First Ad-aware scan: now what?

[dajoga]

Just ran my first Ad-aware scan on new 'puter and came up with 7 objects:

1 Registry Key: Alexa--RegKey--DataMiner--HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE:SO.....
6 Files: TrackingCo--File--DataMiner--c:\windows\cookies\unkow......

Any reason I shouldn't kill them all? All are "Low" risk items and the RegKey is a IE item which I don't use.

[JonECat]

Kill Em' All, Let God Sort em' Out! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif (sorry!)

I would run Adaware weekly, if not bi-weekly since that stuff piles up. Also getting Spybot 1.3 would be advantageous since it detects a lot of things that Adaware does not.

[DoctorDoom]

Re the Alexa registry key, I found this on a computer BB:

"From what I've read, the alexa thing in IE is mis-identified by Ad-Aware as an ad/spyware program (that has the same name). It is in fact a part of IE, though there does not seem to be any harm in deleting the key, and then Ad-Aware doesn't bug you about it anymore. Just what I've read ... never given me problems in or out."


The "tracking cookies" are just Internet Explorer cookies such as the ones set by FC to allow automatic log-in. If you don't mind logging in every time, kill 'em. It won't hurt anything.

With IE, two useful buttons to know about are found in Tools > Internet Options. In the middle of the General tab are Delete Cookies and Delete Files. The first one does the same thing as AdAware. The second one empties the browser cache, which is a Good Thing, because it can accumulate megabytes of digital trash. If it fills up, performance will lag as it dumps old files to make room for new ones.

On that note, click the Settings button. There's a slider that allocates how much hard drive space is allocated for the IE cache. It can be a large percentage of the drive if the slider is more than a quarter of the way to the right, and it it isn't emptied regularly, the wasted space can become prodigious.

In that same window there's a button labelled View Files that allows you to see what's in the cache.

[Ransom]

Microsoft also recommends Spybot Search and Destroy. I use it and Ad-Aware.

Learn about it here:

http://www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html

[dajoga]

Since I don't use IE, they all be dead! Thanks all!

[dajoga]

Back Again--just ran my first Spybot--got several red tagged files--do I just kill 'em all or check to see what they are? My help page is seeing double on telling me what to do other than the reds are serious and I should "fix" them which means kill.
So do I play the "great executioner?"

[Timberwolf]

I usually kill everything that Adaware and/or Spybot finds...no problems to date and I've been using them both for over a year.

[DoctorDoom]

[ QUOTE ]
So do I play the "great executioner?"

[/ QUOTE ]
Like AdAware, deletions by SpyBot are recoverable if they put the kibosh on something. There are a few programs, notably the KaZaa free version, that will not run without the spyware/adware.

Click on the Recovery button to restore whatever caused the problem.