Popup messages

[Briggers]

These popup messages are driving me mad, I have shut them
down on my laptop but can't remember how I did it,
something to do with 'Messenger Service' I think!

Any advice?

Briggers

[Perdita X. Nitt]

Briggers wrote:
> These popup messages are driving me mad, I have shut them
> down on my laptop but can't remember how I did it,
> something to do with 'Messenger Service' I think!
>
> Any advice?
>
> Briggers

Which was a very foolish thing to do.

The below is shamelessly stolen from Bruce Chambers, who explains things
more eloquently than I ever could!

This particular "sales method" is strikingly similar to the "protection"
rackets offered to small businesses by organized criminals. Yes, it's a
scam; no reputable business would need to resort to extortion. Particularly
since they're trying to sell you a type of protection that is already
available to you free of charge.

This type of spam has become quite common over the past few months, and
unintentionally serves as a valid security "alert." It demonstrates that you
haven't been taking sufficient precautions while connected to the Internet.
Your data probably hasn't been compromised by these specific advertisements,
but if you're open to this exploit, you may well be open to other threats.
Install and use a decent, properly configured firewall. (Disabling the
messenger service, as some people recommend, only hides the symptom, and
does nothing to secure your machine.) And ignoring or just "putting up
with" these messages and the problem they represent is particularly
foolish.

Messenger Service of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;168893

Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement Appears
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904

Stopping Advertisements with Messenger Service Titles
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Oh, and be especially wary of people who advise you to do nothing more than
disable the messenger service. Disabling the messenger service is a "head in
the sand" approach to computer security.

The real problem is not the messenger service pop-ups; they're actually
providing a useful service by acting as a security alert. The true problem
is the unsecured computer, and you've been advised to merely turn off the
warnings. How is this helpful?

Equivalent Scenario 1: Somewhere in a house, a small fire starts, and sets
off the smoke alarm. You, not immediately seeing any fire/smoke, complain
about the noise of the smoke detector, and are advised to remove the smoke
detector's battery and go back to sleep.

Equivalent Scenario 2: You over-exert your shoulder at work or play,
causing bursitis. After weeks of annoying and sometimes excruciating pain
whenever you try to reach over your head, you go to a doctor and say, while
demonstrating the motion, "Doc, it hurts when I do this." The doctor, being
as helpful as some of your respondents, replies, "Well, don't do that."

I'm beginning to think that the people deliberately posting such bad advice
are hacker-wannabes who have no true interest in helping you secure your
system, but would rather give you a false sense of security while ensuring
that your computer is still open to exploitation.

For regular Internet pop-ups, you might try the free 12Ghosts Popup-killer
from http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/popup.htm or Pop-Up Stopper from
http://www.panicware.com/. Myself, I use Norton Internet Security, which,
in addition to containing Norton Anti-Virus and Personal Firewall, also
blocks most of the pop-up ads on the Internet (though, personally, I don't
advocate the installation of any Norton application).

For pop-ups caused by some sort of "adware" and/or "spyware" that you've
inadvertently installed, two products that are quite effective at finding
and removing scumware are Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search
and Destroy from http://security.kolla.de/. Both have free evaluation
versions.




--
Perdita X. Dream

Please help us to help you
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http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
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Please note that the reply address is fake.
Keep all posts to the groups as private requests for assistance
(i.e. email/IM) cannot be acknowledged. Thank you.

[Ted]

"Perdita X. Nitt" > wrote in message =
...
> Briggers wrote:
> > These popup messages are driving me mad, I have shut them
> > down on my laptop but can't remember how I did it,
> > something to do with 'Messenger Service' I think!
> >
> > Any advice?
> >
> > Briggers
>=20
> Which was a very foolish thing to do.

<snipped long, tedious post>

You really are one bored ****ing ****, aren't you?

Everyone else keep in mind, that though she copied one of the worst MVPs =
here, she promotes a product that I have seen her berate many times =
over, Norton products. What an inconsistent ****!

[PuPpYpc]

Solution:

http://www.puppypc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=294&start=0&postdays=0&postorde
r=asc&highlight=

Best of luck,
Frankie
http://www.puppypc.com/forum/index.htm

"Briggers" > wrote in message
...
> These popup messages are driving me mad, I have shut them
> down on my laptop but can't remember how I did it,
> something to do with 'Messenger Service' I think!
>
> Any advice?
>
> Briggers