The totally off-topic thread

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I have XP Pro and I E 8 on one of my computers. Control Panel has Add Remove Programmes which is what you need. That is where you can uninstall. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks Buzzard. Coupon Alerts is not in the list of programs to uninstall. I have been trying everything I can think of but no luck. All options on Google so far mention Add/Remove programs or a paid version of Anti spyware etc.

I do not want to pay someone to remove the garbage they install on innocent people's PCs.
 
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JohnK said:
I was trying to install Adblock Plus earlier today and failed many times. So this rubbish has somehow managed to get itself into my laptop and now I cannot remove it.

All instructions on Google tell how to remove it via uninstall in Control Panel. There is no uninstall in Control Panel. Pay for an anti-malware tool to remove it or spend the next 2-3 days to remove manually. :confused:
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As Buzzard said, in Windows XP you need to go to Add/Remove Programs (I think that's what it's called. Been a while since I've touched a Windows XP system now). That said, if it doesn't appear in the list, then other methods will be required. Sometimes this may involve pinpointing where the spyware loads (by reading the registry or startup settings), finding it on your computer, then deleting it and removing the spyware load instruction.

I didn't actually know Adblock Plus had an add-in for Internet Explorer (let alone for IE8). Note that Adblock Plus only suppresses the displaying of advertising material. It doesn't work completely flawlessly, and it doesn't block malware / spyware / adware if you happen to unwittingly stumble on it (although it can help to a small degree). It's more or less a cosmetic thing.

There are reputable anti-malware tools which are free; they require no payment to remove malware, can be indefinitely updated and don't contain nags. However, some malware or spyware, even if "removed" by such tools, may still require either specialised removal tools or procedures in order to eradicate all traces of the software which may still be impacting on system performance and/or prevent it from reappearing / reinstalling.

Of course, with Windows XP (or most Windows systems which have been through the ringer for a significantly long time), if you've had an exhaustive run of installs, uninstalls, reinstalls and plethora of what not, it may just be time for a refresh - backup, full wipe, reinstall and restore.
 
anat0l said:
As Buzzard said, in Windows XP you need to go to Add/Remove Programs (I think that's what it's called. Been a while since I've touched a Windows XP system now). That said, if it doesn't appear in the list, then other methods will be required. Sometimes this may involve pinpointing where the spyware loads (by reading the registry or startup settings), finding it on your computer, then deleting it and removing the spyware load instruction.
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As JohnK said, the app is not listed in Add/Remove Programmes.

When this does not work steps 2,3 and 4 are as follows:

2) go to the programme menu and look for a folder for the recalcitrant app and check for an uninstall link, if there isn't one,
3) find the install app/link for the software and reinstall, more often than not these apps have a 'repair/remove' option, no joy,
4) check the 'startup' folder on the startup menu to see if the software is starting that way and delete the shortcut if it is, if not, run msconfig or the XP equivalent, to view and change the startup apps and block the security app from starting.

If none of this works you will need some cleanup tool or another that will force a cleanup.

The penultimate option, and the one I enjoy most because I am usually p****d off by this time, is a brute force hunt and destroy mission to delete the folders, startup links and registry entries. But you need to know what you are doing.

The ultimate option is a drive reformat and this usually has a positive effect on other aspects as well.
 
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How is it Sunday night already, what happened to the weekend? :o
 
Finally managed to watch a few of this year's Oscar winners on the way to LHR. Good selection on QF this month. 12 Years A Slave, Dallas Buyers Club were both good, fell asleep during Gravity and American Hustle. The latter being a particularly awful movie IMO, not a single character I cared about and I cannot for the life of me understand why it would win a single award :shock:
 
Princess Fiona said:
Finally managed to watch a few of this year's Oscar winners on the way to LHR. Good selection on QF this month. 12 Years A Slave, Dallas Buyers Club were both good, fell asleep during Gravity and American Hustle. The latter being a particularly awful movie IMO, not a single character I cared about and I cannot for the life of me understand why it would win a single award :shock:
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IMO, Gravity was the dud pick of the bunch. Cannot understand why it got nominated.
 
robd said:
IMO, Gravity was the dud pick of the bunch. Cannot understand why it got nominated.
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Something to do with the Clooney/Bullock factor? not like there was any great originality in the story, just borrowed from Marooned and others. We should know by now they like a home-grown combination.
 
Gravity and American Hustle will be rated as B class movies outside of the US. They are not worth watching for "free" on a plane. I switched and watched some TV comedy and before long we were landing.
 
American hustle, take a relatively successful UK series and try to translate it into a movie in American English. And fail.
 
cove said:
Gravity and American Hustle will be rated as B class movies outside of the US. They are not worth watching for "free" on a plane. I switched and watched some TV comedy and before long we were landing.
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Yes, would be worse if you'd paid to see either.
 
Robbi said:
If none of this works you will need some cleanup tool or another that will force a cleanup.

The penultimate option, and the one I enjoy most because I am usually p****d off by this time, is a brute force hunt and destroy mission to delete the folders, startup links and registry entries. But you need to know what you are doing.

The ultimate option is a drive reformat and this usually has a positive effect on other aspects as well.
Click to expand...

From memory most of those tools available to remove spyware/adware etc require a paid subscription to fully remove the culprits.

By the way Spyware/Adware like Coupon Alerts are supposed to be legitimate companies yet are very difficult to get rid of once the machine is infected. I was on Ninemsn this morning and managed to suppress Coupon Alerts for 24 hours and momentarily a link appeared along the lines of click here if you want to remove Coupon Alerts but I wasn't quick enough.

The laptop is very slow and I have more ads than ever. For a while yesterday the posts on AFF had links to Coupon Alerts all over the place. I can see this is going to be fun.
 
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