Security

Thu
29
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

ccApp.exe Error during Shutdown?

Infopackets Reader Diane M. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just love getting your newsletters! They have helped me so much in the past. My question is in regard to a process named ccApp.exe: when I shut down my computer, I often have to wait for a long ... time before it actually shuts down to reboot. Most of the time I will get an error stating that 'ccApp.exe is not responding' and when I click to end the process, my computer remains frozen. Often times I have to reset the computer manually. Can you please help me out with this problem? I'm running Windows XP. Thanks for any help you can offer ... (view more)

Tue
27
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Remove Screensaver?

Infopackets Reader Sandy D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have screensavers installed on my system -- and I don't even know how they got there (and it worries me!). What's worse is that I don't know how to remove the screensavers because I can't locate ... them in the computer! I would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks! " My response: Unfortunately, a lot of the "free" screen savers floating on the Internet come bundled with Spyware. If you have screen savers and aren't sure how they got installed on your computer, I would recommend you do a Spyware scan. Spyware Doctor is ... (view more)

Sun
11
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Which PopUp Blocker should I use?

Infopackets Reader Chris K. writes: " Dear Dennis, My computer has so many popup blockers installed that my web pages won't display properly. For example: if I click a link on a web site that opens a new Browser Window, the page is blocked. As far ... as I understand, popup blockers are a part of my antivirus program, my firewall, my DSL connection (through Yahoo and SBC), and even Mozilla Firefox has one. I suspect there may be other popup blockers installed on my machine as years have gone by. My question is: how do I know which popup blockers to remove, yet keep my computer safe from ... (view more)

Fri
09
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Can't Uninstall / Remove PC Mighty Max?, Part 2

Infopackets Reader Nancy H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just surfed on over to your web site for the first time. I saw your recent article ' Can't uninstall / remove PCMightyMax? ' and have tried the instructions as you have suggested. I went through ... the various steps you advised by running the PC Mighty Max 'installer', but did not see an option to remove mightyMax from my system. The only thing I saw was an option to install it again. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. PC Mighty Max is *extremely* annoying, and seems more like a virus or a Trojan than anything! I'd love very much ... (view more)

Wed
07
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Can't Uninstall / Remove PC Mighty Max?

Infopackets Reader Fred S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently download a program called PCMighty Max. The web site said it was free and would fix errors on my computer. The problem is that it has the most annoying warnings and popups which ... practically force you into purchasing the full retail version. Question is: how can I remove PC Mighty Max from my computer? I have tried to remove mightymax from my Control Panel, but, the remove feature is not there. Thank you in advance for your help -- I am a new subscriber and look forward to my first edition! " My response: After a bit of ... (view more)

Sun
28
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Forgot / Lost my User Password (Windows XP)?

Infopackets Reader Sandie R. writes: " Dear Dennis, You are always so helpful with the tips you give in your newsletter! I hope you can help me. Three years ago, I purchased a used HP Pavilion desktop computer with Windows XP installed on it. After ... 1 year of usage, I decided to upgrade and packed away the old computer. The other day, I was doing some spring cleaning and decided to unpack the old computer and fire it up. Unfortunately, I forgot my Windows XP user password, and now I can't login. Is there anything I can do to get past the password? Thanks in advance for any suggestions you ... (view more)

Fri
26
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Microsoft's new Anti-Phishing Toolbar for Internet Explorer

wiredNews.com is reporting that an anti-phishing tool (currently only available in the beta stage of Internet Explorer version 7 ) will be available to all Windows XP Service Pack 2 users before the full release of IE7. Here's the full story: " ... Microsoft Corp. will soon make available to the general public a tool for warning users about 'phishing' scams that could lead to identity theft. Currently, such a tool comes only with the Internet Explorer 7 browser, which is available in tests only to a select group of developers. But within a few weeks, Microsoft will incorporate it into a ... (view more)

Mon
22
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Remove Spyware with Randomly Generated Process and File names?

Infopackets Reader Joe B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been desperately trying to clean my computer of a nasty Malware / Spyware infection for the last 5 days. A characteristic of something that is going on is that while I'm typing along in a window, ... the window is suddenly de-activated and I have to mouse back to the window to activate it and continue typing. It's most irritating! I believe I have resolved the majority of the Spyware infection, however there are 4 files that keep reappearing even after I delete them. I can't seem to find instructions on the web, either. I'm not sure what ... (view more)

Sat
20
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Slipstream Windows XP?

" Dear Dennis, My PC with Windows XP is getting slower and slower. I need to do some spring cleaning and I think the best way is to reinstall the Operating System. My question is: how can I reinstall Windows XP with all the latest updates at the ... same time? You answered a similar question like this before, but didn't give any details or refer the reader to a location to get the information. I think this procedure is called 'Slipstreaming'. Thanks. " My response: Just to recap: slipstreaming means to integrate the latest Service Pack into the Windows installation CD. Service Packs are ... (view more)

Thu
11
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Remove Smitfraud.c Trojan (0028.C0011E36 VXD)?

Infopackets Reader 'Faskia' writes: " Dear Dennis, One of my PCs is now failing to connect to the Internet, and is showing a Security Warning screen on a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). The blue background reads, 'A fatal error in IE has occured at ... 0028.C0011E36 in VXD VMM(01)+00010E36. Error was caused by Trojan-Spy.HTML.Smitfraud.c.' Would you please give me some simple steps to remove Smitfraud from my PC? " My response: The problem is that your computer has been infected with Spyware. According to the F-Secure web site, Trojan-Spy.HTML.Smithfraud.c is a phishing scam where "a ... (view more)

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