# Buggy computer **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364 "2003-07-14T13:18:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BooksWoods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooksWoods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooksWoods)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/1 "2003-07-14T13:18:47Z")
I am staying at a friend’s house and using her computer. Her daughter uses the computer too, and often accesses the University system. Not sure if that’s where the problem started. It has Windows 98 and she recently put msn 8 on it. Seems to have fairly up-to-date virus protection from McAfee. It is very slow and often freezes or boots you off. Even weirder is the pop-up pornography that appears suddenly on the screen. Sometimes not for awhile, and sometimes constantly. I deleted the temp internet files, the history, the cookies. I defragged the thing. Nothing’s changed. Is it a virus? Any other ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/2 "2003-07-14T13:25:21Z")
Arobably some sort of adware (scumware). Try either [Spybot](http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10194058.html?tag=lst-0-1) or [Adaware](http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10186632.html?tag=lst-0-3). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/3 "2003-07-14T13:25:41Z")
Download and run AdAware. Hit Control-Alt-Del and take a look at what’s running. Go to Run and type in Msconfig and take a look at what’s in the startup. I tell you this, cuz my parents were having a horrible time with pop ups (sometime’s they’d pop up on their own when no one was even around). Anyways I took a look around and found that they had a program running in the backround called Swimsuitnetwork. That took me about 30 mins to compleatly get rid of. Or Course they still get a lot of pop ups, but that’s to be expected, my sisters go to a lot of ad heavy websites. ---
**Author:** ![Bret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@Bret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bret)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/4 "2003-07-14T13:31:22Z")
You should download 2 programs that are free and will help a great deal. They are Ad-aware and Popup Hitman. Do a search for them and you should find several sites. When you run ad-aware, it scans your disk for specific type files (I don’t know exactly) and allows you to select them all and delete them. Running this program also seems to stop the unwanted e-mails. Maybe some else out there can help describe what it looks for. The Popup Hitman, when enabled actually kills pop up windows the second they appear on your screen. You can turn it on or off. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/5 "2003-07-14T15:31:32Z")
Run Ad-Aware and Spybot to remove spyware, then run [SpywareBlaster](http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) to prevent it from being installed again: > [@](#): > > By setting a “kill bit” for spyware ActiveX controls, SpywareBlaster can prevent the installation of any spyware ActiveX controls from a webpage. It does this while not interfering with “friendly” ActiveX controls - so your browser can work correctly and you can have peace of mind! > > You won’t get any more annoying “Yes/No” boxes popped up, asking you to install a spyware ActiveX control (which can increasingly be found in pop-up ads!). In fact, Internet Explorer will never even download or run the spyware ActiveX control! > > In addition, SpywareBlaster can prevent many of these spyware ActiveX controls from running, even if they are already installed on your system.\* > > The newest SpywareBlaster version can even block spyware/tracking cookies! > And SpywareBlaster does not need to be running in the background to provide this protection! ---
**Author:** ![BooksWoods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooksWoods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooksWoods)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/6 "2003-07-14T16:00:31Z")
thanks, everybody! Looks like I got it. I couldn’t download Ad-Aware for some reason, but SpyBot worked. I had some hidden program called “BackWeb” or something running. Now I have one more thing I want to clean up. I did this on my computer, but can’t remember/figure out how to do it on Windows 98. How do I remove that step asking for a password to log onto Windows? My friend doesn’t use it, so you have to hit “cancel” every time. Must be some way to remove it for good. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/7 "2003-07-14T16:09:42Z")
Leave it blank and hit \, IIRC to save a null password, and it will no longer ask for one. It’s been a while since I’ve used 98 ---
**Author:** ![BooksWoods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooksWoods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooksWoods)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/8 "2003-07-14T16:54:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Leave it blank and hit \, IIRC to save a null password, and it will no longer ask for one. It’s been a while since I’ve used 98 \*\* Hm. Tried that and got a message that I typed in the wrong password. I can cancel it and it goes away, but reappears when I sign on again. Any other ideas? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![critter42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@critter42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/critter42)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buggy-computer/188364/9 "2003-07-14T17:03:13Z")
In order to make it go away, you have to know what the password for the “username” is (or any username, for that matter). Once you’ve logged in with that username, right-click on Network Neighborhood (or go to Start–\>Settings–\>Control Panel–\>Network), left-click on properties. In the window that comes up, check the drop-down box in the middle. Change it to say “Windows Logon”. click OK. Reboot the system. Voila! No more need to enter a user/pass to logon anymore. critter42