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Posts with tag adware

Filed under: Security, Windows, Commercial, Freeware

PCLive: free security suite for Windows

PCLive Security
PCLive Security is a full featured security suite for Windows. It helps protect you from viruses, spyware, rootkits, keyloggers, and adware. Oh yeah, and it happens to be free. While there are several other free security applications out there, none come with quite so many features in one package.

PCLive Security includes the ClamAV antivirus engine, a bi-directional firewall, and a pop-up and adware blocker.

There's also a paid version that includes technical support, hard drive maintenance, and file optimization features for $4.95 per month.

PCLive Security runs on Windows 2000/XP/Vista machines. On the downside, the installation process takes forever, and once PCLive Security is up and running it seems to be a bit of a resource hog. Oh yeah, and it will try to uninstall any other anti-virus software on your PC when you run the installer.

[via WebWare]

Filed under: Business, Internet, Microsoft, Social Software

Truly targeted advertising - coming to a desktop near your soon?

For the Windows users out there who've been affected by adware, this might be salt to the wounds: ArsTechnica is reporting that Microsoft of all firms has patented the "mother of all adware systems" - an advertising framework that allows adverts to be matched to data you search, and potentially data on your hard drive as well.

There are, of course, huge privacy concerns that we'll be watching, and seeing whether Microsoft can address these whilst providing more relevant adverts (something we'd love, if we really have to have adverts). The patent application lists "user document files, user e-mail files, user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, computer status messages (e.g., a low memory status or low printer ink)" as examples of the technology potentially coming to a system near you soon.

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows

Assassinate in-use programs with Killbox

Killbox
Ever have a virus or other program that you can't get rid of because it won't die long enough for you to delete it? When Spybot, Ad-Aware, and others fail, turn to Killbox. This handy-dandy download will kill anything currently running on your PC, so you can remove it. Simply enter the path of the offending guest, and Killbox will go to town on it. Think of it like the in-memory mafia. Killbox doesn't care, it will take out pretty much anything. From time to time those of us less technologically savvy (relatives, family, friends) need help with renegade programs too, so if they ever have this problem, at least now you know a guy. Sort of. No problem, he take care of it. Don't worry about it.

Filed under: Audio, Fun, Utilities, Windows, Podcasting, Freeware

Change your voice with MorphVOX Junior

morph vox juniorNaturally there's a paid version you can upgrade to, but the free one, MorphVOX Junior is pretty fun itself. It's a voice changer application for Windows from Screaming Bee. No, you can't change your voice to a screaming bee, whatever that would sound like. Your choices are Tiny man (like helium), Man, or Woman. While this app is free of spyware and such, it does run little banner ads at the top of the application itself. Not a bad price to pay for a fun little gizmo like this...

Filed under: Security, News, Web services, Google

Stopbadware.org tries to stop "badware"

stop badware siteWhat a noble goal: a community watch online for spyware, malware, and adware (the really insidious kind anyway). The stated mission of Stopbadware.org is this: "We will seek to provide reliable, objective information about downloadable applications in order to help consumers to make better choices about what they download on to their computers. We aim to become a central clearinghouse for research on badware and the bad actors who spread it, and to become a focal point for developing collaborative, community-minded approaches to stopping badware."

Sounds good, doesn't it? The organizers behind this include the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, the Oxford Internet Institute, and Consumer Reports WebWatch. There are some corporate sponsors too: Google, Lenovo, and Sun. Hopefully more will jump on board (ahem, Microsoft?) and lend even more power to this movement. Quite frankly, how this got out of hand so quickly is a testament to the power of the internet, and the uneducated masses using said technology. Now that people have been stung though, it's good to give 'em a place to complain. I'm just hoping the complaints turn into real action on the part of netizens. Next time you or someone you know gets hit with badware send them to the site and have them tell their story.

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

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