Spam and Pop Ups - A Curse

Open Discussion - for our Readers, Islanders, and Web Site Visitors alike. Discussion regarding any and all aspects of Beaver Island are welcome here. Also a place for general Beaver Island conversation and discussion.

Moderator: Gillespie

Post Reply
Gillespie
Posts: 1563
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2003 1:43 pm
Contact:

Spam and Pop Ups - A Curse

Post by Gillespie »

Following is the text of an article on killing spyware and popups from the Kim Komando radio program and e-mail newsletter(s). You can sign up for her automatic tip of the day, web site of the day and other things, really a helpful tool for those using computers. You can download SPYBOT Search and Destroy and/or Adaware by Lavasoft. If you do a Google or any other search for these programs make sure it is "Spybot Search and Destroy" and Adaware by Lavasoft (Publisher), otherwise there are clone programs bouncing all around in the search results and they can be spyware. Be sure!! OK, this would work well with those programs and perhaps save you a lot of trouble:
Running programs automatically

Q. Can Windows Task Manager be used to schedule scans like Ad-Aware, Spybot, etc.? How can I find out how to do this? I looked at Task Manager and it did not jump out at me.

A. Windows has two similarly named tools. They are Task Manager and Task Scheduler. You can learn about the Task Manager on my Web site. However, I think Task Scheduler is what you're looking for.

Windows Task Scheduler can schedule some programs to run at specific times. You could, for example, schedule Disk Defragmenter to run at 3 a.m. once a week.

To open the Task Scheduler, click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click Scheduled Tasks. Then double-click Add Scheduled Task to start the task wizard.

You'll see a list of programs from which to choose. Some programs, including Disk Defragmenter, will not be on the list. In such cases, you'll have to find the program (typically an .EXE file) yourself.

You can schedule a program to start periodically or one time only. Then you can enter your Windows password to give the program permission to start while you're away.

Unfortunately, some programs don't automatically run when they're launched. Task Scheduler opens these programs, but often cannot make them run. They just sit idle. So, where possible, it's better to use scheduling features within the programs.

Task Scheduler cannot make either Ad-Aware or Spybot run. The pay version of Ad-Aware has automatic settings. But the free version does not. So it has to be started manually. However, Spybot has settings that allow an automatic scan.

To accomplish that, open Spybot and click Settings. Select Scheduler. To schedule a scan, click the Add button. Then click the Edit button.

Select the Schedule tab. You'll see options for periodic scans and specific times. After you set the schedule, select the Task tab. Click the "Set password" button and enter your Windows password. Click OK>>OK.

As I mentioned, the Task Scheduler can be made to work with the Windows Disk Defragmenter. Defrags can sometimes take a long time, so it's handy to schedule them during the night while you sleep.

Again, though, Task Scheduler needs special instructions. Otherwise, it opens Disk Defragmenter, but does not make it run.

To set this up, first open the Task Scheduler. Double-click Add Scheduled Task. Disk Defragmenter won't be in the list of programs, so click the Browse button. Look for the file named defrag.exe. It should be in the following location:

C:\Windows\System32\defrag.exe

Select the file and click Open. Then set the schedule you'd like for Disk Defragmenter. You'll also be prompted for your Windows password. Then you'll see a confirmation that includes a checkbox labeled "Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish." Mark that checkbox before you click Finish. Note that you must have a password for this to work.

On the next window, select the Task tab. Under "Run," you will see the location of the file that you had to find earlier. At the end of that location, add "C:" (without the quotes). The result should look like this:

C:\Windows\System32\defrag.exe C:

Finally, you may have to enter your Windows password again. Click the "Set password" button. If the box is blank, enter your password. Click OK on this and the next window.
jflanagan
Posts: 266
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:54 am
Location: Chicago/BI

Post by jflanagan »

I'd add to Rich's very useful post that switching from IE to Firefox has helped me a ton.
One warning though, Firefox will gobble memory if left on indefinitely. I find that quitting it once a day works well.
Post Reply