AdWare warning from this site ...

eliems

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Every time I come here I am getting an Adware blocked message for "smartware.d" . This is seriously annoying!

Did they ad something to this site since my last visit a few days ago? :dunno:
 

vancouver-gts

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I changed to the free 'microsoft security essentials' from their site , works great. Had AVG for years no problem until lately it slowed the computer to the point it was ridiculous.it went into deep scan everytime I logged on. No warnings for this site , YET :D
 

ROCKET62

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These pop-ups, adware, etc are annoying, but let me ask a hypothetical question? Should non-VCA members get these to offset the cost of running the site and having a VCA?
 

Black Moon

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Sometimes I get them, sometimes I don't. Same thing on the Alley. If someone knows how to permanently stop them please post.
Sal
 

frank364

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I changed to the free 'microsoft security essentials' from their site , works great. Had AVG for years no problem until lately it slowed the computer to the point it was ridiculous.it went into deep scan everytime I logged on. No warnings for this site , YET :D

Just a word of caution, I manage multiple computers from business to personal, I too tried the free Microsoft security essential on one of my computers as a test, and I was hit continuously with viruses.
 

ViperGeorge

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I would suggest that the pop ups are not from this site but from a piece of adware that was installed on your computer by some other site. Run a good adware eliminator. I use Superantispyware.
 

ViperCollector

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Just a word of caution, I manage multiple computers from business to personal, I too tried the free Microsoft security essential on one of my computers as a test, and I was hit continuously with viruses.

I too have used MSE on various computers, and my experiences have been very different than yours. MSE regularly catches problems that others miss, but no A/V solution is foolproof. The advantage to MSE is its low boot time and low overhead - it does not slow down your system like many others (cough**AVG**cough) and is regularly chosen as the best free A/V solution (PC Mag, Maximum PC, CNET, etc.). The last review I read put MSE in the top 3 of all A/V programs, and the only free one in those three.

What is does not do is scan incoming emails, so if you are using Outlook/etc., that may be an issue. No anti-virus will protect you from social-engineering, and that's the way most of us end up with viruses - you have to train the user on what to look out for and what not to do - not to rely on the A/V to protect them from everything. Condoms do break, and so do A/V programs! :rolaugh:
 

vancouver-gts

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I too have used MSE on various computers, and my experiences have been very different than yours. MSE regularly catches problems that others miss, but no A/V solution is foolproof. The advantage to MSE is its low boot time and low overhead - it does not slow down your system like many others (cough**AVG**cough) and is regularly chosen as the best free A/V solution (PC Mag, Maximum PC, CNET, etc.). The last review I read put MSE in the top 3 of all A/V programs, and the only free one in those three.

What is does not do is scan incoming emails, so if you are using Outlook/etc., that may be an issue. No anti-virus will protect you from social-engineering, and that's the way most of us end up with viruses - you have to train the user on what to look out for and what not to do - not to rely on the A/V to protect them from everything. Condoms do break, and so do A/V programs! :rolaugh:

Other than the MSE free program all the other free programs are junk , including the paid versions of Norton, McAfee etc..... I have Spybot and Malware besides MSE to use , when I need it.Incoming mail in Outlook is protected by my server ;)
 

-RUNNR

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I can't even find any decent hits in Google for smartware.d

Nothing has changed on the server for a bit, I haven't done any global changes in more than a week.

I'd be doing a deep search on your own PC there if I was you.
 

fqberful

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If you're running winblowz and **cough-choke** IE then you are hanging out a huge come hack me sign. Geeze.

At a minimum quit using IE and use a real browser like FireFox. If you want to be secure run Linux and run FireFox in a virtual session. And BTW on the exact same computer Linux will run many times faster.

--FQB
 

VIPER GTSR 91

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I changed to the free 'microsoft security essentials' from their site , works great. Had AVG for years no problem until lately it slowed the computer to the point it was ridiculous.it went into deep scan everytime I logged on. No warnings for this site , YET :D
I HAD the same issue with the new AVG but all you have to do is click on the update manager and then click to turn off scan except when you choose to run a scan. No more issues.
 

VIPER GTSR 91

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I would suggest that the pop ups are not from this site but from a piece of adware that was installed on your computer by some other site. Run a good adware eliminator. I use Superantispyware.
After seeing this I downloaded the program and found 6 adware. Seems to work good. Many thanks.
 

frank364

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frank364, what is your favorite AV ?

I use Norton, never been hit with a virus. For people who want a free AV I have found AVG to be successful, again never had a complaint of any viruses. But I set it up for manual scans so its not always running background scans.
 
OP
OP
E

eliems

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I did run a deep scan and no adware, tracking or viruses showed up. I run ShawSecure and what had me wondering was the warnings only came up on this site!

However, since then I have returned several days with no more warnings so who knows what was going on?

Anyway not criticising the Viperclub.org ... what would I do without you? :2tu:
 

slysnake

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This site does use a pop up when you have a private message. Could that be it?
 

kcobean

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These pop-ups, adware, etc are annoying, but let me ask a hypothetical question? Should non-VCA members get these to offset the cost of running the site and having a VCA?

The answer is emphatically "no" at this time.

One of the great things about this site is that we are effectively a spam free forum.....no inline ads, and ebay garbage, and no ads from ANYONE other than our paid and very valuable sponsors in the banner row at the top of the page.

This is one of the reasons we are so strict about a) not allowing people to post stuff for sale in the forums unless they put it in the classifieds first (ads cost money for non-VCA members), and b) not allowing sponsors to conduct business in the general forum sections.

As a result, this is a visually pleasant site to use because you don't have to wade through 50% garbage just to see the content. We don't 'sell' site-membership (where many sites do as an incentive to escape being ad-blasted), as it would invalidate one of the great benefits of being a VCA Member.

Even little things like limiting signature length are part of that effort. You ever been to those forums where people have half-page long signatures and 20 or 30 posts span 6 or 8 pages as a result? That drives me nuts.
 

JonB

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These pop-ups, adware, etc are annoying, but let me ask a hypothetical question? Should non-VCA members get these to offset the cost of running the site and having a VCA?....


Right AFTER non-members start paying to post! ~>:~~~~~~
 

plumcrazy

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AVG served me well for the last 5 or 6 years. recently wiped my laptop clean, loaded 7 and installed MSE, so far, so good.
 

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