebody else’s advertising intentions, by all means use the website. If you’re looking for a registry fixer, RegistryCleanerXP is not the app for you, no matter how relevant it sounds.

 Get a Free Online Diagnostic Scan with RegCure PC Optimizer (Download Takes 2 Mins)