Security

Infopackets Reader Joe B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been desperately trying to clean my computer of a nasty Malware / Spyware infection for the last 5 days. A characteristic of something that is going on is that while I'm typing along in a window, ... the window is suddenly de-activated and I have to mouse back to the window to activate it and continue typing. It's most irritating! I believe I have resolved the majority of the Spyware infection, however there are 4 files that keep reappearing even after I delete them. I can't seem to find instructions on the web, either. I'm not sure what ... (view more)

" Dear Dennis, My PC with Windows XP is getting slower and slower. I need to do some spring cleaning and I think the best way is to reinstall the Operating System. My question is: how can I reinstall Windows XP with all the latest updates at the ... same time? You answered a similar question like this before, but didn't give any details or refer the reader to a location to get the information. I think this procedure is called 'Slipstreaming'. Thanks. " My response: Just to recap: slipstreaming means to integrate the latest Service Pack into the Windows installation CD. Service Packs are ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Faskia' writes: " Dear Dennis, One of my PCs is now failing to connect to the Internet, and is showing a Security Warning screen on a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). The blue background reads, 'A fatal error in IE has occured at ... 0028.C0011E36 in VXD VMM(01)+00010E36. Error was caused by Trojan-Spy.HTML.Smitfraud.c.' Would you please give me some simple steps to remove Smitfraud from my PC? " My response: The problem is that your computer has been infected with Spyware. According to the F-Secure web site, Trojan-Spy.HTML.Smithfraud.c is a phishing scam where "a ... (view more)

Are you being scammed? Need to know the definitive answer right now? READ THIS ARTICLE and then come back to this page when you're finished (if you like). -- Infopackets Reader Bill P. writes: " Dear Dennis, After reading your 'eBay and SquareTrade ... scam' article alerts [ Part 1 | Part 2 ], it prompted me to write you about a wonderful new anti-scam / anti-phishing toolbar called FraudEliminator Pro. The review over at pcMag.com summed up its features nicely: ' FraudEliminator Pro is a toolbar for Internet Explorer or Firefox that warns you if the web site you're visiting is not what it ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Henry H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Spy Sweeper installed in my computer, but last week after running Norton Antivirus I discovered a threat called 'Adware.Ezula.' Thanks to an article of yours I also downloaded Acronis True ... Image , which I have found fantastic, so I was able to revert my system back to a previous state (and without the Adware.Ezula on my system)! I was so impressed with True Image that I decided to examine the entire Acronis product line. I came across their 'Acronis Privacy Expert Suite', and I would appreciate your opinion on whether or not I ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Phyllis R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have just completed a 'disk cleanup' on my computer. When the disk cleanup finished, it said I could free up more space on my C drive if I deleted my Temporary Internet Files. Is this a safe ... procedure, and do you recommend it? Every once in a while I clean out my Temporary Internet Files and web site history, but was curious of your opinion. Thanks for any help you can provide. " My response: Before answering that question, it's important to understand the role of Temporary Internet Files before you go and delete them ;-). In ... (view more)

Are you being scammed? Need to know the definitive answer right now? READ THIS ARTICLE and then come back to this page when you're finished (if you like). -- Infopackets Reader Brent W. writes: " Dear Dennis, After Googling for some information ... concerning a possible eBay scam, I stumbled across your article entitled ' Alert: eBay and SquareTrade scam .' Thank goodness for your web site! The *exact* same scam is happening to me as it did with Rupert H. in the article . I was so excited about my 'too good to be true' deal, that I nearly bought a 2003 Harley Road King for $5000 off the eBay ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Suzanne 'arial0197' writes: " Dear Dennis, I thoroughly enjoy your newsletters! Every day I find myself at your website browsing through the older issues to learn something new. I don't have a dilemma for you today, but would be ... very grateful to hear your opinion on what you think is the best web browser. In the last few months, I started using Mozilla Firefox. I absolutely love the 'tabbed browsing' feature that enables me to open up and flip to another web site without having umpteen different browser Windows opened up in my tray bar. Prior to Firefox, I used ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jack J. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a question that has been bothering me for some time. I appreciate the professional advice you give in your newsletters to other Readers, and would be very thankful if you could please set me ... straight on my problem. My dilemma has to do with Secure web sites. Occasionally, I will buy a product online -- meaning that my web browser often redirected to a secure web page, where I can complete my transaction online with my credit card. I have been told by friends that providing my credit card information is 100% secure, and that I ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Tom 'TeMerc' writes: " Dear Dennis, Regarding a recent inquiry about Spyware in your March 17, 2005 newsletter : one of the members of my forum pointed me towards your web site. Indeed the instructions you provided for removing ... Spyware are generic enough to apply to just about any Spyware application (toolbar or otherwise). I wanted to drop a line to tell you that I have been fighting Spyware for well over a year and recently opened up my own web site, as well as a forum section. I am also on the admin team over at Spyware Warrior forums. Feel free to check me out, I ... (view more)