Today, something seriously is going wrong, probably being monitored?

Thanks Harvestfreak and Gotrox for the tips! I'm amazed I've gone this long since I purchased this new computer 2 years ago without having any problems like this. (but had all kinds of problems with my old computer). That adware that had in Internet Exporer is still there and preventing me from logging onto pages without that blank hijacking adware page coming up... hence, I can't even use I.E anymore! It also has rendered my computer system unstable...

And that the computer expert (PC on Wheels) could not even remove that adware from my computer is amazing!! Never seen anything like before... things are bad now... need to go over and above in the security and back-up dept. to keep things safe.

Just warning everybody about this...

To be honest guys many of them sound like typical computer problems. I have problems accessing certain sites for work purposes let alone fun time... they sometimes just crap out.
I'm an IT tech in both software and hardware and have seen my fair share of rooted computers.

If you know how to do it I'd suggest partitioning your drive and 'dual booting' your machine. Have a fresh copy of winblows or whatever you run and if it craps out simply re-image it on your second partition. Make sure you run a few firewalls and if your machine is fast enough then try two virus scanners (often will have a decnt performance hit on anything not state of the art).
This way you can also ascertain if it's your operating system or your net connection causing the problems - fresh image without trojan and other junk on there etc...

The behavior you are describing sounds like typical remote control trojan behavior. Many of them have large feature sets which you can pretty much play god with your PC... Another reason for your slow net connection (the 20mbit ADSL2 guy) could be that you have been taken over for use in a 'bot net' and all your bandwidth is being used up to attack servers that the 'bot net' owner wants to attack or is paid to attack (denial of service).

Thanks for your story man and hay a word of advice.

Use firefox !

Since i made a few post's here at ATS talking about my situation's and personal experiances wierd thing's happend.

1)

I got a message from a guy asking me to meet him he gave me a mobile number and an e.mail contact ? NO THANK YOU PLEASE NEVER EVEN CONVERSED WITH YOU.

2)

A person i connected with on with on a conversational level just plain lost there connection for two week's and even now i am waiting for them to get back to me.

3)

My net speed went from 6.5 meg to 2 meg now there is a way to look at your net speed.

You type your ip in the adress bar and you are met with a login and password screen.

Now if you know what modem you use you can easily find the login and pass for it.

When on there you can see your true net speed capacity.

Mine says 6.5 but im getting 2 meg so from my provider to my modem im getting 6.5 meg but when it hit's my computer it's 2 meg.

4)

On a weekly basis i get a gas man at the door or a council man or a sparky
do you get one at your door on a weekly basis ?

If in doubt give a shout and here is the best place for it.

Take care.

Regards
Lee



[edit on 18-2-2008 by h3akalee]

[edit on 18-2-2008 by h3akalee]

Originally posted by gotrox
reply to post by Palasheea

 

Like I've said before----even xp gets a reinstall about every 6 months, a system resore only to get data saved to the ever present external drive, and NEVER an "upgrade" from one os to another.
The FIRST things to get installed after the os is a firewall, av, and spy-malware detector. Never nortons or mcaffee.
Even so, eventually you will get a bug before your av-antispy program gets it in it's database to block it. I'ts only a matter of time.
I put EVERYTHING I wish to keep in "My Documents" folder, and back it up regularly, and all current programs I have installed, I keep the install programs in a seperate folder on my external.
In about 8 hours I can go from drive wipe to fully installed os and programs, all music, pictures and documents, and e-mail databases restored.

Beats the **** out of trying to fix a corrupted system for days or weeks on end, or paying someone $$$$ to try to fix it for you.

Yes backup regularly, I used to before with DVD's and now its my external drive.

I would also recommend - if you can afford it (or find a free one??) a cloning PC software. Such as Norton Ghost. After you cleanly install OS, all necessary software (ones you use all the time), AV, updates, drivers etc... make an image of the drive and store it elsewhere. Takes about 30 minutes to get the whole thing up and running if it crashes later on, or become corrupt, and it will have all your software ready to use!

Unfortunately, I've been rather slack of late, I didn't image my drive with last install...

There is another product used for imaging/cloning, but I totally forgot what its called, quite popular too

Thx

[edit on 18/2/2008 by Im a Marty]

I'm bookmarking this thread! Thanks again for all of your tips and sorry you're having problems with your computer too Marty -- hope you get things ironed out.
A lot of good information here so far and so glad I brought up the problem I've been having because all of you are giving such excellent advice on what I need to do next!

ATS Rocks!!

Good to know that there are things one can do to prevent anything catastrophic from happening.

Originally posted by GhostR1der


The behavior you are describing sounds like typical remote control trojan behavior. Many of them have large feature sets which you can pretty much play god with your PC...

Another reason for your slow net connection (the 20mbit ADSL2 guy) could be that you have been taken over for use in a 'bot net' and all your bandwidth is being used up to attack servers that the 'bot net' owner wants to attack or is paid to attack (denial of service).

Wow!

Definitely following through with a hard drive partition and everthing else too!!

Wonder if I AM BEING SPIED ON!! Oh, my. Need to delete those strip tease vids I did that I sent to my boyfriend on Valentines day.

[edit on 18-2-2008 by Palasheea]

I just wanted to add that i have been experiencing problems as well ever since i started browsing ATS, which was about a week ago. Im have two macintosh computers that i use and on both of them my web browser will randomly close. I have experienced this problem on both safari and firefox. Although it happened more frequently on firefox so i permanently switched to safari. I was wondering if anybody else with a mac was experiencing these problems because so far everybody on this thread seems to be using a PC.

Also had a question, are there more viruses for macintosh now seeing as how they've gained popularity over recent years? And what would be a good program for cleaning it out?

moxer

OMG! I am from Australia to and i am with Telstra isp and phone,I started getting phone calls at 8pm regularly they did not speak and hung up after 30 sec or so, i had telstra put a trace on the phone,same day as trace was activated got the call at 8.00pm and that's the last time i have got one!!

I have not had any problems that I know of while on ATS. I have had the "Internet Explorer has a encountered a problem and needs to shut down" message several times while on other non-alternative websites.

And while I would guess that "the powers that be" do check on websites like this (they would be fools not to), I doubt that people posting about, say, Reptilian hybrid theories have much to worry about. While those people that suggest taking up arms and revolting might raise a few red flags.

In other words, I don't think those of us who are researching alternative news and just throwing ideas and opinions around have much to be worried about.

Just my two cents.

reply to post by GetOutOfMyRabbitHole



...................

Hi, RabbitHole

Don't know if you're in Oz, but if so, you'll be aware of the truly lunatic antics of our 'intelligence' services. Goes all the way back. You may have seen the documentary a year or so ago about an Aussie artist, back in the Commie 'Red Under the Bed' hijinks .. equivalent of the BS War on Terra/Terrorists of today.

Artist was of reasonable fame in Oz .. can't remember his name and it doesn't matter. What the documentary brought to light was the massive expenditure in dollars, manpower and time involved in 'spying' on him. Went on for years ... decades I think. His 'crime'? He'd been a member of the Oz Communist Party at some stage. Attended a few meetings and got himself that Righteous Feeling talking it up over scones and weak tea.

Everyone involved with the artist was under investigation by the geniuses in ASIO and affiliated 'intelligence'. Thousands of photos of the artist and his friends, family, their friends, associates, milkmen, bread delivery, old school friends from 20 years ago, their friends, family, milkman, etc.

Oz Intelligence services are allocated a budget. They're public servants. They want to use up their budgets and apply for larger allocations. All justified by 'increased workload', additional recruits, etc. etc.

Remember the 'Howard Supports Bush's Phony War on Terra' fiasco a few years ago, featuring newly-outfitted 'Oz anti-terra squads' ... all dressed up in their new black coveralls, six inch sole boots, big face masks and toting ridiculous, Target-looking weaponry ? They looked like a bunch of ten years olds in their new Christmas-present 'terra squad' outfits and plastic guns. And of course, tv-news 'just happened' to be on the spot when the 'secret' operation swung into 'we wannbe Yanks' action.

Dressed up in their new black outfits and barely able to walk in their new 'We Are Monsters' boots .. they kicked in the doors of that Muslim 'terra suspect' little house in Bankstown or wherever ... almost pausing so the 'news' cameras could get a fear-inducing photo-op. Then more kicking and weapon-swinging. Clear they hadn't had much practice. They looked like astronauts on their first moon-walk. Black Michelin Men. Probably only received their All-Black NWO outfits the day before, lovingly crafted in China by the same people who make the US version of Scary-Dudes clothing, most probably.

Dragged out the little Muslim guy with his wife and children there.

He's suing the government now, I think. Or has ... successfully. Just another cost to the taxpayer caused by Bush-Cheyney Terrorism.

Well, the same 'Intelligence' geniuses who orchestrated that little pantomime are most likely restricted these days to 'tracking online Terra' ... and seeing that despite their efforts to ramp up mayhem in Oz (Cronulla riots comes instantly to mind) actual 'terra-rists' are very thin to non-existent on the ground in Oz (we'd rather make love than war .. and the surf's good too) ... they may be spending tens of thousands of tax-payer dollars listening in to our babble on ATS. Because that's what 'real terrorists do' .. isn't it .... they blab all their secrets to teeny-boppers and pre-teens on conspiracy-forums in ghost and alien threads. Riiiight.

But it does allow the 'wannebe James Bonds' in ASIO to slink into boutique pubs in Canberra (ostentatiously glancing around and speaking into their shirt cuffs) and to sidle up the bar and wipe the sweat of honest labour from their brow and to allude to 'something big breaking'. Tee hee.

And geographically-isolated Aussies who travel far to ATS in order to discuss something more exotic than the latest cricket-score ... have funny-things happening to their computers, courtesy possibly of those hard-working Aussie sleuths .. who if truth be told are bored witless by this spying-malarky. Not all it's cracked up to be, aye ? But then they think about the you-beaut pension plan and cheap home loans and anyway ... mum and dad have become local celebrities back there in Wagga, ever since their blue-eyed son was accepted by that 'top secret' Oz Intelligence agency. If they left as junior apprentice ASIO spooks, Mum and Dad would be ... err... 'devastated'. (all of Australia has been 'devastated' since that word came into vogue: cricket commentators are 'devastated', Howard supporters were 'devastated', Lanky Garret is suitably 'devastated' most of the time, etc.)

So they're probably sitting there right now, logging my comments and the inordinate useage within this post of the words 'terrorists' (hey, Gavin .. how d'ya spell 'terrorist' .. one or two 'r's' ? This Dock is spelling it 'terra' ... d'ya think it's code ?) and mention of key-words such as 'Howard', 'Garret', 'ASIO', 'Commies', 'Bush', 'Cheyney', etc. Wow .. scoop ! Something to tell the guys in that chrome and glass, suitably dim Canberra bar this arvo ! ' Big case breaking ... nod, wink'.

Wow .. will it mean that some of us will make like Hicks ? Oh, that was entertaining too, wasn't it ... Hicks the Ozzie Terrarist being defended to the hilt by a US lawyer who faced the cameras square on and said over and over that Hicks had been stitched up. Think Hicks might be going to sue the Oz government/tax payers too, soon.

ASIO laddies ... why don't you just go and get a real job, huh ? Or put your backsides where your mouths are and get over to Afghanistan and Iraq and find out what real blood and guts look like ? We're sick of having our computers messed-with just so your Mum and Dad can brag about you. Thanks

It occurred to me a moment ago, as I was making a mug of Milo, that this thread could well hybridise into an Aliens/UFO discussion, if the 'rest of the world' ever caught sight of Garrett (what is he ... Minister for Arts and Environment ?) back in his Midnight Oil days.

The Rest of the World's jaws would drop to the floor (those who weren't already rolling on the floor, clutching their sides, that is) at the sight of Garrett (with his alien features and strangely tinted 'alien body colour and shape') as he fell from those big speakers years ago .. still gyrating in the throes of St.Vitus Dance as he fell through the air and landed in a heap ... STILL singing his head off and determinedly twitching to da beat.

Garrett is unexplored ATS territory .. probably worthy of a sub-forum of his own. Zee aliens har heere ... zay live ... zay sing ... zay twitch !!

I know the US has more than its fair share of eccentric (PC term for mental ) politicians ... but as Crocodile Dundee would say to them: ' That aint no loony politician. Then dragging forth a still-twitching Garrett and thusting it under their noses, he'd add: ' THIS is a loony ! Watch him and suffah ! '

reply to post by GhostR1der

Sorry, but as an it and network engineer myself, NEVER install dual firewalls or antivirus unless you want a machine that won't work.
Even the programs themselves advise you to uninstall a previous firewall/av before installing their version.
Mo' is not better when it comes to programs that do the same thing---they argue and complain about who has the rights, and finally just quit.
And a dual boot setup is not for a beginner. Best to buy an external drive as they are fairly cheap currently, save your data, and dodspec wipe/reinstall windoze. Several freeware progs will do such wipes from a floppy on boot.
Dodspec isn't really necessary as a single pass will do the trick if you are in a hurry, but as someone who regularly recycles drives, it is just my preference. Low level formats won't remove some nasties, (they leave the boot sector intact) so an end to end wipe is recommended.

reply to post by Dock6


Hi Dock,

I'm not sure if I followed all that, but... if the powers that be want to spy on me they are welcome to. My taxpayer money could be spent, on well, me! They would be pretty bored though.

All jokes aside, I did read an article somewhere (and I apologize, I do not remember where, or else I would post it) about a woman who was organizing an AIDS-awareness rally being followed by unmarked vans and such. Freaked her out, as it would undoubtedly freak me out to.

I think that while sites like this are probably monitored, I doubt each of us is under constant survaillance. But if I see any suspicious vans outside my place I will let you know.

Wow. This is my first day and first post on ATS and this is the thread I come too? I'm sure its nothing. I've had days like this.

I just joined as a member the other day, and am on here while at work. Since reading that all of you are having so much trouble with your computers after visiting this site, I am weary of being here. I cannot risk anyone gaining access to the records on the server, it would jeapardize much of our business and customers.

I did come back here tonight to say that I have again had another premonitional dream, similar to one I saw on another thread tonight about the falling satellite, I dreamed the sky was on fire in a large area, and on the ground a military operation of some sort was going down, people were in a state of utter panic, and I stood admist the panic staring into the sky as it burned. Just wanted to share that.

To all the people with browser issues:

Here is a checklist:

1) GOOD antivirus. I can't stress it enough. Nortons, PC Cillin etc... are not GOOD antivirus packages. Any antivirus you have to pay for is a rip off. Stick with the stable, well supported free packages. Either AVG or Avast!

2) 2 or more Spyware killers. The most effective combination is Ad-Aware + Spybot Search and Destroy. They catch 99% of bugs, with each program filling in the gaps in the other. If you are really paranoid, you can add Spyware Doctor to the list as well.

3) Solid, Stable firewall. Not zonealarm, please. More headaches than what it's worth. If you get the free Avast! package, it comes with it's own inbuilt firewall that picks up viruses even before they make it from the internet into your pc. It can also do a boot scan to catch any nasties that hide themselves when Windows starts.


Basically, do these 3 things and then you can worry about external sources messing with your computer. I'd like to see someone at the Australian govt. or Telstra break through Avast and Spybot's immunization. Not going to happen unless they hire professional hackers, and they wouldn't just because you visit ATS.

Worry less, and take care of your computers! It saves poor folks like me having to bring them back to life when you come running... Actually, you keep me in a job, so ignore everything i have said!

reply to post by fooffstarr


To other posters - I finally received a 'You have used 80% of download quota before being shaped' and 'You are shaped to 64/64k'. Both emails were like minutes apart. Explains the slow internet

Fooffstarr - Would you mind checking out GhostSecurity products www.ghostsecurity.com and letting me know what you think?

Ghost Security Suite - which i sAppDefend and RegDefend together. AppDefend is a rules based program firewall (has an internet component like ZoneAlarm) Prevents unauthorised execution of programs. It recognises your usual programs, so it allows these through. If you download a file, and run it - it will warn as mentioned before, however if that file tries to execute another file (like binded trojans) it will prevent the second from loading, and tell you the first one tried to execute it. Has other features which are nice, such as close program hooks, mouse close program hooks, keyboard hooks - which stop Keyloggers and mouse takeovers, as well as trojans trying to close other programs

RegDefend similar concept, it hooks onto Critical Registry Keys, such as the Autostart Registry, if its modified, it will stop and ask verification - a technique used by Trojans to always load on windows bootup.

You can add your custom keys that you want to monitor as well - although as mentioned before, Paranoid setting triggers alarms every few minutes.

GhostSecurity Cryptosuite is a good encryption program, you can encrypt lots of files into one file. Also convert that one file into an executable so the receiving person does not need cryptosuite to decrypt the package. It is password orientated.

Also Cryptosuite has a Crypted Chat program, you can run a server and other cryptosuite users can log onto your server and talk like IRC. It uses high encryption (can't remember if its higher than 512 bits), and is allowed because the software is Australian, and not under other 'crypto' based laws from other countries.

GhostWall - again, small and powerful incoming firewall protector.

I just listed all their programs actually LOL (they do have small freeware programs not related)

I recently re-installed them BTW, i forgot to put them on since last windows install.

Thx

reply to post by Im a Marty


If you insist on using bought software i'd probably recommend Avira Antivir, which you can look at here. It is the only paid-for anti-virus/firewall package i have seen that stands up to the strength of some of the free products.

The ghost stuff doesn't sound too bad in written word, but i'd personally have to see it to judge it. If it works for you, then by all means keep with it. Some people have far less trouble with viruses than others.

Yes well .... I'm taking a break from ATS for a while.

Problems began when I returned a couple of weeks ago.

Keep being cut off. Annoying.

Doesn't happen when I'm logged in elsewhere .. other forum, etc.

But I'll see what happens. I think it's why I quit ATS for a few months last time.

I don't want to have to study computer technology just to browse a site.

My screen's been nuts since I returned to ATS. Who knows what that's about. Never happened before, in the two years I've had this screen.

All too complicated for me. Feels weird. Lots of other forum.

Love you and leave you for now.

Have fun

ImaMarty,
Check my thread on Strange Computer Problems(BTS). Am getting computer back and I did not have HD crash but a corrupted OS. Possible virus...
BP