I am fuming- the ads will stop at nothing!!!

[U2Kitten]

I am so furious right now! I am posting this in hopes that one of you computer geniuses can offer some advice.

As you know from my other posts, I recently lost a computer to a virus that attached itself as pop up ads. When the new computer started getting them, you guys suggested ad-aware, which I have downloaded, and it has helped except in cases of it being a sponsored website like tripod or something I also have norton antivirus.

But now, just this morning, the most shameful and annoying thing has happened with ads yet- the bastards found a way to put a small row of flashing ads on my Internet Explorer window, just under the address window and above the website. That means I am NEVER free of them, it keeps blinking, and there is no way to x it out without getting rid of everything! What a dirty trick!

Has anyone else been victimized by this, and can anyone suggest something I can do?

 

[U2Kitten]

It's called fastweb.com. This must be their new ploy to avoid the adware and firewalls people are using

 

[kobayashi]

search your pc for 'fastweb' or look through the program files for something recently installed that looks suspicious. then find its uninstall. or go through start-->control panel-->settings-->add/remove software to see if it is there.

that is my non-expert advice

 

[U2Kitten]

I am so lame, I thought once you had ad aware it would keep on working automatically. But apparently you have to keep running scans? Is that it? I ran a scan and it found 364 red bugs, most of them from 'hot bar' which must be what the bar thing on the window was called. So it's dead now. It worked. But I still think it's a dirty trick to do that to people, because some may even be lamer than me and not know how to get rid of it.

 

[cell]

the only way you can get rid of those ads is to uninstall hotbar from your computer.

same thing happened to me too.

 

[U2Kitten]

search your pc for 'fastweb' or look through the program files for something recently installed that looks suspicious. then find its uninstall. or go through start-->control panel-->settings-->add/remove software to see if it is there.

that is my non-expert advice

That is exactly how I accidently killed my last computer. I'd had it for 4 years and it was loaded with 4000 U2 pics and other goodies. I am devastated.

I did exactly what you said, and I deleted them. But they kept coming back, manifesting themselves as default versions. I had to keep doing this, and when I deleted the fourth batch of defaults, it took away my internet explorer and any way to reach the internet. The system then became very sluggish and red error messages popped up no matter what I tried to do. The guy at the computer store said that the bargain buddy ads I had were a virus. He said they would attach themselves to something important to get to stay (like a pork barrell bill in congress) and when you delete them, you also delete something important So it would no longer function unless it was completely redone. I got a new computer for cheaper, but I would have gladly paid to preserve the old one if I could have saved its memory. I still have it in a box and hope to revive it someday, some way, and retrieve the data on it.

That's why I'm so afraid to do that again. Internet ads suck

 

[Angela Harlem]

God I'm getting a headache just reading this U2k. It's such a shit, I swear. You seem quite computer savvy, more than me anyway which makes you almost an expert lol. With your old hard drive, can you hook it up as well, and install it as the secondary or slave drive? What you can do then, once your good new hard drive is free from all this shit, is go in via the new one and remove all your pics and things off the old one. It can take days to get through everything, but it's well worth it. I thought I had lost about 4000 mp3s when mine died last month, but thankfully most of it was saved.

You shold also try and find out how safe the sites you visit are. When I discovered just how bad the problem was on the old drive, I was spewing mostly because I rarely go to sites outside ones I have been using so safely for years. I then found out the husband had been looking for warez and crackz on here which is where a lot of the problems were picked up. Those sites especially are great at putting shit on your comp that you dont know about, these popups are only what you can see. I detest this kind of crap, and I hope you can get more help off the more knowing folks in here.

 

[oliveu2cm]

hotbar is evil

How to remove Hotbar
PCHell has a program you can download to automatically delete.

 

[U2Kitten]

God I'm getting a headache just reading this U2k. It's such a shit, I swear. You seem quite computer savvy, more than me anyway which makes you almost an expert lol. With your old hard drive, can you hook it up as well, and install it as the secondary or slave drive? What you can do then, once your good new hard drive is free from all this shit, is go in via the new one and remove all your pics and things off the old one. It can take days to get through everything, but it's well worth it. I thought I had lost about 4000 mp3s when mine died last month, but thankfully most of it was saved.

You shold also try and find out how safe the sites you visit are. When I discovered just how bad the problem was on the old drive, I was spewing mostly because I rarely go to sites outside ones I have been using so safely for years. I then found out the husband had been looking for warez and crackz on here which is where a lot of the problems were picked up. Those sites especially are great at putting shit on your comp that you dont know about, these popups are only what you can see. I detest this kind of crap, and I hope you can get more help off the more knowing folks in here.

I'm not savvy at all 5 years ago I was all but computer illiterate. Everything I know I learned from stuff breaking, like with a car.

I'm glad you got your stuff saved, maybe there is hope for mine yet! I don't know how do to the master/slave thing maybe I can do it sometime. I'm not giving up on my old stuff.

I really don't go anywhere except here and other u2 sites, yahoo, email and pic sites, google and a few history sites. I am sure it's my husband who visits the 'unsafe' places as his tastes are most unsavory Most of it he does when I'm not home or in bed, but I couldn't stop him anyway. I'm sure that's where the crap keeps coming from. I'll just keep checking for bugs

 

[U2Kitten]

hotbar is evil

How to remove Hotbar
PCHell has a program you can download to automatically delete.

Thanks!

 

[HelloAngel]

I don't have anything to add here that is helpful. But I truly believe computer maintainence and troubleshooting has become way TOO HARD in recent years.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Hotbar sucks.

I uninstalled mine about two months ago.

 

[Popmartijn]

I never have any problems regarding pop-ups/spyware/hotbars. Mozilla Firefox prevents almost anything from appearing without my approval.

http://texturizer.net/firefox/download.html#release

 

[oliveu2cm]

What I do before someone recommends a program for me to use (i.e. "Hotbar it's so cool you can change icons blahdeeblah!) I google for the program and see what else comes up on that search.. if you find it listed at a site like "PCHELL" or something like lol, you pretty much know it's an ad-filled crapmongerer - before you've downloaded it.

Of course there are other ways they get onto your system, but I guess that's what running spybot and norton should be able to catch.

Either way, it sucks.

 

[oliveu2cm]

Mozilla Firefox

And you can tab!!! Mozilla Firefox

 

[Popmartijn]

Tabs rule!
As does the pop-up blocker.
And the script to hide/block advert images.



Marty (only sees the AWF banner, scrolling newsbar and PayPal/Amazon links at the top of this page)

 

[U2Kitten]

Thanks I'll get that too!

Y'all rock!

 

[Liesje]

Some tips from the local computer technician:

Use FireFox !!!!

Run adaware or spybot once a week but remember you gotta update it

Get an antivirus like Symantec/Norton that offers filesystem realtime scan

Run Windows updates

Get a pop-up blocker (but make sure the one you get isn't adware itself!)

I'm curious you got ads for fastweb.... the fastweb I belong to is a really great service. You enter lots of info about yourself and it compiles your own personal database of scholarships you're eligible for. Then it e-mails you when a new one is posted or when a dealine is approaching. Maybe the fastweb ad you got was something different....

 

[Mullen-Girl]

I just got a new computer yesterday here at work and the guy installed popup blockers from google and I have never been happier

 

[Mullen-Girl]

BTW he installed Firefox and I had no clue what it was either lmao

 

[U2Kitten]

Get a pop-up blocker (but make sure the one you get isn't adware itself!)

Thanks! I'm doing/will do all those things but I don't want the pop up blocker because then when I click on a link for something it won't work

I'm curious you got ads for fastweb.... the fastweb I belong to is a really great service. You enter lots of info about yourself and it compiles your own personal database of scholarships you're eligible for. Then it e-mails you when a new one is posted or when a dealine is approaching. Maybe the fastweb ad you got was something different....

Oh, that explains it then. My nephew was over here last night and asked if he could use the computer. I know he's been trying to find a way to pay for college with no money and not so good grades so he must've picked it up in his surfing. It was mostly 'get money for college' ads that kept popping up, but it was still a hotbar. I guess maybe somehow hotbar got attached to it.

 

[oliveu2cm]

Oh, that explains it then. My nephew was over here last night and asked if he could use the computer. I know he's been trying to find a way to pay for college with no money and not so good grades so he must've picked it up in his surfing. It was mostly 'get money for college' ads that kept popping up, but it was still a hotbar. I guess maybe somehow hotbar got attached to it.

What happens with spyware is it can read the search criteria or content of websites people are looking at. Therefore if he searched for "college scholarships" Hotbar detected those key words and then displayed ads thru internet explorer - free marketing for them.

It's so annoying.. when I noticed this happening w/ me I realized I had spyware too. Gotta stay on top of it.

 

[Liesje]

What happens with spyware is it can read the search criteria or content of websites people are looking at. Therefore if he searched for "college scholarships" Hotbar detected those key words and then displayed ads thru internet explorer - free marketing for them.

Exactly. It was probably Hotbar and not Fastweb. Fastweb is credible and a great resource. Tell your nephew he should setup an account there if he hasn't already