Alan:
Thanks for the information.
I don't remember setting those restrictions myself in fact I'm not sure why I would want to anyway…so I removed them with Hijack in the same way that I removed the others.
The computer is definitely faster in Booting up following your recommendations…Thanks very much.
I would also be pleased to get any advice regarding the "security recommendations" to which you referred.
Seymour
After looking over what you already have on your computer, there is not much I can add to make it more secure. Here are a couple of programs that will help some without taking up any system resources.
I suggest that you download these programs to help keep the computer clean:
Spyware Blaster - Blocks bad ActiveX items from installing on your computer. Spyware Blaster runs silently in the background. ie-spyad - Puts over 12,000 bad URLs into your restricted sites for Internet Explorer. Firefox - 'Safer' alternative to the Internet Explorer web browser.
Alan
Thanks for your advice about further security.
As it so happens I do have Spyware Blaster and have been using it for some time now.
Also I have used Firefox exclusively for some time and only use IE for windows updates or online Virus scans that don't work well with Firefox.
I did however encounter a problem installing ie-spyad that you recommended.
The process seemed simple enough viz:
I successfully downloaded ie-spyad.exe from the link you gave me.
After double clicking the file the unzip dialogue box opened normally and I clicked "unzip now" and the files unzipped successfully and were placed in C:\IE-SPYAD as expected.
However according to the instructions.."Simply double-click on INSTALL.BAT to run the installation utility and follow the prompts. " In fact when I double click on the INSTALL.BAT file ….nothing happens! No prompts..nothing. And there is no new program listed in the "Start/All Programs list etc.
I really can't see what I'm doing wrong which is why I am telling you the exact steps that I took.
What should I do now?
Should I try try the alternative IE-SPYAD2.exe (since I do have more than one identity on the computer.)
And if so, do I delete the IE-SPYAD folder in the C:\ directory first?
Many thanks for your advice and help
Seymour
IE-Spyad is actually not a program. When you click on the .bat file to install it, it places items in the Restricted Zone of Internet Explorer. You can see these by opening Internet Explorer < click Tools < Internet Options… < and on the 'Security' tab click Restricted sites than click Sites…. There should now be a very large number of sites listed there. Since you have several different users on the computer, it would be a better option to use the uninstaller that came with IE-Spyad then download IE-Spyad2.
Alan
Sorry to be so dumb but I am still having a problem.
I checked the Restricted sites in IE and sure enough , as you had said, all the new sites were listed.
This was while I was logged onto the Administrator Account in Windows XP
However since the only reason for establishing a "Limited User" account was for the obvious security reasons, I am keen for these sites to be listed in IE when logged onto the limited User account.
So I Clicked the "ie-ads-uninst.reg" icon first.
Then I deleted the IE-Spyad folder from C:\ directory
Then I downloaded IE-Spyad2 and unzipped it as before.
Then I clicked on "install.bat" and confirmed that the sites were still listed in IE…which they are…. as expected.
However when I log onto the limited user account (which I prefer to use while surfing the web) …there are NO sites listed in the Restricted list of IE.
I tried clicking on install.bat while logged onto the Limited user account, but all that happens is a Command Prompt screen comes up but it is vibrating up and down rapidly thus preventing me from reading it.
I also clicked on "ie-ads.reg" and "ie-ads-uninst.reg" but in both cases I got a warning asking me if I really wanted to add….XXXXX to the registry,…and since the registry scares the bejesus out of me, I clicked "cancel" in both cases.
What did I do wrong? And more to the point, how do I get the sites to be listed in IE while I'm logged onto the Limited user account?
Sorry to be such a nuisance.
Seymour
Sorry to be so dumb but I am still having a problem.
Not a problem. I would rather have you ask the questions than to have any doubt about whether your computer is protected or not.
According to the IE-Spyad site, when there are already entries in the Trusted Zone for an account, the Restricted Sites will not show but are still in effect. Also, non-administrator accounts may not be able to see the Restriced Sites. Both reasons apply to your Limited User account.
Side Effects
When you install IE-SPYAD2 you should be aware of two side effects of using system-wide settings as opposed to user-specific settings for the Restricted sites list.
First, if you've added sites to the Trusted sites zone, the new Restricted sites may not show up in the Restricted sites box (Tools >> Options >> Security). This appears to be a quirk of Internet Explorer. What's happening is that Internet Explorer won't display sites loaded in the HKLM Registry hive (from IE-SPYAD2) if there are sites already loaded in the HKCU hive (from the Trusted sites zone).
Even though the Restricted sites may not display, however, Internet Explorer will still use the block list to restrict sites covered by the list.
Second, one other downside to using system-wide settings is that non-administrator users in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP may not be able to see and edit the Restricted sites list in Internet Explorer.
Glad we could be of assistance. This topic is now closed. If you wish it reopened, please send us an email (Click for address) with a link to your thread.
Do not bother contacting us if you are not the topic starter. A valid, working link to the closed topic is required along with the user name used. If the user name does not match the one in the thread linked, the email will be deleted.
Make sure you use proper prevention to keep from having problems occur to your computer in the future.
I would also be pleased to get any advice regarding the "security recommendations" to which you referred.
Seymour
