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The Webmaster mentioned Gator as spyware. I have seen a lot of files in my computer that has Gator in the file name. I just did a file search and came up with a lot of Gator files. Could these all be spyware components? Are these harmful, like letting things in from the net that I wouldn't want? Can I delete all these things safely? Just wondering after the Webmaster mentioned it. Sorry, off topic. Peace!
Yes, and yes.
There's a utility you can download, for free, that will remove spyware/adware (including Gator, if memory serves). Just follow the link below, to CNet's download site.
Thanks a lot, Nyghtfall, I will get right on this. Peace!
Of course, you could also give Linux a try. Linux is less prone to be infected with that spyware crap and virii.
Cool slogan: It said "Needs windows 95 or better" so I installed Linux.
I have been using Linux since 1993 - when it was something too hairy for the masses to play with - and I even had a Guiness beer in the company of Linus Torvalds (the author of the Linux kernel).
In 1995 I already had something better than Windows 95 installed on my computers...
Linux comes with built-in firewall functions and is it immune to most virii, worms and other malware that afflicts Windows systems. And the built-in firewall keeps the intruders away. I have configured my firewall so that it looks to scanners like an unconnected IP address.
Among other things, Linux distributions offer several e-mail client programs to choose from; the one I am using (pine) does not interpret the javascript or vbs crap that is included in worms and many spam e-mails.
And the browser included in the Linux distributions - Mozilla - lats the user to control cookies, javascript executions etc. in a better way than IE.
A Linux Longhair
Great picture but you're going to get me in trouble as I may be inspired to grow out my beard! Just today I was getting a computer ready to be rolled with an updated Linux distribution.
I have had beard since 1992 (before that I had a moustache for about 20 years) and mid-back long hair since 1976 or 1977 (with the exception of 1980/81 and 1987/88 when I had to cut it for military service).
The picture in my previous post was taken during a Skåne Sjælland Linux User Group in Malmo in the winter 2001/2002.
A Linux Longhair
Are you a fellow geek as well? BTW, I'm a Slackware user.
Great stuff! I've been using it for a couple of years now, along with Sun Solaris, but not as long as you. Personally I think UNIX/Linux makes much more sense then that stuff from Redmond but I don't have to tell you that. Which distributions do you prefer? I'm also curious about the BSD's.
Have you ever been to International SANE Conference (System Administration and Network Engineering Conference)? The wife of a colleague of mine said she'd never seen so much bodily hair in one place before!
I am currently using Red Hat and Slackware. Back in 1993, when I started using Linux, I used the now defunct Soft Landing Software (SLS) distribution, which could fit on about 20 floppy discs. I have also assisted people to install Mandrake and SUSE distributions.
Re. BSD I have tried it a while ago, but for now everything is on hold because I am relocating from Denmark to the US (Connecticut).
I was at NordU conferences (Malmo and Stockholm) and at a lot of arrangements organized by the Skåne Sjælland Linux User Group (SSLUG) and the Danish Unix User Group (DKUUG). I helped also with organizing the LinuxForum events in Copenhagen and, a few years ago, with the Romanian Open System Event (ROSE) which was held in Bucharest until 1996.
At these events I had the occasion to meet some famous UNIX and Linux longhairs, such as Richard Stallman (initiator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation) and Alan Cox (who is coordinating the work on the Linux kernel together with Linus Torvalds).
In Denmark the term 'longhaired' ('langhåret') has different meanings depending on the subject; when applied to things it means that the subject (a computer program, a piece of machinery or some other system) is so complicated (and often poorly documented) that it needs special skills to be used or operated correctly.
A Linux Longhair
Go here and get your ports probed:
https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
That sounds kind of kinky...
I can do the same by running nmap on my own IP address.
Bravo! It is a testament to your vast computer skill and knowledge. For the millions of other computer users who don't know how, there is grc.com.
*Chuckles* - Touché
Linux is an awesome OS.
However, most people stray away from it due to the complexity of configuring and running programs, and the hard-to-find software applications. What I mean by that is going to the store and try finding applications/games for Linux....You do not see them.
Oh yes it is!
Well that used to be the case but not anymore. User friendly distributions like, for example, Mandrake are extremely easy to install and use. In fact, some are even easier to install then that stuff from Redmond. There are many graphic tools included for newbies to configure their systems.
This is just not true. You're totally wrong there. There's an ABUNDANCE of (Open Source) software that can be downloaded free of charge.
Not only Mandrake, but Red Hat and SUSE offer graphical tools for configuring the system. For a typical home user these tools are sufficient, and if you want to do more advanced things you have the choice of directly editing the configuration files.
Some applications - such as a complete office suite which can import and export MS Office formats (OpenOffice), an image manipulation program similar to Adobe Photoshop (the GIMP), or SQL-based databases (PostgreSQL and MySQL) are included in most if not all Linux distributions.
Regarding games, Loki has released Linux versions of Civilization, Railroad Tycoon and other simulations produced by them; unfortunately they went out of business a couple of years ago. There are also a lot of free games included in every Linux distribution.
A Linux Longhair
Guys,
Thanks for the information and update guys. The last time I ran Linux was 5 years ago or so. It appears much progress has been made in the recent years.
Since I'm somewhat of a Linux fanatic I just couldn't resist. Check out these links. It's off topic but let's see what I can do about that ... Ah yes; many computer geeks are longhairs! Ever been to one of those conventions? Longhairs all over the place! There, that should do it. Now, here are the links:
http://www.linux.org/
http://www.distrowatch.com/
http://www.linuxquestions.org/
also goto run -> msconfig and look for spyware, check the paths and stuff
For an alternative, try Spybot Search & Destroy... it's much faster than Ad-Aware and seems to be more thorough...
4 months ago, on April 3rd, I switched from a dial up modem to a DSL line which enables us to share the internet and the phone at the same time. I had previously read that you need a firewall (such s ZoneAlarm) if you have a DSL modem. So I installed the free version of ZoneAlarm.
Since then,believe it or not, the program indicates that there have been 5811 intrusion attempts, 950 of them being high rated. BTW I don't have any gator*.* file on my C.
All the info can be found here.
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp
BTW, here a pic of me taken tonight: 14 months (with hairpiece.)
actually looks quite natural and I do not see the 'piece'!
14 months! Congratulations and...
Good Luck!
Thanks; indeed at this point in time, the hairpiece blends perfectly with my own hair. It's doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Click on the link to get a better idea of how I look without the HP.
If you had never told me you were wearing a hairpiece, I would have never known. That looks really good and really natural. Great progress, by the way. Peace!
gREAT LOOK. wOULD BE IMPORVED IN MY HUMBLE OPINION BY A MOUSTACHE WHICH WOULD BALLANCE THE HAIR. THE BEST THING ABOUG GUYS LONG HAIR IS THAT IT IS MASCULINE AND A MOUSTACHE DEFINES THAT.
DRUID
Just a moustache, nah. A moustach e with a a goatee, that's more like it! Or some 5'o clock shadow.
Thanks for the input guys; but I'm not going for either a moustache nor a gaotee or beard. Not that I wouldn't look good but I can't stand facial hair (on my face), too itchy, gets in the way when eating or blowing your nose which I do often in the summer 'cause I'm allergic to pollen.
Marc: You do not NEED to install a firewall if you switch from dial up to broadband internet, although that is a highly advisable move. Firewalls are especially valuable to broadband users is since they tend to issue their users with permanent (to an extent, anyway) IP Addresses, whereas dial up ISPs assign their users new IP addresses each time. The implication of always having the same IP address is that you become a much easier target to hack, especially since many broadband connections do not shut down if you turn off your computer.
The intrusion attempts may not necessarily derive from spyware/adware infiltrating your system; someone could be randomly scanning ports and come across some of yours.
Most broadband users still have "Dynamic" IP addresses assigned to them. "Static" IP addresses are not normally automatically given to broadband users. Usually you pay extra for them. Firewalls became more important for broadband users because of the "Always online" state that you are in. A hacker can scan for open ports whether you have a dynamic IP address or a Static IP address, as long as your online and your PC is on. A firewall has the ability to "Stealth" your open ports from the outside world, making it a bit more difficult to be scanned by a hacker. You also have some protection when they do find an open port that is being monitored by firewall software. The hacker has to fight a layer of security to gain access to your system and would most likely just give up and move onto another victim who has no security. Some hackers also like the challenge. They normally will use a personal PC on the net as a node to do their dirty work from, leaving no trail to them. Anyone deciding NOT to have a firewall running, is like leaving the doors on your house unlocked for a potential burgular.
Anyone deciding NOT to have a firewall running, is like leaving the doors on your house unlocked for a potential burgular.
That's what I read.
Thanks for the info guys.
Good picture, the hair suits you. Can you tie it into a ponytail as it is?
Thanks! I like it more & more every day
Can you tie it into a ponytail as it is?
Absolutely! See pic attached; that was 2 months ago.
BTW, I'm going to Ottawa on the week-end. Maybe we can get in touch. E-mail me.
Regards Marc
On the non-linux machines I have access to, I use -both- spybot
and ad-aware since it seems either one is not 100%.
Also you could try another browser. I've switched to Mozilla and
have been able to stop pop-ups, cookies and other internet dandruff.
That's correct. Mozilla (or Mozilla Firebird - the standalone browser) are very easy to configure and allow you to do things you couldn't do with that OTHER browser. Give them a try and support an Open Source alternative!
Do you use Kazaa? Kazaa is notorious because of the spyware included. Use Kazaa Lite instead. There are other applications that also include spyware but this is a good example since it's so popular.
A lot of retail sites uses modules similiar to Gator to keep track of where your visiting. "They" (Those that use them) say they are harmless in what information it gathers, but I say, it is none of your business regardless. A good browser filter program that I recommend using after you identify and remove these spyware modules (Also you will need to check your system registry for these as well or find a program that will identify and remove them for you) is "Proxomitron". This is a good front-end filter for your browser and you can customize it in great detail or use the several pre-loaded configurations. Since all HTTP activity comes through this program first, it can help eliminate future threats of spyware crap from loading on your machine in the background. I use this and a small firewall program that monitors all of my ports. If an intruder is detected I can also flood the incoming IP address with packet-overflow, which causes their internet connection some problems. I then proceed to flip them the bird with an Ascii image of Bart Simpson showing his middle finger and says "Buzz Off".
All I can to that is: he..he
If u wanna get rid of all this spyware,just look for a program called "AdAware" it is great,and free!
Hope this helps
It's also good practice to keep the ports that you don't use locked. If surfing and downloading are the only things you do online you'll do just fine with all ports closed. But you'd be surprised what some people have running on machines that are online 24/7. 5 minutes ago a ran a portscan in my own IP range and you really don't want to know how many people have telnet and ftp running. I blame the manufacurers for being sloppy. Why the hell do they have all that crap running on a default installation? Most users don't even know what programs are running on their systems. The Linux distributions are getting better at this, thankfully.
Very good advice and good point with the default configurations of OS installations.