When something called internet washer tries to download and change my registry it's a virus in my opinion. pauljs75 ought to be BANNED!!! Admids please check the humv thing free download by pauljs75 My adwatch caught it and showed me what it was trying to change in the registry settings while it was trying to do an auto download. Marque

Hum-Dinger SUV (Misc.) For Commercial or Non-Commercial Use Add-on Item Notes & Requirements By: pauljs75 Mar 18, 2003 PC/Mac 27 downloads

Well, while web-washer may be annoying SpyWare, and it does attempt to edit the registry, so I'm in agreement with you as far as it being a nastey...It is not a "virus". Also, the file is Not located in the freestuff you downloaded. It is probably embedded in one of the equally annoying Aggelfire pop-ups. Because I just downloaded it without any problems. Then again, I have all Angelfire Pop-ups Blocked from ever even being allowed to load. It is unlikely that Paul even knows it was there.

If it downloads a product I don't ask for, and it attempts to change my registry, it is a virus...sorry, that's the way I see it. If I didn't have my blocker up it would have changed my registry, and I ended up having to uninstall a program that I did not request, even though I thought I caught it BEFORE it finished installing. Not acceptable. He may not know about it but he is now aware of the problem and I will leave it to him to deal with. I'm just now weeding out the last crap I got from a freebie, thinking that no matter how nice they look, maybe it's time to stop downloading them. Marque

I looked at the files on my computer and didn't see anything that had web washer in it. I also looked at the html for the page and didn't see anything that would trigger it. I'll put a note in the Mod forum and see if any of the other mods get the same problem you had. Thanks for the heads up, Cres

Two other admins ran the file and didn't find a problem, either. Is it possible that another file caused the problem? Another possibility is that the file had been compromised, and pauljs realized it and uploaded a clean copy later on. Thanks, Cres

Hw do I block all Angelfire (and similar)pop-ups from ever even being allowed to load?

I use ad aware and it has a program with it called ad watch. www.lavasoft.de Thanks for checking it. Marque

Attached Link: http://www.proxomitron.org

None of us should have to install "filters, blockers" and the like to protect our computers from this stuff. I always thought that Renderosity was one of the places I could trust to get safe stuff. Renderosity needs to take a strong stand on what people put up for download.....I don't give a rip where they post it. Guess my Norton ad blocker goes on! Too bad.....I suspect there are some sites I won't be able to visit, but I don't have the time to mess around deleting crappy spyware.

sandoppe, deleting spyware doesn't take much time at all. Spyware/adware are a reality of the 'net. I agree that we shouldn't have to deal with this stuff, but unfortunately that's an overly idealistic view. As you probably know Renderosity proper isn't hosting FreeStuff items. It's not their fault that there are sleazy bugs out there. So far as I know the only thing Renderosity does is use a harmless cookie which makes it easy to log in. It's absolutely worth your time to obtain something like Ad Aware (the basic version of which is still free.) Running it once a week or so is a great idea. It only takes about five minutes on my massively jammed HD. If your computer is well-protected by Norton, Ad Aware, and a good firewall (e.g. ZoneAlarm, Black Ice Defender,) then you can surf and download without worrying. Sorry if this is too basic for you, just wanted to encourage people to realize that the small effort it takes to defend your machine is well worth it.

Ya xoconostle, I know.....just ticks me off is all :) I don't blame Renderosity...just so much they can do. It's just a shame that people can't enjoy the internet without some sleezeball trying to take advantage and forcing us to have to run a bunch of crap on our systems to stop them. I've always believed that if you have a product someone wants, you don't need to resort to sleezy methods to sell it. About two weeks ago, I installed Norton Internet Security for the anti-virus and firewall...the firewall to stop the abuse of Microsoft Messenger....and by God it works! Some a-hole in China....like clock work....every week tries to send one and gets blocked. I have now turned on the ad blocker that also comes with Norton Security for both ads and pops. We'll see how that works.

Makes me wonder why Netscape and MS don't build "block Pop Up" right into the browser. I mean, how could they not see the demand for this? Microsoft Messenger... I had to remove because it turned into a Spam Tool. And now a days, I block most cookies by default.

Probably because both Microsoft and Netscape use "pops" themselves :) One hand washes the other in the case of this marketing business. Look at all the business it creates for Symantec and the rest. I had the same "spam problem" with Messenger, but didn't want to turn it off as it does some legitimate tasks under XP. Norton has stopped the spam that was being created by those who exploit it....for now :)

"If it downloads a product I don't ask for, and it attempts to change my registry, it is a virus...sorry, that's the way I see it." I COULD say that 'if it has four legs then it's a rat and I'll shoot it!' but that won't make me either right OR popular with local pet owners.

I would like to know what version of adware has a ad blocker. I have 5.82, which is probably way out dated. Also, Opera has a option to refuse popups. It great. www.opera.com.

It's in the Pro version.

Attached Link: http://www.xpantispy.de

It is not needed: I've run XP Antispy and deleted all the crap M$ put into XP and it works fine. Messenger is just a spy and spam tool, nothing more.

I think Phoenix and Mozilla have a block popups switch too. Opera also has a switch that puts popups in the background. Of course, AOL's Netscape and Uncle BIlly's MSIE don't block popups, any more than they prevent any of the other invasive crud they themselves use. MS eventually will have a way to block any except their own, and they will rush to our rescue.

Yeah, MS will come up with a way and that will cause another vulnerability we'll have to patch. :O)