# test-i just got rid of annoying spyware **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 23, 2001, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870 "2001-06-23T07:44:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/1 "2001-06-23T07:44:43Z")
hope I still can post ---
**Author:** ![Devin\_Austra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Devin\_Austra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Devin_Austra)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/2 "2001-06-23T08:52:46Z")
I don’t see any reason why removing spyware would mess up your ability to post on message boards…although I know some programs won’t run if you remove their spyware components. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/3 "2001-06-23T08:57:47Z")
Devin Austra what the hell is with your homepage? I clicked to go and look at it and suddenly I am downloading something I neither know what it is or what it does. Bad manners IMO ---
**Author:** ![robgruver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@robgruver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robgruver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/4 "2001-06-23T11:51:25Z")
Test. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/5 "2001-06-23T16:36:22Z")
Well, I’m not a computer genius and I understand that removing programs from the registry or whatever its called is better left to people who know what they’re doing. I’m not one of those people. I was just testing whether I removed something vital along with all the crap I deleted. I have something like rnaapp, ptsnoop, vsstat always running in the background. Those I guess I need for my modem and virus scan; but I also found stuff like TimeSink Ad Client (or whatever). TimeSink is spyware that I understand got installed when I downloaded something. So I deleted it and a bunch of other stuff a Web search told me I didn’t need. The caveat was ‘know what you’re doing’ and I really don’t. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/6 "2001-06-23T16:41:47Z")
Well, I’m not a computer genius and I understand that removing programs from the registry or whatever its called is better left to people who know what they’re doing. I’m not one of those people. I was just testing whether I removed something vital along with all the crap I deleted. I have something like rnaapp, ptsnoop, vsstat always running in the background. Those I guess I need for my modem and virus scan; but I also found stuff like TimeSink Ad Client (or whatever). TimeSink is spyware that I understand got installed when I downloaded something. So I deleted it and a bunch of other stuff a Web search told me I didn’t need. The caveat was ‘know what you’re doing’ and I really don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Devin\_Austra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Devin\_Austra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Devin_Austra)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/7 "2001-06-23T18:03:50Z")
Primaflora, if you’ll read my profile, you’ll see that I don’t HAVE a webpage. I tend to put something along the lines of “I don’t have one right now” in my profile when there’s a space provided for it - although I realize it screws up when you try to click the icon under my post, I can’t do a damn thing about it, because my password is screwed up (read the topic in this forum about passwords). Sorry for the inconvenience, but like I said, I’m powerless to do anything about it at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/8 "2001-06-23T21:07:44Z")
Devin, I have removed the “homepage” and shortened your password. I have also had your new shortened password emailed to you. See if it works now. Lynn Administrator For the Straight Dope ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/9 "2001-06-23T22:11:52Z")
Try this site: [Opt Out](http://grc.com/optout.htm) ([http://grc.com/optout.htm](http://grc.com/optout.htm)) This is a site devoted to finding spyware and eliminating it. Happy hunting! your humble TubaDiva Administrator and thank you very much, dear Lynn. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/10 "2001-06-23T22:32:35Z")
Ok Devin :). There was a link in your profile which did go to a page which did start a download. I’m glad to hear it was a stuff-up and it is now fixed ---
**Author:** ![Devin\_Austra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Devin\_Austra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Devin_Austra)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2001, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-i-just-got-rid-of-annoying-spyware/69870/11 "2001-06-24T03:29:30Z")
Talk about _service._🙂 Thanks for the fix-up…but you know, when I clicked on the website icon below my own name, I got the usual “This page cannot be displayed” message. I had no idea putting the text “I don’t have one yet” in there would do such a thing to someone else. It never has before on other sites. Guess I won’t do that again. Maybe in a few weeks I’ll have something worthwhile to list there.