[Haiko de Poel, Jr.]

Man oh man I am still fuming!!!!

Last night I downloaded SaHS onto my machine to see if they were in compliance and also their opt-out link. So I go to SaHS, login and click download, I accept the active X and the IE window freezes, I close the window and continue about my business with my firefox browser and then get reminded that I promised to check it and go back to SaHS to download. I fire up IE and go back to SaHS, same thing happens, locked up, I then finally say "YEA, maybe others are having problems also so maybe less machines will be infected this WE" and make a mental note *NOT* to call Marc Braunstein and tell him it's busted . I close IE again and then continue surfing in firefox, shut down and go to

This morning I start up and that damned annoying windows error ding sounds and says:

Driver
=======
Windows Socket error.

I say WTF? did SaHS actually download and mess up my windows sockets? I check my active processes and sure enough there it is. So being a bit knowledgeable on how they alter the winsock, I decide to attack this issue so I can access the net again. First I go to add/remove programs, select SaHS and click remove ... the screen flashes two or three times and then automatically restarts ... weird I thought, they never did that before. As my notebook restarts I eagerly await *NOT* hearing that damned ding noise ... sure enough, there it is again, windows socket error. Sigh! Ok I can handle this I thought, I remembered last time when I was helping them to debug my install that wasn't acting in compliance, the informed me that their program uses winsock2 layered service protocols and remembered that I had a screen shot of where it was inside the regedit. After finding the screen shot, I venture over to regedit and remove all the lsps (layered service protocols) and restart. Sure efreakingnough there's that damned ding again, windows socket error.

I decide to take a break and have some lunch and come back to it because at this point I'm hyped on java, angry and hungry ... not a combination conducive for success in meticulous regedits or skill full parasite removal.

After a nice lunch I'm all cheery and good to go, I've decided that there were a few posts I needed to answer (checked via my treo) and so I fire the notebook up again and here the dammed ding, but this time I was expecting it so it wasn't that bad. I then thought about my roadrunner medic program (allows me to rollback internet settings) so I now notice that the icon no longer is in my system tray so I search for it, click it and poof ... it gives me another dammed ding and then an error saying that I need IE 5.0 or higher to run it. Well I have 6.0whatever and say WTF [again]. I finally capitulate and decide to call road runner, sure enough they can fix this sh*t, it's not like I'm the only boof who has had a winsock problem!?!?!

The only problem is that I hate calling help desks because even though you know the damn problem, they still have to do the perfunctory tests and service script (speech - not perl or php ). After I verify and identify my account, I go into the synopsis and ask if they can help with my winsock issue, sure enough even though I've already explained that another computer on my LAN can and has been accessing the net, they make me reset the cable modem, and go through all the other prelim steps before they say "I'm sorry I'll have to escalate this". I wait on hold for level 2 support, then go through my whole story and ask if they can help restore my winsock, he says no, hold for level 3" Level 3 tech comes on, understands my Q and says hold ... la la la la , "Ok sir," yes I reply "we don't support winsocks" I ask why, she retorts "we never ever do regedits, call your OEM" I say ok, hang up and start cursing SaHS out even more.

After a nice out session (in my mind) I then say hey ... what about doxdesk? I then go over to doxdesk and look up SaHS and follow the instructions religiously in hopes of removing the 'SAHAgent' entry in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and some other regedit goodies, my notebook would default back to my correct winsock.

I restart and .... *DING*, here we go again ... winsock error, after being inches away from throwing my notebook across the room I decide to shut it down and leave it untill SaHS techs are in on Monday and then give them hell after they fix my damned winsock!

[buy_online]

You can always simply re-install your OS and all of the other applications. Shouldn't take but six or eight hours

Seriously, what about a recent copy of your registry?

Fred

[Haiko de Poel, Jr.]

Don't have a back up

[buy_online]

Oh Crap.

Fred

[jim132]

Doesn't windows automatically back up your registry?

[northernstudio]

When you talk to them, remind them that there are countless people without your technical skills who haven't a clue that their computers were made useless by program they thought they could trust.

Also remind them that some of those victims would gladly rip the lungs out of whoever is responsible.

Wayne

[Gordon]

I'm glad you added that last bit Wayne I guess I come in that section of the population, these assoles have cost me a bloody small fortune having to keep going to the repair shop.

[SSanf]

Let all your local politicians know how mad you are. They want votes and that is where the real solutions will come from, the law makers.

[mousejockey]

Holey snapping duckfish

As Wayne said; and it makes you wonder how many of the gp have downloaded and stuffed their machines up.
I would have been a babbling mess by now...go get 'em Haiko

[Gordon]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> I would have been a babbling mess by now <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>erjvjk wsp wekblms aviughfe qerpgpkbbmb fbd rwthdg wbmdg?

[buy_online]

Haiko, you might try to look somewhere in your windows folder. I run scanregw.exe at boot, and I get a new copy of the registry every couple of days. It will be in a .cab file, if it's there.

I won't even make a comment about who was kind enough to put it there for you, I'll let the others go for that juicy one.

Fred

[Kellie aka Ms. B]

First try doing a restore through XP. If you only installed last night, you should have an automatic restore point close to time prior to the install. I've fixed more than one naughty application this way. If nothing else, try to restore prior to your registry edits.

Also I believe S&D (and a couple of others) address the layered socket problem (SAHS isn't the only one to muck around with that). If you can at least get your registry back prior to the edits but SAHS is still on there, then use S&D to remove it. I know I've gotten messages prompts saying my layered socket stuff was being fixed on some removal scans.

It really is quite a pain when these things have a bad or incomplete install. Good luck.

[Kellie aka Ms. B]

Oh and make sure that you have a certain program(s) disabled when you attempt to install SAHS. I actually had to uninstall 2 programs in order to be able to install Ebates.

[ShoreMark]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BLFH (Ms. B):
Oh and make sure that you have a certain program(s) disabled when you attempt to install SAHS. I actually had to uninstall 2 programs in order to be able to install Ebates. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So, what is up with our Senators and Congressmen? I know most of them probably don't know a PC from a groundhog, but their staff and families must run into this stuff often enough to give them an earful - time, long past, to shut these operations down, isn't it?

[Thomas A. Rice]

Thank you, Haiko. I was having a really, really bad day, but after reading your post, I'm feeling much better. My day doesn't seem all that bad!

[chetf]

File a complaint with the FTC.
File a complaint with the FTC.
File a complaint with the FTC.
File a complaint with the FTC.
File a complaint with the FTC.

Chet

[RadarCat]

Hi, Haiko,

Your problems are exactly why I stay with Windows 95 loaded on top of IBM's PC-DOS 6.3
on my Windows computer. (It seems that there are web sites that are noncompliant with W3C standards so the Internet Exploder browser is needed occaisionally.)

With my setup I control Windows rather than letting Windows control me.

When my hard drive gets too full of junkware I
use Dosshell to delete Windows and various programs, incuding my scumware-filled Registry,
fill all empty disk sectors with zeros, reload the operating system and applications and I am
back in business.

Cost=$0.00 plus a few (usually) hours of lost time.

Keep a cool head bro!!

Good Luck!!

RadarCat
http://www.os2warplinks.com

[Vinny O'Hare]

Im not sure if this will help but spybot in advanced mode has a bunch of winsox and also a start up process list maybe you can disable something in there. Don't know thisis the first time I have heard of such a problem Good luck

[ecomcity]

Like I pointed out to the FTC, with contacts to various warranty customer support managers at PC manufacturers, 42% of the entire expense incurred by service techs is related to adware/spyware. Bill Gates didn't out of the kindness of his big heart spend well over 1 billion dollars trying to plug BHO exploit points in his OS and browser. His customers from PC manufacturers, corporate accounts, Universities to 480 million little folks hounded him to whack these Adwhores, identify thieves, spammers and privacy info peddlers employing 3rd world virus writers & hackers.

Yes yelling to the FTC right now is the best as they are under mandate to boot the browser/OS system hijackers and their merry band of thieves into a jail cell. Merchants and banks take it in the shorts on CC theft ...not the card holders. Identity thieves and their enablers whack individuals for an average of 2700.00 and therefore give them mandintory 5 year prison sentences even if they're a corporation front operation.

Now for Haikos problem caused by SAHS emphasis on re-infestation, hidden bundling and drive-bys rather then simple removal technique. Even if you can't get the latest updates due to no internet connection do these steps. #1 run all your antivirus programs to remove porndialer hooks and any other nasties that might hog or change the winsox settings. Run Ad-Aware and then SpyBot R&D.

Phase II steps: Often these steps will cure the problem start button -"run" winipcfg and try resetting your winsox errors from there. Also go to start-run and type in msconfig. Go to startup folder and uncheck strange or suspicous entries. If that doesn't work Go the Windows control panel and under add/remove programs try first to remove known BHOs then click the "Windows Setup" folder and uncheck all the installed drivers related to internet access. Then recheck them forcing Windows overrights of the base layer files.

Still no access? Phase III. Go to control panel and click on "network" icon. Under properties remove all the TCP/IP entries after writing down the various tab settings for your DSL or cable modem. If dialup TCP/IP is also there remove those too. This will require a reboot and let windows reinstall the removed components.

Phase IV involves start-run -regedit. You'll have to delete all references to winsox within various section of the registry and reboot. Best to read MS knowledgebase sections on winsox errors and regedit. Best also to have a level 3 support cable modem techie on the phone after you explicitely tell them you know Phase IV will jeopardize Windows proper functioning if done wrong. Tell them your going to do it anyway and just need some winsox location pointers and they'll usually crumble on trying to limit their liability.

[bobince]

Hi Haiko,

If you're having LSP-related problems that aren't responding to other treatment, the magic words are:

netsh int ip reset

Only works on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, and has the potential to blow out any legitimate LSPs you're running(*) but typed into a command prompt window this should do the trick.

(* - there are very few of these, and of course if you've already got a dead internet on your hands you haven't really anything to lose...)

[flamingoworld]

Any news? Are you all fixed up again? Did heads roll?

[SSanf]

Hey, I remember that song from "Hair"!

Decapitation
can be fun
Join the holy orgy
Kama Sutra
Everyone!!

Yeah, I know. It was tasteless.