[OT] Are you being tracked online?

[KingOfChaos]

This is an interesting article I found on an anti-microsoft website that entails that microsoft literally hides certain files on your system and fakes their deletion when you try and clear your internet cache. Personally, I find it offensive that what I do online is being secretly stored on my own computer.

http://www.:)microsoft.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml

Excuse the URL of the site. I can't change what they named their site

Well, since the board automatically censors that particular word, just place the F word where the smiley faces are at and it should work fine

 

[Dragongirl]

Well dunno about that, but recently downloaded ad-aware and found over 100, yes 100 spy ware programs in my computer.

 

[haiiro]

Well dunno about that, but recently downloaded ad-aware and found over 100, yes 100 spy ware programs in my computer.

Ad-aware is a very good thing, IMO. Run it often, and I'd suggest tweaking your browser's security settings to reduce the amount of spyware you take in.

 

[Dragongirl]

Ad-aware is a very good thing, IMO. Run it often, and I'd suggest tweaking your browser's security settings to reduce the amount of spyware you take in.

I agree with that. A lot of them were from a stupid thing I downloaded, Bonzobuddy or somesuch. Was this ape that followed you around and crap. Uninstalled it like 10 mintues after I had it. Didn't know it left so much spy stuff behind.

 

[KingOfChaos]

This isn't adware, though..it's a crappy setting Microsoft added to Windows so that if your computer was ever seized for illegal activities that all that you have done online would be readily available. It's a rather nasty way of doing things and it also slows your computer down quite a bit by cluttering up your hard drive with massive text files. In fact, one of the index.dat files in my history folder that was set to secret mode was almost 200 MBs in size. How's that for screwed up?

I suggest everyone download a copy of PurgeIE in order to get rid of these files every once and a while.

 

[Dragongirl]

Sorry KingOfChaos, didn't mean to sorta hijack, was along a similar vein of thought. That microsoft stuff does sound icky. How do you get rid of it?

 

[KingOfChaos]

I downloaded a program called PurgeIE which deletes all those files from your computer (don't worry, they are recreated when IE is opened the next time, nice and empty). The link to the program is available on the F---Microsoft website

 

[Dragongirl]

The link to the program is available on the F---Microsoft website

Ah that explains all the censor smilies in the URL.

 

[Alzrius]

In the interest of making as much data as possible about this subject available to people perusing this thread (since I think this is a very important issue) how much do Ad-aware and PurgeIE cost? (and where can the former be obtained?)

 

[Dragongirl]

Ad-aware is free, let me see if I can find a link . . .

Edit, can find it here http://www.tucows.com/preview/236049.html