I found these items while running and examing msconfig...your site says they are malware...how do I delete them...I've used Adaware, and Wise Registry Cleaner...but they are still there..how can I tell what they are doing to my system (98se) and how do I remove them? Thanks

which antivirus program are you running? I guess you are running the old adaware se program which is now out of date and not updating

you may wish to run two scans to see what they find for you
superantispyware

http://www.superantispyware.com/superantis...efreevspro.html

its free exe is http://www.superantispyware.com/downloadfi...ANTISPYWAREFREE

and asquared free

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

its exe is http://download6.emsisoft.com/a2FreeSetup.exe

you need to install both , fully update both from their desktop icons, then reboot the computer into safe mode; run both scans separately on a full deep scan ; when the scans are complete reboot into normal mode and let us know what, if anything the scans located;

depending on how much is on the computer the scans CAN take a few hours to run so be prepared

Well then you run msconfig and click on the Startup tab it will show you all the files that run on Windows startup. If it just shows Defect08.exe with no folder name then its probably in the Windows folder or the Windows\System folder. Just do a drive search for them and delete them. If it says something like file in use can't delete you need to press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up Task Manager. If you see the file listed in there then End Task it, then you can delete the file from your HD.

Now in order to remove it from startup remove the tick against it name in msconfig. This can be done with Regedit but if your not used to it, it can be dangerous. I would recomend you download CCleaner, its free and it will remove this file from startup permanently.

Hello Myst_her,



Bleeping Computer doesn't recommend the use of Registry Cleaners.
Registry cleaners are extremely powerful applications and their potential for harming your OS far outweighs any small potential for improving your computer's performance.

There are a number of them available and some are more safe than others. Keep in mind that no two registry cleaners work entirely the same way. Each vendor uses different criteria as to what constitutes a "bad" entry. One cleaner may find entries on your system that will not cause a problem when removed, another may not find the same entries, and still another may want to remove entries required for a program to work.

Unless you have a particular problem that requires a registry edit to correct it, I would suggest you leave the registry alone.
Using registry cleaning tools unnecessarily or incorrectly can have disastrous effects on your operating system such as preventing it from ever starting again.
For routine use by those not familiar with the registry, the benefits to your computer are negligible while the potential risks are great.

Further reading: XP Fixes Myth #1: Registry Cleaners

An article aimed at XP is not likely to help.
The Win 95/98 versions actually came with RegClean. Messing around with the
registry can have disastrous results so we don't recommend you go
in there. There are plenty of programs that will kill those files.

have you yet run the superantispyware and a squared programs , both of which are compatible with your win 98se , have THEY flagged up anything nasty? ; also you will know that adaware se is no longer updating and adaware 2007 is NOT compatible with your windows version ?

what other antivirus (and other) scans have you run on your computer and do any of THEM flag up anything as a nasty?

Well I've been using RegClean for the past 12 years on Win95/98 and it works perfectly. I know it says Windows 95/98/NT but I've run it on WinXP without a problem.

maybe you need to re-read this of Tmack's
tmack Mod

maybe you are a member of other forums which DO advocate the use of these tools?
this forum , as TMack( Mod) states, does NOT

Yes I use 50 forums and I recommend CCleaner to anyone that asks. I can't see what the problem is with CCleaner. I don't know why people are freighted to use it? It cleans all the useless crap of your system. If you use the Registry selection you can always make a backup (reg file) of anything it removes. If push come to shove you can always do a system restore.

Thats all well and good that you recommend CCLeaner on 50 forums or more. WE at Bleeping Computer do not advocate the use of ANY Registry tool. The reason WE DO NOT, is because we focus on helping the novice user. Novice users, by and large are unaware of the dangers of using registry tools. When we do find a need to advise using a registry tool. We advise is the strongest and most visible way to BACK UP THEIR REGISTRY and that what they are doing is risky.

Therefore if you intend to keep advocating the use of a registry tool, you will post a warning with your advocating post. If you choose not to follow the method we employ your posts will be removed for the general safety of our members. If you do not understand what I have just stated please feel free to contact me via PM and I will gladly explain it to you so that you understand.

There are several reasons BC does not recommend the general use of registry cleaners to our Members.

1. It is a moot point whether cleaning the registry does much to improve computer performance, given the potential for doing harm to the operating system that these powerful applications have.
2. Using a registry cleaner presupposes some knowledge of how the operating system works, and at least a cursory review of the recommendations for deletions made by these applications since their algorithms for deletion cannot take into consideration the configuration of each and every computer and the myriad of applications running on it.
3. Any registry changes should always be made after the original registry is fully backed up. BC is careful to make certain that any post recommending registry cleaners contains at least a warning to that effect, but many of our Members might either forget or might err in performing the backup operation.
4. From a practical standpoint, the majority of our Members are simply users of computers or are relatively novice in their knowledge of the internals of Windows; more likely than not, they have never used a cleaner before and may not take the necessary time to carefully read the caveats in the application's Help file. We have seen far-too-often the kinds of problems to which casual use of registry cleaners has contributed, and thus do not want to create the impression in the forums that registry cleaners are either a solution to all sorts of problems, or as innocuous to use as Ad-Aware; this would be a real disservice to the majority of our Members.

Regards,
John

You have a Trojan - part of a Wareout infection..., it is masquerading as a spyware and dialer remover.

Please do this:

Download HijackThis™ here:
http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/th.../hijackthis.php

Click 'Do a System Scan and Save logfile'.
The HJT log will open in notepad.

Copy and paste the contents of the HJT log into a NEW TOPIC in "HijackThis Logs and Malware Removal"
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum22.html

Please do not post your HJT log in this topic.

Ok Animal and John I shall not mention it again.