Desktop X spyware????
Friday, February 27, 2004 by Asphyxiation | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
Does it include spyware and adware.
After installing it and restarting my pc I had my cd-roms open and this ad popup explaining that if my drives opened that I should seriously get some spyware removal tools. Convieniently they were selling such a product. BTW it was right about the time I had clicked on to download more themes.
Ad-aware removed this stuff from my pc and it's never happened again. But I'm curious if I uninstall and reinstall Desktop X will it happen again.
After installing it and restarting my pc I had my cd-roms open and this ad popup explaining that if my drives opened that I should seriously get some spyware removal tools. Convieniently they were selling such a product. BTW it was right about the time I had clicked on to download more themes.
Ad-aware removed this stuff from my pc and it's never happened again. But I'm curious if I uninstall and reinstall Desktop X will it happen again.
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digital_trucker
Reply #2 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:34 PM
Reply #2 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:34 PM
You got it from somewhere else than DX. The software you download from Stardock is 100% spyware-free. Which themes did you download? Is it possible that an uploaded theme could be contaminated? I would assume that Wincustomize would check such things.
digital_trucker
Reply #3 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:36 PM
Reply #3 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:36 PM
Another thought...keep your computer current through Windows Update.
There's a known issue with pop-ups that's messenger-related, I believe.
There's a known issue with pop-ups that's messenger-related, I believe.
Frogboy
Reply #4 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:47 PM
Reply #4 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:47 PM
All DesktopX does is upload to our servers any files of .xls or Quicken/Quickbook files. So technically it's not spying. )
Just kidding. Stardock not only doesn't do that kind of thing but we've turned out lucrative offers to do that. Recently a big company that does spyware offered to pay us 10 cents per download if we would install spywhere. That would be $800,000+ per year in revenue for us. But we turned them down. We feel the same about Spywhere as you do.
MadPyro
Reply #5 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:50 PM
Reply #5 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:50 PM
smart, you would have lost alot of respect and customers. hey asph, i get those emails too but that isnt because of stardock, its most likely because you have your website on your profile and your email on your website.
digital_trucker
Reply #6 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:58 PM
Reply #6 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:58 PM
Frogboy...you mean that message that scrolls across the screen occasionally in DX (you know, the one that says 'ALL YOUR SKIN ARE BELONG TO US') isn't from you guys? Seriously, though...it sounds to me like something caught through a messenger service, seems like I heard about something like it somewhere a while back. Vague, I know, but that's about all I can remember about it.
Julian Sguera
Reply #7 Friday, February 27, 2004 2:11 PM
Reply #7 Friday, February 27, 2004 2:11 PM
My sister's boyfriend had that happen last week. Is that the height of adware rudeness, or what?
Stumpy
Reply #8 Friday, February 27, 2004 2:50 PM
Wanna step outside and say that.
Reply #8 Friday, February 27, 2004 2:50 PM
| Does it include spyware and adware. |
Wanna step outside and say that.
wombat_1
Reply #9 Friday, February 27, 2004 2:55 PM
If you are not a fan of Microcrud's Messenger it's a good move to go Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services - Services Local and scroll down to 'Messenger'.
You can set it for a manual startup or (my choice) just disable it .... no more pop-ups in the middle of your screen unannounced!
Reply #9 Friday, February 27, 2004 2:55 PM
| There's a known issue with pop-ups that's messenger-related, I believe. |
If you are not a fan of Microcrud's Messenger it's a good move to go Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services - Services Local and scroll down to 'Messenger'.
You can set it for a manual startup or (my choice) just disable it .... no more pop-ups in the middle of your screen unannounced!
Stupendous Man
Reply #11 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:21 PM
Reply #11 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:21 PM
Also, you can go to grc.com (Gibson Research Co.), owned and operated by Steve Gibson, who has several little programs to close the Messenger and other vulnerabilities. It's a very cool site. Some here in the community will vouch for the site as well. 
digital_trucker
Reply #12 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:34 PM
Reply #12 Friday, February 27, 2004 6:34 PM
grc.com is a slick site...gotta love Wizmo
tjesterb
Reply #13 Friday, February 27, 2004 11:08 PM
Reply #13 Friday, February 27, 2004 11:08 PM
I scan weekly with a variety of spyware detector/romovers. No SD products contain any Spy or adware, although one program showed skin dll as malicious spyware. Like an idiot I removed it only to find it was a necessary component of WB and I had to re-install it. I have found this to be a great site that strives to keep everything above board, honest and fair to all. I also find these boards to be a great source of help. This is a rare community of some of the most helpful folks on the web. 
sig101
Reply #14 Saturday, February 28, 2004 12:44 AM
Reply #14 Saturday, February 28, 2004 12:44 AM
Opening the CD tray? That's an old trick. Forgot precisely how it's done, though. A script if I recall correctly.
There are several ways advertising popups can appear on your PC. Messenger service popups can happen if you don't use a firewall to block open ports on the internet and the messenger service is enabled on your system. (Note: the messenger service is not Messenger the Instant Messaging program. It's a service for providing alerts and info on a LAN.) Even if you don't disable the messenger service, a software firewall or even just a NAT router will prevent messenger service popups.
Also, one can get spyware, popups and scripts if one uses IE and has ActiveX and scripting enabled in the Internet Zone. This is now one of the main ways spyware gets on PC's. (Used to be "spyware" was primarily gotten when it was bundled with software, but the spyware folks have gotten more clever and have teamed up with the malware folks to foist their stuff on PC's via IE when security settings are lax.)
If Stardock bundled spyware with its apps this would be widely known in Antispyware circles. Stardock doesn't inlude spyware and it would lose many customers if it ever did.
[Message Edited]
There are several ways advertising popups can appear on your PC. Messenger service popups can happen if you don't use a firewall to block open ports on the internet and the messenger service is enabled on your system. (Note: the messenger service is not Messenger the Instant Messaging program. It's a service for providing alerts and info on a LAN.) Even if you don't disable the messenger service, a software firewall or even just a NAT router will prevent messenger service popups.
Also, one can get spyware, popups and scripts if one uses IE and has ActiveX and scripting enabled in the Internet Zone. This is now one of the main ways spyware gets on PC's. (Used to be "spyware" was primarily gotten when it was bundled with software, but the spyware folks have gotten more clever and have teamed up with the malware folks to foist their stuff on PC's via IE when security settings are lax.)
If Stardock bundled spyware with its apps this would be widely known in Antispyware circles. Stardock doesn't inlude spyware and it would lose many customers if it ever did.
[Message Edited]
Rutabaga64
Reply #15 Saturday, February 28, 2004 1:17 AM
I was also steered toward a small, free program called Message Subtract, which has worked like a charm since I installed it. I hated those Messenger popups with a passion.
Reply #15 Saturday, February 28, 2004 1:17 AM
| If you are not a fan of Microcrud's Messenger it's a good move to go Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services - Services Local and scroll down to 'Messenger'. You can set it for a manual startup or (my choice) just disable it .... no more pop-ups in the middle of your screen unannounced! |
I was also steered toward a small, free program called Message Subtract, which has worked like a charm since I installed it. I hated those Messenger popups with a passion.
XX
Reply #16 Saturday, February 28, 2004 1:55 PM
Reply #16 Saturday, February 28, 2004 1:55 PM
That's why I love windows xp. I can manage computer and remove services.
Stockholm Syndrome
Reply #17 Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:18 PM
Reply #17 Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:18 PM
I think this person is talking about a popup from a web page, could be the dang Messenger crap too though. >
I started running this program called SpywareGuard that scan in the background like an AV and prevents any of that crap from getting installed. http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html
I started running this program called SpywareGuard that scan in the background like an AV and prevents any of that crap from getting installed. http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html
sig101
Reply #18 Saturday, February 28, 2004 5:37 PM
Reply #18 Saturday, February 28, 2004 5:37 PM
SpywareBlaster is from the same author. It provides registry "kill bits" that prevent installation of some spyware from the web. (It's not a running program like SpywareGuard.) SB and SG make a good combo for preventative measures.
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]
Erk.
Reply #19 Sunday, February 29, 2004 3:23 AM
Nah, dont tell me that thing's for cd's?!
I thought my computer was just being nice, and poppin' out a coffee cup holder for me! (winkie x2)
Reply #19 Sunday, February 29, 2004 3:23 AM
| CD tray |
Nah, dont tell me that thing's for cd's?!
I thought my computer was just being nice, and poppin' out a coffee cup holder for me! (winkie x2)
Stumpy
Reply #20 Sunday, February 29, 2004 5:25 AM
Reply #20 Sunday, February 29, 2004 5:25 AM
I'm completely protected, with
Spybot, Adaware, SpywareBlaster, Run once a week
Outpost Firewall, AVG Anti-Virus, SpywareGuard, Run all the time
Ver, Very, Very little gets through all that
Spybot, Adaware, SpywareBlaster, Run once a week
Outpost Firewall, AVG Anti-Virus, SpywareGuard, Run all the time
Ver, Very, Very little gets through all that
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Reply #1 Friday, February 27, 2004 12:31 PM
It wasn't DesktopX.
Stardock have no need of any third party ad scams and tracker files, etc.
The spyware you had was undoubtedly from the company you say were convinetly selling the product to remove it.
Stardock sell no such programs.
[Message Edited]