-
RonH
AskWoody LoungertbbMeter – noble, British, and free
Dear oh dear … I installed the tbbmeter freebee and all seemed to be operating OK BUT my internet connection seemed to be busier than normal. I got used to spotting the internet symbol flashing on the screen lower right toolbar but after this measuring software being installed it definately was more ‘active’.
So … is this normal? Does the software almost constantly send/receive something of ‘its own’? Anyone familiar with this?
As of now I have uninstalled the tbbMeter with its isposure … or at least I think I have, it was somewhat difficult to uninstall but I have checked Search and Programmes Installed and nothing shows up. Should I check any other location to be sure its ‘all gone’?
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerThaks for all your inputs … I will give the UK one a go.
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerIt is purely an incompressible data file (like that produced by PKZIP). If you’re really worried about the content, find where it is being downloaded, and disconnect from the internet while the download is happening. Then inspect the (partial) file with a text (or hex) editor.
I personally wouldn’t even bother doing that, with a reputable testing website – the howls of abuse would be heard all over the internet if they had downloaded – and executed – anything dubious…
As an alternative, actually ask the firm what it is that they are downloading!
Yep … best policy is to ‘trust’ I think but I was curious as to what data is sent/received.
Thanks for your input
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerThanks for that easy explanation. Of course I hope that I do not need to test my skills!
I did create a disc per instructions and the User Guide states:
‘The Linux/DOS Recovery CD can be used to boot your computer into Linux or PTS DOS to get access to your hard disk for maintenance or recovery purposes. On the disk you can also find the PTS DOS safe mode, which may help in a number of non-standard situations such as interfering hardware settings or serious problems on the hardware level. In this case, only basic files and drivers (such as hard disk drivers, a monitor driver, and a keyboard driver) will be loaded.’It also states that I must have the BIOS set at Boot from cd so I will have to check how I do this … maybe this is the usual way a pc is set up?
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerG’day. Thanks for your comments. I have Paragon Drive BackUp 9 Express (the free version) which I realise is not as flexible as the others. Also one of the the reasons that I also separately store a copy of my important files is that I ain’t sure (in the event of a major system crash) that I can restore my pc using this kind of backup software! Put it down to age or ‘ain’t been there and done that!’
What a learning curve!
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerMaybe this FAQ will help – Back up and restore: frequently asked questions – Windows Vista Help. Rather than tell you what is backed up it tells you what is NOT included. There is also an answer about using the Backup Wizard or selecting files yourself.
Joe
Thanks Joe … I had a looksee at this earlier and as you say, it states what is not backed up. Maybe I will try out the Roxio Creator that I have to see if backing up files is easier and quicker this way.
Cya Ron -
RonH
AskWoody Lounger -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerApparently you didn’t read my answer to another post. I didn’t make any configuration changes when I upgraded. The only extra toolbar I have is from Symantec’s Anti-Virus. So it is not like I’ve done alot of things and now it doesn’t work. Sometimes it actually might be the software.
Oops! Hey Mark … I was not directly replying to your post as you can see but rather making a general comment about ‘things that go bump in the night’! I can only be guided by the experts and my own observations and yes, it can sometimes be the software.
No offence meant.
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerI went from IE7 to IE8 and have never looked back … love it.
But I am just an interested user with limited tech/system knowledge so I get to wonder if most problems are not of our own making? We continue to try to ‘modify’ what is on offer to make it work ‘our way’. I had probs with IE7 which got solved by getting rid of add-ons and starting again at the basics. Seems to me that if IE8 (or other programmes, browsers etc) work well on the majority of pc’s then on the ones that do not work well it must be down to local setup?
I have to add that even Woody offers up ‘don’t install this or that’ when the vast millions of users who ‘just let it happen via Update’ continue to enjoy using their systems in total ignorance of what has been/not been auto updated.
Maybe it pays to be a bit ignorant at times and miss out on the ‘fun’ … but it would be soooo boring!
Happy modifying
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerYou bet … I’m going to leave things ‘as is’.
Thanks for advice.
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerIf you click that “View Signature” button then it will tell you more about the certificate that has the problem.
Did that Stuart and this is what I get … do you think that I should proceed to ‘Install Certificate’?
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerI’ve not run into this situation Ron, but since the site (URL) is a legit MS site, I went checking and found this:
[indent]Microsoft Supportability e-Newsletter : CAPI2 Diagnostics Introduction
[/indent]I don’t know what’s goin’ on but with a “trust” in MS, I guess I’d go ahead and do it. Of course, it would be better if you have a nice, full backup beforehand.Downloaded the file and opened it and this is what it referred to …
Aint got a clue! So I think my only solution is to ignore it and see if anything stops working … unless other Woody experts have knowledge of this stuff.
Thanks for your reply Al. -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerInteresting how these little gremlins find their way into our systems … thanks for your replies.
I can’t recall any ‘request’ on IE to ‘allow’ flash to be downloaded but the two grey cells I have ‘up top’ are saying that a while back when looking at a flash stream, the stream said something like ‘updating flash’. Hmm, I will have to keep a look out for whom is the culprit and how can it get past me without me saying OK.
I now use IE8 also set at Medium-High so maybe that’s a bit cleverer … however when I looked at Tools/Manage Add-Ons (before I went to the actual old flash file to delete it … it did also not show on the Windows Programmes?) I did not find a specific reference to this early Flash. Looks a bit sneaky.
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerCould be a website you visit that does not recognize newer Flash versions. If you use IE, have you noticed any sites requesting Flash be installed?
Joe
Good point Joe … I will keep my eye open for a request. Can I set my pc so that this old flash will not simply download itself without me saying ‘yes’? I have my pc set up fairly tight (as far as I know) such that no software gets downloaded without my permission but I am unsure as to how you control eg old flash versions.
Ron -
RonH
AskWoody LoungerGood to see you got everything cleared up. Secunia also offers a more extensive software inspection download called the Personal Software Inspector. I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t comment on it, but it does seem very thorough.
Cheers,
Hello Paul
Remember this about an old Flash Player being stuck on my pc? Well Secunia told me that yet again version 7.0.14.0 had re-appeared and I also have the latest correctly installed version 10.0.22.87. I thus deleted all Adobe Flash and re-installed the lastest again.
Have you or others got any idea as to why this early version pops up again … it gets installed in the windows/system32/macromed/flash file on my Vista pc. Could it be some programme that installs it and how could I find out more?
Thanks Ron
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