[patmac]

Hi,
I'm presently holding on to Ad-Aware SE, manually updating it. Back when 2008 first came out, seemed there was alot of talk about problems with it.
Anyone have any experience with 2008? Any thoughts on either one?
I use AVG, MalwareBytes and Spybot Search and Destroy along with SE
Thanks

[Noyb]

I don't think Ad-Aware is even needed ... if you use Ccleaner
http://www.ccleaner.com/

Lately .. I've been using ..
http://www.superantispyware.com/ .. Just to look for leftovers.
Still haven't found any.

[patmac]

Thanks.
I have ATF Cleaner, is that the same as ccleaner?

ps. Number Five Rocks!!

[Noyb]

Originally Posted by patmac

I have ATF Cleaner, is that the same as ccleaner?

Never used ATF cleaner .. But from what I read - it looks about the same.
I saw that it won't let you keep cookies.

CCleaner will let you choose which cookies you want to keep ... if you choose to clean cookies (which I do)
Don't use the registry cleaner option.

I think CCleaner removes 99.9% of what most think is spyware

[Noyb]

Originally Posted by patmac

Number Five Rocks!!

Ever get hit by lightning ??
It feels like getting hit by a cannon .. since it’s DC
Not like the 60 cycle shakes you get when AC bites you

[patmac]

I just took a look at your CCleaner thumbnails. Looks like it does alot more than ATF, unless I'm being ATF-challenged. I was under the impression they are both just temp file and privacy cleaners. You brought up CCleaner in reference to my question about LavaSoft's Ad-AwareSE. I thought Ad-aware looks and does more than that. I'm attaching a thumbnail of ATF.

[Noyb]

Long story .. Here's my short version.
I think the all the so called spyware that AD-Aware (or others) finds ...
is data mining ( tracking) cookies.
These Tacking Cookies are NOT invasive (or dangerous) or an intrusion to your privacy.

Clean your cookies first .. And you won't find any tracking cookies.
If you use cookies with passwords .. (such as TSG here) .. you can tell CCleaner to keep these cookies.

The best way I've found is to have all your passwords written down on paper.
Clean your cookies .. and put them back in one at a time and tell Explorer & CCleaner to keep it.
When you have your Cookies re-built and CCleaner set to keep them .. tell Explorer to export them to a backup file.

If you use FireFox ... it won't save cookies .. but it will import them from Explorer.
About the only thing I use Explorer for - is for a master copy of my preferred Cookies.

There are some programs that install "spyware" that CCleaner will not remove.
You kinda have to know that this is a possibility, and when .. and go looking if this might be the case.

Does this short version make any sense ??

Here's where you tell CCleaner .. What Cookies (with passwords) to keep

[patmac]

Yes, thanks, I'm getting it alittle now (even working with the lead on my shoulders ).
Yesterday, before running Ad-Aware, I ran ATF, had it empty everything. The next and only thing I did was to scan with Ad-aware, and it found 12 insignificant or non-threat items. It's only ever found a few "threat level 3" items. Does CCleaner sound too advanced for me??? This all started with an issue with Spybot Search and Destroy not releasing my local profile for the Limited User account after it scans. Over at Safer Networking ( can get the link if you like ) there's a link about this, but no help on the horizon. So, I'm on a mission to replace/reduce the apps I use for scans. I also presently use AVG and MalwareBytes. I want to get to two or three apps that will cover me. If they can't figure out the lost/local profile issue at Safer Networking, I may get rid of that ( after a long time use ). Thanks again.

[topkittie]

hello, so do you recommend getting Ccleaner instead of Adaware?

[Noyb]

Originally Posted by patmac

Does CCleaner sound too advanced for me ???

I'd say NO ... if you use Cookies w passwords, you may have some learning to do.
DO NOT use CCleaner (or anything) to clean your registry.

I've dumped Spybot and Ad-Aware a log time ago.
The only protection I use is AVG (it has spyware built in) .. Zone Alarm .. and WinPatrol
I occasionally scan for spyware with Superantispyware as I mentioned earlier...
But I'm usually bored when I do this.

My biggest problem is Microsoft .. And I know of NO protection from M$'s updates or getting confused for no good reason.

BUT I CHEAT ... and have the ultimate protection - which is really a "cure for all."
I can connect an external HD ... push a couple of buttons .. and take about a 20 minute break.

When I come back .. I have a fresh install of Windows, full loaded, mostly updated, programs installed, setup the way I like ... and running.
Nothing beats a fresh install of Windows for tuning up (or fixing) a computer.

[Noyb]

Originally Posted by topkittie

hello, so do you recommend getting Ccleaner instead of Adaware?

I know of one computer instructor that recommends running ad-Aware at least once a day.
He says he always finds spyware.

I run CCleaner (sometimes several times a day .. it only takes a second or two)...
and never find any .. but he's an instructor for a major corporation.
Last I heard - He's in love with Windows OneCare

I've had good luck with CCleaner ... when Ad-aware quit finding any - I removed it.
I always run CCleaner before scanning for Spyware

[hewee]

Noyb,

Why are you saving tracking cookies from ads.techguy.org?

[Noyb]

One of them is required to keep my TSG password so I can login automatically.
Not sure .. I may have too many

[hewee]

Well that sure in not the one for techguy password.

Look at the cookie manager and highlight each.
I use CookieSafe that is great to make temp cookies or to get session only from sites that you don't want to keep the cookies.
Then CookieCuller that I love even more.
CookieCuller I have the icon added to the toolbar and use it all the time to clear unprotected cookies. You mark the cookies you want to keep. But even for sites like TSG that you have rights to set a cookie and you want TSG cookies do not mark protect on the session cookies. Your have to highlight cookies from each site you want to keep the cookies from and your see if it is a session cookie or not.
Once you get this set up you can click the "remove all cookies" button and it removes all UN-Protected cookies.
I use this after going to sites that set a cookie so am always clearing any tracking that can go on.
I have only these cookies from here and your see the "bbsessionhash" with a no to the left because it is not protected because it is just a session cookie.
The others are needed and the highlighted one is your password. "bbuserid" I think is the one that knows the user name etc.
Then your see only one from "forums.techguy.org" called "vbulletin_collapse". This I have but is not needed either. Well it only remember if you collapse any parts of the forum. Like the mail page you can hide or collapse parts by click the on the right or other pages and the "Quick Reply" box.
You can also put the ads.techguy.org on the block list so it never gets set again. Just go to the cookie manager exceptions list and add it there and mark it as block.
You can also block a lot more cookies then you think you can but you had better backup your cookies with MozBackup because in the exceptions list a site does not show all the cookies from a site.
So if you marked some as block from a site and blocked one you need then you have to unblock all from that site and start over.
It can be hard to do at some sites that have a ton of cookies and I bet I could block even more at hotmail but I bet I block 25 or so added cookies that are not needed to get to the hotmail email. Bet yahoo is the same way but I don't use yahoo but know they do have lots of cookies and change things around alot because of things I block by my hosts file and adblock plus. You can have it so your blocking all you can at there site and still get there but every some many months they change how things are linked so you have to redo it.

But get the MozBackup and the CookieCuller and get control of the added cookies so your only get cookies you need. Then clear the unprotected ones before going to another sites to kill the tracking.

Like here I bet all your really need are "bbuserid" and "bbpassword"
bblastvisit to know when you was here last.
bblastactivity to know where you was at I think. Like knows what treads you seen and what are new threads and post.