Marika Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 I just did the update today from my previous version of AOL Instant Messenger to the current version of 5.5.3572 and I made a shocking discovery after the program was installed.... After I installed it I noticed that my hard drive showed a pretty good loss of space. So I went searching for all the temp files and deleted them. I then found a new folder under "C:\Program files\wild tangent" and another new file folder under "C:\windows\wt" I then went into the system registry and found TONS of keys etc from a company called Wild Tangent. I ran AD-AWARE using their most up-to-date spyware definitions and it told me that Wild Tangent is DATA MINING software, ie., it's spyware. If you try to remove Wild Tangent through the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS in the windows control panel, it won't work. The program won't come out. You MUST use AD-AWARE program to remove the spyware from your computer. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Hank Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 Its too bad its come down to that, ....why software companies feel your harddrive is their property rights is beyond me (cookies are one thing, but you shouldn't have to be a network administrator to "clean" your HD),......why hasn't someone tak'in this up in court ??? There's too many "blood-sucking" attorneys around to pass this class-action lawsuit up.... Thanks for the tip, ....however "off-topic" it might be construed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob D Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 Good move Marika. I use "SpyBot, Search and Destroy" at least once a week to weed out such attempts. Indeed, that "Wild Tangent" weasel was found and eliminated. It's dowright unsettling to see how many heads up this program gives me on some potentially "serious threats" when I am just visiting an otherwise innocent website. '93 STS.. opened, dropped, wide...fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIke D Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 I just installed Norton Internet Security 2004 about 2 weeks ago... well worth the money. It tells you how many times people try to hack in and where they are coming from. Various other things. I just went through those folders you mentioned and did not find anything. I am sure it was one of those things I said no to when it tried to update... It also came up with 3 other programs at that time (of install) that said was spyware... I would highly recommend it to everyone. Thanks for the heads up though. MD Cop didn't see it, I didn't do it! 93 STS 225,000 Miles 99 STS 111,000 Miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentham Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 Try downloading Ad-aware from www.lavasoft.de that gets rid of what Norton doesn't. -Eric Eric 93 Cad Seville 100K 95 Chev Blazer 143K [garaged summers] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtjwdad Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 Thanks for the post. Like someone else said ... its a shame it comes to this. Jim White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Another tool I have found useful is Spyware Blaster (free). It stops many trackers from even getting loaded on your computer. -George http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Hank Posted February 28, 2004 Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 Another tool I have found useful is Spyware Blaster (free). It stops many trackers from even getting loaded on your computer. Thanks George, I just installed it,....didn't know that stuff was out there free.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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