Ok, I set my folks up with a computer I built, nothing fancy just something they can use to play mahjong and look at football scores with, etc.

We have a cousin staying with us who is using this computer to look at porn (uhg). Every night he's done, it's LOADED with spyware, nasty junk that takes over the desktop to display web content etc, all that crap. It renders the computer basically inoperable.

In order to remove this crap, I have to reboot to safe mode as some of it causes ad-aware to crash or lock up. It's quite inisidious and I only wish I could smash the depraved programmers and people responsible for this crap in the face with a sledgehammer. They need to die.

I've trained my parents to use Firefox only, and I have it restricted to not take cookies, no installation of software etc.

The problem is the hijacked IE, who our cousin insists on using. I've personally told him numerous times never to use IE and explained the problem, but he doesn't listen and I have to clean up the mess.

I'm really getting tired of it and now I want to find a way to make it stop. I'd hate to have to tell my folks what he's using the computer to look at porn as...ignorance is bliss heh.

I'm looking for some ideas or tips on how to restrict access to IE, like is it possible to make it so in order to even run IE, you have to supply a password? Or better yet, remove it entirely?

What about editing the lmhosts file to block out the offending sites (I'm sure I could find a list by looking at his sleazy surfing habits in the history file)? Firewall blocking or port blocking? I'm not too familiar with those, but ANY tips or advice on how to stop this would be greatly appreciated. This is an old pentium 400 and it can barely run win XP let alone handle the additional stress of spyware/malware.

Does this computer have SP2? If so, go to Add/Remove programs then Add/Remove Windows Components, scroll down a bit and check the Internet Explorer button. This will remove all the icons and only if your cousin knows that if you go to run -> and type iexplore.exe can he get into IE. That's the only way I know of.

Also, the HOSTS file sounds like an excellent idea aswell. Just search for a pre-done one that includes all the pron sites, etc.

My $.02.

I'm seriously considering installing linux on this PC to avoid the issue of spyware altogether. However, that brings up the issue of linux's staggering complexity to the novice.

Did the add/remove components work?

I've given up for tonight. There's something on there displaying (it actually overrides their desktop wallpaper with web content) with some drivel about hard drive security in poor english. I can't get rid of it easily, and I need a break heh.

Edit: yeah I had removed all the shortcuts to IE a long time ago. I think he's starting it with the run command. =\

One thing that's bound to work...

Turn the computer off, switch off the power to your psu, unplug the psu cord from the unit and the power strip, and hide it.

Problem solved and thanks for playing.



Besides, one word to your parents that he's surfing porn on their computer and I'm sure that it would come to a stop really quick.

Rob

here's a solution, don't let him use the computer until he abides by your rules.

...er smack him around a little and have him do push-ups till you get it all cleaned up...
If he doesn't like that idea, Tell your folks...also a passworded protected acess might just do the trick...

Quote: Originally Posted by Enko here's a solution, don't let him use the computer until he abides by your rules.

egg-zactly...only way some people will learn..

You could always create a boot password in the BIOS.

Submit a bill to the offending porn watching peckerhead for the time you have wasted on this computer by him being a porn watching peckerhead......

People will continue their actions until you make it uncomfortable or expensive for them to do so. I have several customers that insist on using IWON and several other craptastic sites that install spyware - no matter what I tell them they continue. They bring me their computer once every other month and I do a full reinstall and bill them $125. I have an image on my file server and it only takes 30 minutes, they refuse to listen - apparently they have more money then brains.

I still say taking the computer's power cord and locking up would solve your problems...

Quote: Originally Posted by teh_spazz Does this computer have SP2? If so, go to Add/Remove programs then Add/Remove Windows Components, scroll down a bit and check the Internet Explorer button. This will remove all the icons and only if your cousin knows that if you go to run -> and type iexplore.exe can he get into IE. That's the only way I know of.

Well he could also open my computer or any other window such as that (Control Panel, Network Places) and type in web address at the top and the window magically morphs into IE again. I love how Microsoft was oredered to have a option to completely remove IE because of Anti-trust crap but yet they never actually made that a option.

Quote: Originally Posted by Rob I still say taking the computer's power cord and locking up would solve your problems...

that's too much work every time him and his parents want to use their own computer...

don't be a tattle tale and go over his head, just confront him about the porn, tell him the problems you're having with it, and then tell him you will have to tell your parents about it and the measures you willhave to take to block him if he does not stop..pr0n is not that important, and if he has that muh of a lack of respect for family, he has deeper rooted issues..

Setting a boot password in the bios is probably the easiest way to stop him.

If you donÂ’t have them, pick up Ad-aware & Spybot, theyÂ’re both free and in my opinion theyÂ’re the best on the market. Run one then the other, to get rid of the spyware and other cr@p. They usually fix a hijacked browser. Spybot also has a setting, which will allow it to block a lot spyware/ malware so it wonÂ’t even reach your rig.

You can get both at download.com

ThatÂ’s my $.02

rename iexplore.exe to somthin like iexplorecrap.exe or somthin that wont be to easy to guess.

I had a talk with him and I think he finally got it this time.

I'll have to try that spybot out, I always thought it was spyware itself (or something like that, there are many malwares that pose as spyware removers).

Quote: Originally Posted by Scorpionic I had a talk with him and I think he finally got it this time. I'll have to try that spybot out, I always thought it was spyware itself (or something like that, there are many malwares that pose as spyware removers).

spybot search and destroy and lavasoft ad aware are a couple of the top spyware removers. run both of them.
there's also a program called spywareblaster that prevents stuff from getting installed in the first place. spybot and ad aware are both free to use. spywareblaster is free to use but you'll have to manually update.
all three can be downloaded from download.com

Quote: Originally Posted by elitelilnoyd Well he could also open my computer or any other window such as that (Control Panel, Network Places) and type in web address at the top and the window magically morphs into IE again. I love how Microsoft was oredered to have a option to completely remove IE because of Anti-trust crap but yet they never actually made that a option.

Forgot about that little tidbit. :-/

Quote: Originally Posted by Enko . spywareblaster is free to use but you'll have to manually update.

Enko is on the money here. Spywareblaster adds a list of several *thousand* known bad sites to the blocked list. I use it here and I recommend it highly. And it doesn't get any better than free.

Manually updating isn't that bad of a deal, even if you're only blocking 95 percent of the sites they currently know about, that's still 95 percent less crap.

For a moment I had a feeling it caused a separate problem with my PR experience, but I'm 99.9% sure it was another proggy. Big