sticky program leftovers

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics,microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

Hi-

I'm cross posting this to microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize and a
reply anywhere would be fine

I have some junk that keeps being reinstalled in my startup
(../windows/current version/run) that I can't get rid of. These items
are ghosts of software uninstalled quite a while ago, as well as some
more recently uninstalled stuff.

However I try to delete them, they either reappear by the next boot,
or I am forced to let them be restored by my startup monitor program.
I get the usual "allow this to be placed in startup?" and I get "yes"
or "no" options, but if I choose "no" the prompt comes right back. I
can continue only by choosing "yes". A number of cleanup and restore
functions I have tried, can't get rid of these. I have checked
msconfig.sys, and I don't believe there are any references to these
software items left.

I have tried to remove these via regedit in Win32 mode, but I get the
startup monitor prompt again.

I can't even figure out at what point or level in the boot, these are
boing pushed on me.

Where might I look, people?

This does not hurt my computer, but it does bug my a$$ off.

James
jcanning@rochester.rr.com

In safe mode/administrator, these ghosts are not present yet.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics,microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (More info?)

Knowing what the applications are might help a little but have you checked
the app maker's websites for any information about removing these apps.
Some applications, various Symantec apps, Zone Alarm from Zone Labs, etc.
require additional steps found at their websites to fully remove the
applications.

--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"brocpuffs" <brocpuffs@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:j7d6s0td8692qgrd7k4tb54pb93pejbiss@4ax.com...
> Hi-
>
> I'm cross posting this to microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize and a
> reply anywhere would be fine
>
> I have some junk that keeps being reinstalled in my startup
> (../windows/current version/run) that I can't get rid of. These items
> are ghosts of software uninstalled quite a while ago, as well as some
> more recently uninstalled stuff.
>
> However I try to delete them, they either reappear by the next boot,
> or I am forced to let them be restored by my startup monitor program.
> I get the usual "allow this to be placed in startup?" and I get "yes"
> or "no" options, but if I choose "no" the prompt comes right back. I
> can continue only by choosing "yes". A number of cleanup and restore
> functions I have tried, can't get rid of these. I have checked
> msconfig.sys, and I don't believe there are any references to these
> software items left.
>
> I have tried to remove these via regedit in Win32 mode, but I get the
> startup monitor prompt again.
>
> I can't even figure out at what point or level in the boot, these are
> boing pushed on me.
>
> Where might I look, people?
>
> This does not hurt my computer, but it does bug my a$$ off.
>
> James
> jcanning@rochester.rr.com
>
> In safe mode/administrator, these ghosts are not present yet.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

On Fri, 17 Dec 2004 11:56:03 -0800, "Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)"
<user@#notme.com> wrote:

>Knowing what the applications are might help a little but have you checked
>the app maker's websites for any information about removing these apps.
>Some applications, various Symantec apps, Zone Alarm from Zone Labs, etc.
>require additional steps found at their websites to fully remove the
>applications.

Here's some of the stuff, some silly, that keep coming back:

Artyclock - a fancy desktop clock that has lasted longer than dirt
behind your ears;

K9 - an app that uses Bayesian logic to filter spam. I used it quite a
while with a few different mail clients. This is a pretty recent
delete;

MMTray, mmtray2k, mmtraylsi - These are from an app called ACE Mega
CoDecS, a huge stock of video codecs;

Newsproxy - the old standby for filtering newsgroups. Just deleted
this app very recently;

Spyware Blaster autostart - spyware scan proggy that didn't seem to do
much but hide in a cranny and leave poop in a corner;

Copernic summarizer (watchdog) CSAgent.exe - I got this admittedly
with a crack ("evaluation purposes") and after not using it for some
time, blew it away. It shows up as "CSAgent.exe /ThisIsMandatory"

These cover a lot of ground and several months of time. I have checked
some, not all, of their author's sites and never found any hint of
problems.

I tend to think this is somewhere in Windows itself, but what do I
know? The reinstall-in-Startup has to be coming from *somewhere*.

James
jcanning@rochester.rr.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

On Fri, 17 Dec 2004 14:47:13 -0500, brocpuffs <brocpuffs@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Hi-

>
>I have some junk that keeps being reinstalled in my startup
>(../windows/current version/run) that I can't get rid of. These items
>are ghosts of software uninstalled quite a while ago, as well as some
>more recently uninstalled stuff.

I finally found what was causing this. I got an app that records
registry events, and ran it while trying to delete the "sticky bits".

I noticed that Lavasoft's Ad-Watch, which I have run in the background
for a long time, becomes very busy at the time the deletion attempt
was in progress.

So I turned off Ad-Watch and all the sticky apps have disappeared and
not returned.

No idea exactly what's happening, but apparently Ad-Watch keeps some
kind of record and restores things it thinks should be there. At
least, I can still run Ad-Aware OK.

whew.

James
jcanning@rochester.rr.com