I just downloaded Netscape 7.2. One feature is a Weather Channel monitor which shows up in the Task Manager as “Desktop Weather.” Also in the Task Manager, and apparently associated with the Weather Channel deal is “Dwheartbeatmonitor.” All I’ve found so far is that it’s neither necessary nor a problem, but is up to user preference whether to keep it or get rid of it. Well, great, but how am I supposed to have a preference when I have no clue just what it is? Anyone know what it’s there for?
A coupla years ago, I gave The Weather Channel my zip code so they could automatically give me local weather forecasts and radar. They also asked me about my hobbies and interests, and I didn’t check any of those boxes. About that time, my computer slowed down. (This was before I did this summer’s memory upgrade.) The next time I ran a scan with Spybot Search & Destroy, I got a fistful of flags for spyware. All of it came from The Weather Channel. I dug all that stuff out, and I swore off (and at) The Weather Channel.
Now I use Weather Bug Pro, which is tied into a local TV station. It gives me one adware thing, and I can live with that.
AskNott, thanks for the heads-up. The installation process asked me to register, but I skipped that. Nevertheless, I will run Spybot and see if anything got put on my computer.
bouv, thanks for the link, that’s one I had found already. But my question is, what is Dwheartbeatmonitor? What does it do? Why is it there? The link says you don’t need it, but doesn’t shed any light on what it is.