I am really wary of the p2p sites and since other sites have not been good to me it was upsetting to me to find my kids had started using this one. I wasnt wrong. Just 2 weeks after their first download my computer started acting up : searches returned weird info or sites, couldnt open links, pages always came up with NO INTERNET CONNECTION etc. I knew spyware was at work here. OOOH yeah, browser hijackers was the main problem as well as several spywares.. I had ibis toolbar, about:blank, WinTools, Search n Click, Webnexus. 2 trojan worms dropped on my system as a result. All in all even with 2 of the best programs out there for just such problems, hijack this and a beta program it took me 4 days non stop, searching and scanning computer regedit, files etc. I kept finding these things as soon as I got rid of one. and omg the pop ups kept coming and i had been using microsft beta antispyware and sbc anti-virus/spyware and pop up program. 2nd popup program was on my system when i bought it in jan. nothing helped. well after 4 days of this I finally made some headway. Still do not feel as if I found and deleted all the files & keys assoc. with these. But my main concern is: Please beware. P2P is nothing new when it comes to these types of problems. I am amazed at those of u willing to take the chance. Even with the best security on your computer and settings, your still at risk!!
seemysmile

Actually, as a Mac user I just don't understand how you Windows folks have tolerated all the hoops you have to jump through to avoid the email problems, browser problems, and p2p problems.

In 14 years on the Mac, such stuff has never been part of my online experience.

So, it's a minor point, but the problem isn't with LimeWire or p2p, though they often make the user notice Windows malware much more.

As for "this site"--I'm confused I've never heard of this site, www.gnutellaforums.com triggering malware problems!

Anyway, I'm sure one of the good Windows folks can help you better. Please, though, don't blame the wrong group.

cheers

how legal is downloading files from limewire? it seems to me downlaoding files for free would be illegal. whats the score?

get panda antivirus, it is only £10 on ebay, and is very very good

I can't help but wonder why you let your kids surf the net un-supervised when you've already had problems.

As with most things in life; prevention is better than cure. Most internet advisors recommend using child protection software to prevent kids from accessing inappropriate sites and or material. Try installing MADESAFE CHILD EDITION, just £2.90 from Amazon UK.

They also recommend having the computer in place where parents can monitor their childs activities on the net.

Sorry Seemysmile, but it does appear that on this occasion you'll have shut the door after the horse has bolted.

The solution is not prohibiting kids from dlding or only allowing them to dld un-supervised: that would only entice them to break the rules and do it when you aren't looking (like smokes: no matter how much you tell kids not to smoke the end result is the same).
Personally, the best thing to do is to tell them what to look out for: be wary not to dld files less that 300KB size.
.exe, .wmv, .wma, .jpeg, .zip... Those kinds of file extensions are to be avoided.
Also avoid dlding files which present filenames written L_I_K_E_T_H_I_S.

There's also this thing with Windows Media Player and Real Player: those two have some rather dangerous functions that the developers thought great to incorporate, but which have opened another door for malware.

Internet has indeed become a stupid minfield. If you know what to look out for though, you can still have a great experence.

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