• Welcome to Tux Reports: Where Penguins Fly. We hope you find the topics varied, interesting, and worthy of your time. Please become a member and join in the discussions.

Config. Utility against unchecking programs?

A

Adela

Flightless Bird
[MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir Free;
Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]

Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way around
it please?:

When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer, it
always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
"Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommend to
uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it, could
someone help?

Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela
 
B

Bill in Co

Flightless Bird
Adela wrote:
> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir Free;
> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>
> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way around
> it please?:
>
> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer, it
> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommend
> to uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it,
> could
> someone help?
>
> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela


Who told you to go to startup and uncheck some items to "speed up your
computer"??? The purpose of msconfig's selective startup is to determine
which programs are causing a problem as a diagnostic tool (and then you
could uninstall them later, if needbe, or just remove their program
shortcuts from the \startup directory).
 
M

Menno Hershberger

Flightless Bird
"Bill in Co" <surly_curmudgeon@earthlink.net> wrote in
news:na6dnazO0fTQkNDRnZ2dnUVZ_hadnZ2d@earthlink.com:

> Adela wrote:
>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir
>> Free; Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed
>> cable; Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10
>> Activex..]
>>
>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way
>> around it please?:
>>
>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the
>> computer, it always appears a popup window saying that I changed the
>> Configuration Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I
>> should change it back to "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for
>> which so many techis recommend to uncheck some of these programs. If
>> there's a way to go around it, could
>> someone help?
>>
>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela

>
> Who told you to go to startup and uncheck some items to "speed up your
> computer"??? The purpose of msconfig's selective startup is to
> determine which programs are causing a problem as a diagnostic tool
> (and then you could uninstall them later, if needbe, or just remove
> their program shortcuts from the \startup directory).


It could have been someone like me, advising them to get rid of Limewire on
Startup, MSN messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, qttask, Microsoft Office
Startup, etc. etc.......

--
--- Long live Fat32! ---
 
V

VanguardLH

Flightless Bird
Adela wrote:

> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir Free;
> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>
> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way around
> it please?:
>
> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer, it
> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommend to
> uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it, could
> someone help?
>
> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela


Why not check the box already in that prompt that says not to prompt you
again?
 
M

Martin

Flightless Bird
On 26 July, 05:09, "Adela" <nuevade...@rcn.com> wrote:
> [MS WinXP Home 2002 -  SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir Free;
> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>
> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way around
> it please?:
>
> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer, it
> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommendto
> uncheck some of these programs.  If there's a way to go around it, could
> someone help?
>
> Thanks so much for a suggestion.         Adela


I use Startup Control Panel myself:

http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

Martin.
 
B

Bob

Flightless Bird
WinPatrol (Free Edition)
http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

WinPatrol will prevent programs from enabling at startup without your
permission.

"Adela" <nuevadela2@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:%23akXhhHLLHA.1868@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir Free;
> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>
> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way around
> it please?:
>
> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer, it
> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommend
> to uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it,
> could someone help?
>
> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela
>
 
V

VanguardLH

Flightless Bird
Bob wrote:

> WinPatrol (Free Edition)
> http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html
>
> WinPatrol will prevent programs from enabling at startup without your
> permission.
>
> "Adela" <nuevadela2@rcn.com> wrote in message
> news:%23akXhhHLLHA.1868@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir Free;
>> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
>> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>>
>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way around
>> it please?:
>>
>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer, it
>> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
>> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
>> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommend
>> to uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it,
>> could someone help?
>>
>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela
>>


To be accurate, the free version of WinPatrol does not immediately check
for changes to the startup items. It can only poll for changes (with 1
minute interval being the shortest poll interval). That means it can
never tell you what process made the change because it detects the
change long after it was made. Rather than catching the change
immediately and pending it awaiting your approval, it checks at
intervals if any changes were made in the areas that it monitors. It
then alerts you to the old change and offers to change it for you.

This method won't always work. It is possible, for example, for malware
to define itself as a service with restricted permissions on its
registry keys that won't allow a normal delete of the registry item.
You have to use the registry editor to change privileges on the key to
all Everyone to have full rights and then you can delete the key (but
sometimes this doesn't work as the service was defined as a System
service and even an admin can't delete it).

Both WinPatrol and Microsoft's old WinDefender work the same way. They
don't pend a change to then let you allow or block it. They tell you
sometime AFTER the change has been made and *perhaps* they may delete
those changes. However, it is handy to KNOW that a change has been made
so you can decide on what action to take. Alas, like many HIPS
programs, many if not most users of them don't understand the prompts so
they don't know how to act on them. The result is they end up allowing
all the changes so installing the HIPS program was worthless.

WinPatrol is less invasive than other security products but then the
free version doesn't include an on-access scanner. It polls for
changes. I don't remember what all are the default timer values for
each type of check it peforms but several are several minutes long. By
the time you get its prompt, you might not remember what you were doing
many minutes before. I'd suggest lowering all the timers to the
1-minute interval which is the shortest available in the free version.
WinPatrol has value but it's like telling you that your tire blew out
rather than warning you beforehand that it is underinflated.
 
A

Adela

Flightless Bird
Thank you, and I did, but it remains that what's the purpose of this
activity if I must revert it?


"VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote in message
news:i2j8f7$s3f$1@news.albasani.net...
> Adela wrote:
>
>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir
>> Free;
>> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
>> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>>
>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way
>> around
>> it please?:
>>
>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer,
>> it
>> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
>> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back
>> to
>> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommend
>> to
>> uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it, could
>> someone help?
>>
>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela

>
> Why not check the box already in that prompt that says not to prompt you
> again?
 
A

Adela

Flightless Bird
Thank for this link Martin, I'll try it. Adela


"Martin" <warwound@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7f6d5b08-716d-40e5-92f2-7b2aa40aec4a@x21g2000yqa.googlegroups.com...
On 26 July, 05:09, "Adela" <nuevade...@rcn.com> wrote:
> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir Free;
> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>
> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way around
> it please?:
>
> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer, it
> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis recommend
> to
> uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it, could
> someone help?
>
> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela


I use Startup Control Panel myself:

http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

Martin.
 
A

Adela

Flightless Bird
Oh thank you, I'm going to try all of them and see what happens!
:But....the fact that it does something without my permission is ok?
(Though I wouldn't know whether or not to give it to....) lol! Adela


"Bob" <bob@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:i2k6se$lfc$1@news.eternal-september.org...
> WinPatrol (Free Edition)
> http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html
>
> WinPatrol will prevent programs from enabling at startup without your
> permission.
>
> "Adela" <nuevadela2@rcn.com> wrote in message
> news:%23akXhhHLLHA.1868@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir
>> Free; Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed
>> cable; Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10
>> Activex..]
>>
>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way
>> around it please?:
>>
>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer,
>> it always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
>> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back
>> to "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis
>> recommend to uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go
>> around it, could someone help?
>>
>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela
>>

>
 
A

Adela

Flightless Bird
Thank you, Vanguard, I don't intend to change my registry as I'm afraid to
cause a bad damage, but I may use the WinPatrol -with caution- and see
what happens. Thansk again! Adela


"VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote in message
news:i2kef5$n20$1@news.albasani.net...
> Bob wrote:
>
>> WinPatrol (Free Edition)
>> http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html
>>
>> WinPatrol will prevent programs from enabling at startup without your
>> permission.
>>
>> "Adela" <nuevadela2@rcn.com> wrote in message
>> news:%23akXhhHLLHA.1868@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir
>>> Free;
>>> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
>>> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>>>
>>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way
>>> around
>>> it please?:
>>>
>>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer,
>>> it
>>> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
>>> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back
>>> to
>>> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis
>>> recommend
>>> to uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it,
>>> could someone help?
>>>
>>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela
>>>

>
> To be accurate, the free version of WinPatrol does not immediately check
> for changes to the startup items. It can only poll for changes (with 1
> minute interval being the shortest poll interval). That means it can
> never tell you what process made the change because it detects the
> change long after it was made. Rather than catching the change
> immediately and pending it awaiting your approval, it checks at
> intervals if any changes were made in the areas that it monitors. It
> then alerts you to the old change and offers to change it for you.
>
> This method won't always work. It is possible, for example, for malware
> to define itself as a service with restricted permissions on its
> registry keys that won't allow a normal delete of the registry item.
> You have to use the registry editor to change privileges on the key to
> all Everyone to have full rights and then you can delete the key (but
> sometimes this doesn't work as the service was defined as a System
> service and even an admin can't delete it).
>
> Both WinPatrol and Microsoft's old WinDefender work the same way. They
> don't pend a change to then let you allow or block it. They tell you
> sometime AFTER the change has been made and *perhaps* they may delete
> those changes. However, it is handy to KNOW that a change has been made
> so you can decide on what action to take. Alas, like many HIPS
> programs, many if not most users of them don't understand the prompts so
> they don't know how to act on them. The result is they end up allowing
> all the changes so installing the HIPS program was worthless.
>
> WinPatrol is less invasive than other security products but then the
> free version doesn't include an on-access scanner. It polls for
> changes. I don't remember what all are the default timer values for
> each type of check it peforms but several are several minutes long. By
> the time you get its prompt, you might not remember what you were doing
> many minutes before. I'd suggest lowering all the timers to the
> 1-minute interval which is the shortest available in the free version.
> WinPatrol has value but it's like telling you that your tire blew out
> rather than warning you beforehand that it is underinflated.
 
V

VanguardLH

Flightless Bird
Adela wrote:

>
> "VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote in message
> news:i2j8f7$s3f$1@news.albasani.net...
>> Adela wrote:
>>
>>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir
>>> Free;
>>> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
>>> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>>>
>>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way
>>> around
>>> it please?:
>>>
>>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer,
>>> it
>>> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
>>> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back
>>> to
>>> "Standard"... >>

>>
>> Why not check the box already in that prompt that says not to prompt you
>> again?

>
> Thank you, and I did, but it remains that what's the purpose of this
> activity if I must revert it?


You have specified a selective startup. You disabled some of the
startup items using msconfig. You don't want a normal startup but
instead configured a selective startup. So msconfig obliges by
reminding you that you configured a selective startup. Since it may be
that you are troubleshooting to find out if a particular startup item is
causing a problem, msconfig reminds you that you configured a selective
startup by disabling one, or more, items. If you don't want that
reminder than tell msconfig to no prompt you anymore (until the next
time you use msconfig to change your startup list again and change your
selective startup configuration).

msconfig is useful for disabling startup items. However, it was
designed as a diagnostic tool. When you disable some or all startup
items using it, well, it's going to remind you that you still have those
items disabled should you be through with your troubleshooting. The
proper method of eliminating startup items is to delete them, not just
disable them. "Disabling" in msconfig does not delete anything.
Instead the item gets moved to a different registry key used to cache
the items that were disable by msconfig. Since the startup item is no
longer in its normal startup registry location, it doesn't get loaded.
When you re-check the disabled item in msconfig to re-enable it,
msconfig moves it out of its special holding registry key back to where
it was before.

msconfig doesn't delete any startup items. It only disables them to let
you troubleshoot a problem with startup items. If you want to actually
delete the startup items, you'll have to use a registry or employ a
utility that does the registry editing for you. SysInternals has their
AutoRuns utility to let you actually delete the startup items plus it
shows you a lot more startup locations in the registry than does
msconfig. Of course, whether using regedit or some utility to edit the
registry, you assume the risk of modifying the registry.

Some programs are very rude in that they will reinstate their startup
items. That is, you disable or delete their startup entry but when you
next run their program, it notices that the startup entry is missing and
re-adds it. So you disabling or deleting registry entries to remove
startup items is overridden when you run their program and it puts back
the startup entry. RealPlayer, QuickTime, and other programs are rude
like this. WinPatrol (there's a free version) will let you permanently
disable a startup item. Instead of disabling (by moving the entry
elsewhere to hold it for later possible reenable) or deleting an item,
WinPatrol will disable the item and keep it disabled. If the entry
shows up again, WinPatrol will disable it again.

An item you disable is NOT the same as deleting that item. Disable, by
its very definition, means you CAN reenable it. That's what msconfig
will do. If you want to actually delete a startup item, you could use
msconfig to move the entry to its special hold folder so it is gone from
the normal startup location, or you could actually delete the startup
item (which is not msconfig's purpose). When you visit a program's
configuration options, do you really think that disabling an option
actually deletes it from the program so you can never use (reenable)
that option later?

Disabling is not deletion. Disabling means the possiblity of later
reenabling. How would msconfig know that you weren't using it for
temporary troubleshooting, its intended purpose, and that later you want
back all the items that you disabled? So it asks you. If you don't
want the prompt, eliminate it (until the next time you apply changes
using msconfig).
 
B

Bob

Flightless Bird
WinPatrol's Host-based Intrusion Prevention System(HIPS) takes snapshot of
your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur
without your knowledge.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/WinPatrol.shtml


"VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote in message
news:i2kef5$n20$1@news.albasani.net...
> Bob wrote:
>
>> WinPatrol (Free Edition)
>> http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html
>>
>> WinPatrol will prevent programs from enabling at startup without your
>> permission.
>>
>> "Adela" <nuevadela2@rcn.com> wrote in message
>> news:%23akXhhHLLHA.1868@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro; Avast Antivir
>>> Free;
>>> Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable;
>>> Windows Media Player; Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>>>
>>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if there's a way
>>> around
>>> it please?:
>>>
>>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up the computer,
>>> it
>>> always appears a popup window saying that I changed the Configuration
>>> Utility to "Selective" or "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back
>>> to
>>> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many techis
>>> recommend
>>> to uncheck some of these programs. If there's a way to go around it,
>>> could someone help?
>>>
>>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela
>>>

>
> To be accurate, the free version of WinPatrol does not immediately check
> for changes to the startup items. It can only poll for changes (with 1
> minute interval being the shortest poll interval). That means it can
> never tell you what process made the change because it detects the
> change long after it was made. Rather than catching the change
> immediately and pending it awaiting your approval, it checks at
> intervals if any changes were made in the areas that it monitors. It
> then alerts you to the old change and offers to change it for you.
>
> This method won't always work. It is possible, for example, for malware
> to define itself as a service with restricted permissions on its
> registry keys that won't allow a normal delete of the registry item.
> You have to use the registry editor to change privileges on the key to
> all Everyone to have full rights and then you can delete the key (but
> sometimes this doesn't work as the service was defined as a System
> service and even an admin can't delete it).
>
> Both WinPatrol and Microsoft's old WinDefender work the same way. They
> don't pend a change to then let you allow or block it. They tell you
> sometime AFTER the change has been made and *perhaps* they may delete
> those changes. However, it is handy to KNOW that a change has been made
> so you can decide on what action to take. Alas, like many HIPS
> programs, many if not most users of them don't understand the prompts so
> they don't know how to act on them. The result is they end up allowing
> all the changes so installing the HIPS program was worthless.
>
> WinPatrol is less invasive than other security products but then the
> free version doesn't include an on-access scanner. It polls for
> changes. I don't remember what all are the default timer values for
> each type of check it peforms but several are several minutes long. By
> the time you get its prompt, you might not remember what you were doing
> many minutes before. I'd suggest lowering all the timers to the
> 1-minute interval which is the shortest available in the free version.
> WinPatrol has value but it's like telling you that your tire blew out
> rather than warning you beforehand that it is underinflated.
 
T

Twayne

Flightless Bird
In news:i2j8f7$s3f$1@news.albasani.net,
VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> typed:
> Adela wrote:
>
>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro;
>> Avast Antivir Free; Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium
>> III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable; Windows Media Player;
>> Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>>
>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if
>> there's a way around it please?:
>>
>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up
>> the computer, it always appears a popup window saying that
>> I changed the Configuration Utility to "Selective" or
>> "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
>> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many
>> techis recommend to uncheck some of these programs. If
>> there's a way to go around it, could someone help?
>>
>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela

>
> Why not check the box already in that prompt that says not
> to prompt you again?


Because that is a mis-use of the tool and a few months down the road can
become pretty consufing to someone trying to use it to troubleshoot again.
Some of those entries will come back automatically and others won't, plus
the record of their paper trail so to speak will be gone. Loading, but not
using, code is highly un-recommended by nearly every experienced computer
person.
You find the offending programs with it, THEN go do an uninstall, fix or
whatever is needed in those programs WHERE THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY EXISTS.
 
V

VanguardLH

Flightless Bird
Twayne wrote:

> In news:i2j8f7$s3f$1@news.albasani.net,
> VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> typed:
>> Adela wrote:
>>
>>> [MS WinXP Home 2002 - SP3; OE 6; IE 8; MS Office Pro;
>>> Avast Antivir Free; Dell Dimension XPS T448MHz Pentium
>>> III; 640 MB RAM; high speed cable; Windows Media Player;
>>> Adobe Reader 8; Adobe Flash Player 10 Activex..]
>>>
>>> Hello, could someone tell me why the following and if
>>> there's a way around it please?:
>>>
>>> When I go to Startup to uncheck some programs to speed up
>>> the computer, it always appears a popup window saying that
>>> I changed the Configuration Utility to "Selective" or
>>> "Diagnostic" and that I should change it back to
>>> "Standard"... This defeats the purpose for which so many
>>> techis recommend to uncheck some of these programs. If
>>> there's a way to go around it, could someone help?
>>>
>>> Thanks so much for a suggestion. Adela

>>
>> Why not check the box already in that prompt that says not
>> to prompt you again?

>
> Because that is a mis-use of the tool and a few months down the road can
> become pretty consufing to someone trying to use it to troubleshoot again.
> Some of those entries will come back automatically and others won't, plus
> the record of their paper trail so to speak will be gone. Loading, but not
> using, code is highly un-recommended by nearly every experienced computer
> person.
> You find the offending programs with it, THEN go do an uninstall, fix or
> whatever is needed in those programs WHERE THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY EXISTS.


I've used the msconfig for year to disable/reenable startup items (well,
the ones that it manages to list). If you are going to uninstall a
program then you reenable the disabled startup item so the uninstaller
can remove that registry startup item (or you just delete it yourself
from the registry after reenabling it). This isn't the only utility
that "disables" startup items to let you later reenable them.

Uninstall software is NOT a reasonable solution. If you want to use
RealPlayer, you will probably want to disable their realsched startup
item. If you install OmniPage's OCR program, yep, it has startup items
that aren't really needed. If you use Nero then it, too, has a startup
item to look for conflicts with other CD/DVD burning software but is
irrelevant if you don't have that other software installed. Avira wants
to shove its adware bulletin screen when it loads but you can get rid f
it by disabling it (rather than deleting it). You want those programs
but you don't necessarily care for their startup behavior.

A hammer is a tool that can be used for many purposes besides just
shoving one particular sized nail into a particular type of wood.
msconfig is also a tool that can be used for disabling/reenabling
startup items and you use it per your own goal. There's nothing wrong
with using msconfig to disable (rather than delete) startup items.
Eliminating the software is usually NOT a reasonable choice for the
user. I doubt there is a single piece of software that someone else
wrote that you chose to install on your host that does exactly and only
what you want it to do. There's nothing wrong with trying to alter a
program's behavior if possible without having to discard it.
 
V

VanguardLH

Flightless Bird
Bob wrote:

> WinPatrol's Host-based Intrusion Prevention System(HIPS) takes snapshot of
> your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur
> without your knowledge.
> http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/WinPatrol.shtml


Yes, at POLLED intervals (1 minute minimum) for the *free* version.
That is why it can NEVER identify what process made the change. You are
told long after the fact that a change got made. In fact, if you leave
the default (install-time) timer values for WinPatrol, it can be so long
after the change was made when you get the alert that you won't have a
clue what you were doing some 10 minutes ago, or longer.

By the way, the Softpedia article you mentioned is listing features
available only in the paid version, not in the freeware version.
"Sniffs out Worms, Trojan horses, Cookies, Adware, Spyware and more".
Nope, not in the free version.

In the free version, you can:
- List startup items. (*)
o You can disable them (and keep them disabled should a program try to
reinstate them later).
o You can delete them. That doesn't stop them from reappearing later.
- Move some items into a "Delayed Start" list.
o You can specify how long after logging in (and after WinPatrol
loads) for when some startup items get loaded.
- List and remove IE helpers (BHOs, add-ons, COM plugins, etc). (*)
- List and remove events defined in Task Scheduler. (*)
- List NT services. (*)
- List currently running processes.
o Lets you kill them although it uses no hard-kill features available
with other software so it offers nothing more than you can do more
than with Task Manager.
- Filter out some cookies. (*)
o This means you need to know what the cookie will contain. Cookie
contents and even their field structure can change even at the same
site.
o Most web browsers already have cookie management that obviates this
feature.
- Monitor the filetype associations. (*)
o You can delete a filetype association. You cannot use WinPatrol to
fix it (by assigning a different handler for a filetype).
- List hidden files.
- List recently accessed files.
- Alerts you if the hosts file has been modified.
- Resets the home page and search in IE if it gets changed (even if
you're the one that made the change).

(*) These have a monitoring function that POLLS for changes at the
specified interval. Most intervals are way too long so by the time you
get an alert you may not remember what was happening that long ago. I
suggest you reduce all timers down to 1 minute. That's not super quick
but it's the shortest interval they will allow.

NONE of the above has to do with *detecting* worms, trojans, adware, or
spyware and cookie management in web browsers is probably better than
guessing at some text that may appear in some cookies. WinPatrol lets
you know when a change (that is being monitored) has occured but that
could be made by yourself, by software you chose to install and even by
very well-known and even well-behaved programs, or by malware. It is
NOT the anti-malware tool the author likes to proclaim. It is an alert
tool so *YOU* can decide if the change should be retained. Notice I did
not say if the change was allowed because that means you get to decide
to allow or block the change while it is pending. WinPatrol, like
WinDefender, told you about the change long after it happened. If you
choose to disallow the change, it *might* get changed back. If it is a
simple change then the reversion is likely. If a process is still
running that establishes and maintains that change then WinPatrol, like
WinDefender, will fail to revert to the prior state.

WinPatrol is a good tool to let you know if some portion of the state of
your host has changed. It tells you about the change but it is long
after the change was made. It cannot identify the culprit of who made
the change. It cannot tell you if the change should be allowed or not.
It does not detect malware. It merely tells you the state got changed
and that happens even with your use of the OS or by the apps that you
install or as you use them.

Think of WinPatrol as one of those chemically-activated monoxide warning
stickers. It tells you the level of monoxide is too high. By the time
the color changes to warn you, the level has already been high for
awhile. It doesn't tell you the source that is producing the monoxide.
But knowing late without knowing why *might* still be better than not
knowing at all (I said "might" because it presumes the user can
understand the change that was made upon which WinPatrol alerted).
 
T

Twayne

Flightless Bird
In news:i2o6tk$av2$1@news.albasani.net,
VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> typed:
> Bob wrote:
>
>> WinPatrol's Host-based Intrusion Prevention System(HIPS)
>> takes snapshot of your critical system resources and
>> alerts you to any changes that may occur without your
>> knowledge.
>> http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/WinPatrol.shtml

>
> Yes, at POLLED intervals (1 minute minimum) for the *free*
> version. That is why it can NEVER identify what process
> made the change. You are told long after the fact that a
> change got made. In fact, if you leave the default
> (install-time) timer values for WinPatrol, it can be so
> long after the change was made when you get the alert that
> you won't have a clue what you were doing some 10 minutes
> ago, or longer.


To the contrary, a very good set of data is grabbed at the point where the
program gets isolated and much information is available there. It even gets
used should you decide to reverse your decision about changes you made.
You should get better real world experence than try to pull it all from
documentation so there are no mis-cues. I could easily take you on re the
pay-for version, which is VERY reasonably priced, but that's why I chose to
use URLs rather than leave some stuff out. The surfer can get to anythinig
avaiable about the program from that page if they wish to.

It captures a set of data for you which can be saved so no data is lost. The
vast majority of time, the message appears DURING the initial startup
routiines and does so IMMEDIATELY. It may take a few seconds for the message
to get thru prioritiies to get to the screen, but it still has the
attempting to run program stopped and held in abayance until the user
decides what to do.
>
> By the way, the Softpedia article you mentioned is listing
> features available only in the paid version, not in the
> freeware version. "Sniffs out Worms, Trojan horses,
> Cookies, Adware, Spyware and more". Nope, not in the free
> version.


Yesss, and that's what it says right there on the page, right? I didn't say
the "free" verson did or ddn't do any specific thing. For whatever reason
you are splitting hairs and attempting to put words in my mouth, almost like
a troll or miscreant might do; that doesn't help your crediblity very much.
You'll also find even the paid version very inexpensive should one like the
free version and wish to go paid. There's nothing new in the world about
that, and it has nada to do with the price of tea in China.
============ "
WinPatrol PLUS is a great investment!

One Time fee includes for ALL future WinPatrol versions.
No Hidden or Reoccurring Subscription Fees.
Single License valid on all your personal desktops and laptops!
No Toolbars or other unwanted software
WinPatrol PLUS is quicker and faster.
Upgrade Now with No Additional Download
============ "
Download WinPatrol 18.1
More info at bottom of post


>
> In the free version, you can:
> - List startup items. (*)
> o You can disable them (and keep them disabled should a
> program try to reinstate them later).
> o You can delete them. That doesn't stop them from
> reappearing later. - Move some items into a "Delayed Start"
> list. o You can specify how long after logging in (and
> after WinPatrol loads) for when some startup items get
> loaded.
> - List and remove IE helpers (BHOs, add-ons, COM plugins,
> etc). (*)
> - List and remove events defined in Task Scheduler. (*)
> - List NT services. (*)
> - List currently running processes.
> o Lets you kill them although it uses no hard-kill
> features available with other software so it offers
> nothing more than you can do more than with Task Manager.
> - Filter out some cookies. (*)


Filter out ANY cookie you can name and accepts wildcards.

> o This means you need to know what the cookie will
> contain. Cookie contents and even their field structure
> can change even at the same site.


But not often, and it if does, a new cooking listing is created that's easy
to identify if one suspects it came back. Many of the are already
pre-listed, in fact.

> o Most web browsers already have cookie management that
> obviates this feature.
> - Monitor the filetype associations. (*)
> o You can delete a filetype association. You cannot use
> WinPatrol to fix it (by assigning a different handler
> for a filetype).
> - List hidden files.
> - List recently accessed files.
> - Alerts you if the hosts file has been modified.
> - Resets the home page and search in IE if it gets changed
> (even if you're the one that made the change).


Good piece of advertising for Winpatrol, but I fail to find any reason for
your list. It's just mostly copied from the URL that was given by myself
which says that and a lot more too. But your list leaves some things to be
desired and should be complete if you're going to post it:
>
> (*) These have a monitoring function that POLLS for changes
> at the specified interval. Most intervals are way too long
> so by the time you get an alert you may not remember what
> was happening that long ago. I suggest you reduce all
> timers down to 1 minute. That's not super quick but it's
> the shortest interval they will allow.


That's silly. Most aspects of WP operate in real time and the only waits are
for cues/buffers to complete. But even if it were that long, the information
has still been trapped and logged, making the time it takes to get to read
the message pretty much moot. Even moreso when you consider the PLUS
features and so on that are provided with the program.

>
> NONE of the above has to do with *detecting* worms,
> trojans, adware, or spyware and cookie management in web


Neither the program nor I made any claims that it did. What it does do is
watch EXECUTABLES that start and if it's not already logged as OK, it'll
throw the error, asking the user whether they iinitiated that or not with
the capability to determine what to do about it.

> browsers is probably better than guessing at some text that
> may appear in some cookies.


I sometimes find looking in cookies quite useful in determining whether it's
one I want to keep or not. You're crying about a capablity one doesn't have
to use if they have no use for it. YOU do not determine what others want or
may find useful.

WinPatrol lets you know when a
> change (that is being monitored)


Changes being monitored are clearly visible in the dialogs, and the user can
add/delete from those lists as they desire. Mine will now allow Spybot to
make changes to it without notifying me, but any other entity, includng
another user, gets the error thrown.

has occured but that could
> be made by yourself, by software you chose to install and
> even by very well-known and even well-behaved programs, or
> by malware. It is NOT the anti-malware tool the author
> likes to proclaim. It is an alert tool so *YOU* can decide
> if the change should be retained.


That has turned out to be a great feature in some instances here. A lot of
malware doesn't fire when it's download but waits for something specific to
happen on the machine. And if your AV/malware detectors didn't get them,
that's one more layer of protection. But now you've turned to criticizing
hype you found on some page instead of assuming that people can't read and
make their own decisions. Personally I find the extra layer of realtime
protection useful and it has been beneficial.

Notice I did not say if
> the change was allowed because that means you get to decide
> to allow or block the change while it is pending.


Exactly. That's a useful feature if you'll just think about it by viewing
the forest instead of a few trees.

> WinPatrol, like WinDefender, told you about the change long
> after it happened. If you choose to disallow the change,
> it *might* get changed back. If it is a simple change then
> the reversion is likely.


That's one of the tests I put Winpatrol thru before I started using it and
my results were just the opposite: even if I stopped a system file, it
remained stopped and couldn't boot.

Please provide an example I can use to prove that?

If a process is still running
> that establishes and maintains that change then WinPatrol,
> like WinDefender, will fail to revert to the prior state.


The ONLY time I've seen anything remotely similar to that, WP advised me it
couldn't be stopped. Again, please cite an example so I can make this happen
without knowing it occurred?

>
> WinPatrol is a good tool to let you know if some portion of
> the state of your host has changed. It tells you about the
> change but it is long after the change was made.


No, not "long" after, which to your definition is apparently minutes.

It cannot
> identify the culprit of who made the change.


It can, and does.

It cannot
> tell you if the change should be allowed or not. It does
> not detect malware.


It's not meant to.

It merely tells you the state got
> changed and that happens even with your use of the OS or by
> the apps that you install or as you use them.
>
> Think of WinPatrol as one of those chemically-activated
> monoxide warning stickers. It tells you the level of
> monoxide is too high. By the time the color changes to
> warn you, the level has already been high for awhile. It
> doesn't tell you the source that is producing the monoxide.
> But knowing late without knowing why *might* still be
> better than not knowing at all (I said "might" because it
> presumes the user can understand the change that was made
> upon which WinPatrol alerted).


Jeez, talk about apples and oranges! Resorting to analogies usually means
the writer is out of words but still wants to make more of an impression.
You have failed in any way to change any of my opinions because your
credibility was shot in the first few paras.

Not sure what you're on about here either, but the best use of Winpatrol for
me is being advised whenever some executable starts up that has never run
before. Then it allows the user to allow it run always, run once, not this
time, or never run. The program name and several other details about it are
listed, too, for help in identifying it.
If you've just installed something, it's expected for that to happen.
If not, then it's likely it's not something the user wanted and is worth
stalling untili it can be checked out. It halts it from running in that
case, I go to the PLUS features of Winpatrol, and see what that program is
and what it does and whether it's known to be malicious or malware or what.
If it's not recognized there, then it can be Googled for hints as to what it
might be which wll help decide whether it's wanted or not. If it is, next
time the message pops up, and you trust it, you react accodingly. Or not. It
hasn't failed me yet over several years so I am pretty satisfied with it,
really.

I'm guessing but it would appear to me that your real aversion to WP is that
it's basically a heuristics approach to maintaining the health of a system,
which means it's possible for it to catch unknown, unseen yet malware.
For the small amount of memory it uses, I'd say it's a pretty darned good
piece of code.
===========

WinPatrol PLUS allows you to efficiently monitor programs running on your
computer without slowing you down or hogging all your memory.

WinPatrol takes snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you in
real-time to any changes that may occur without your knowledge. You'll be
notified of critical system changes and have access to over 30,000 easy to
understand program descriptions.
Must have addition to your current AV protection.


Single License $29.95 USD
Single User / Multiple Machines
Limited Time $10 off $19.95

Family Pack $49.95 USD
Unlimted Computers /
Immediate Family
Limited Time Now Only $39.95


More Info Task Catcher







Task Catcher is designed to restart programs which fail or may be blocked by
malware. If a program crashes Task Catcher will detect the failure and
relaunch your program automatically.

Task Catcher allows you to efficiently monitor programs running on your
computer without slowing you down or hogging all your memory.

Task Catcher will block unwanted programs from running and restarts your
favorite programs if they are disabled or crash. As always, our goal is to
put YOU back in control of your computer.


$12.95 USD

More Info
 
V

VanguardLH

Flightless Bird
Twayne wrote:

> VanguardLH typed:
>
>> Bob wrote:
>>
>>> WinPatrol's Host-based Intrusion Prevention System(HIPS) takes
>>> snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any
>>> changes that may occur without your knowledge.
>>> http://www.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Popup-Ad-Spyware-Blockers/WinPatrol.shtml

>>
>> Yes, at POLLED intervals (1 minute minimum) for the *free* version.
>> That is why it can NEVER identify what process made the change. You
>> are told long after the fact that a change got made. In fact, if
>> you leave the default (install-time) timer values for WinPatrol, it
>> can be so long after the change was made when you get the alert that
>> you won't have a clue what you were doing some 10 minutes ago, or
>> longer.

>
> To the contrary, a very good set of data is grabbed


A snapshot is taken and WP checks for delta changes through its
monitoring.

> at the point where the
> program gets isolated and much information is available there.


There is no isolation of any program or process by WP.

> It even gets
> used should you decide to reverse your decision about changes you made.


It knows from the delta what was the original value and attempts to
re-assert it. It usually works but not always.

> It captures a set of data for you which can be saved so no data is lost. The
> vast majority of time, the message appears DURING the initial startup
> routiines and does so IMMEDIATELY.


Nope, not until AFTER WinPatrol loads which it does as a user-level
process, not as a service and not as a kernel-mode driver. After WP
loads, it will poll at the interval configured. 1-minute is the minimum
configurable polling interval. Some of its monitors are set for a *lot*
longer than that.

>> By the way, the Softpedia article you mentioned is listing
>> features available only in the paid version, not in the
>> freeware version. "Sniffs out Worms, Trojan horses,
>> Cookies, Adware, Spyware and more". Nope, not in the free
>> version.

>
> Yesss, and that's what it says right there on the page, right?


Yes, users looking for freeware solutions are always looking instead for
the payware version, uh huh.

> I didn't say
> the "free" verson did or ddn't do any specific thing.


Bob did, though, and *he* was the person to whom I replied. Thereafter
my discussion focused on the abilities of the FREE version. I even
prefaced my reply with "To be accurate, the free version of WinPatrol".
Guess you missed that first sentence.

<snipped my list of features and which have monitors>
> Good piece of advertising for Winpatrol, but I fail to find any reason for
> your list. It's just mostly copied from the URL that was given by myself
> which says that and a lot more too.


Didn't bother with your URL or copying from their web site. I *use*
WinPatrol (free version) myself and simply walked through the tabbed GUI
for the user configurable options to list some of its features. It was
not meant to be exhaustive. I'm not here to overtly spamm the product.

>> (*) These have a monitoring function that POLLS for changes
>> at the specified interval. Most intervals are way too long
>> so by the time you get an alert you may not remember what
>> was happening that long ago. I suggest you reduce all
>> timers down to 1 minute. That's not super quick but it's
>> the shortest interval they will allow.

>
> That's silly. Most aspects of WP operate in real time and the only
> waits are for cues/buffers to complete.


In the FREE version, which is what Bob mentioned, and to which I replied
regarding its deficiencies or behavior, why don't YOU go look at its
user configurable options. Please explain just why there are values to
define for the POLLING interval for each monitor. If they aren't
obeyed, why are they there? I know from actual use of the free version
just how the monitors work and that alerts won't appear until the next
polling interval happens.

>> NONE of the above has to do with *detecting* worms, trojans, adware,
>> or spyware and cookie management in web

>
> Neither the program nor I made any claims that it did.


I was addressing the claim stated in the Softpedia article to which you
linked. YOU weren't even participating in this subthread yet!

>> Notice I did not say if the change was allowed because that means you
>> get to decide to allow or block the change while it is pending.

>
> Exactly. That's a useful feature if you'll just think about it by
> viewing the forest instead of a few trees.


(And you thought my analogy was bad. Uffda!)

It means the process that made the change cannot be identified. That
means you can not block that same process or its parent executable from
making that same change again. It means you have no evidence to let you
track the culprit to determine if the change was made by some action you
committed, by a program that to you is good and wanted, or by malware.
Personally if I see my tire is flat, I'd like to know if I ran over a
bolt or nail, if a sharp stone wedged in, if something stabbed it with a
knife in the sidewall, if they removed the valve or just depressed the
plunger, or just what caused the tire to go flat. However, knowing the
tire is flat is also useful because it alerts me that I need to take
LATE action to repair the situation before I go driving on that tire.

(Oh, gee, another analogy. Guess that'll be over your head, too.)

> Please provide an example I can use to prove that?


cdiskdun.sys, a backdoor trojan, if running will not permit you or
WinPatrol from deleting the file or of deleting the enumeration in the
registry that defines the NT service for this malware whose server
executable is usually found in the %temp% folder. You need to kill the
process before you or WinPatrol can delete the file. The service
definition in the registry for this malware is left behind by WinPatrol,
so you have to edit the registry yourself. Some registry entries cannot
be edited using regedit.exe even if you change permissions on them but
instead have to reboot to have the kernel do the cleanup in the history
subhives. WinPatrol is useful to alert you that the new service showed
up. It just might not get rid of it completely.

>> WinPatrol is a good tool to let you know if some portion of the state
>> of your host has changed. It tells you about the change but it is
>> long after the change was made.

>
> No, not "long" after, which to your definition is apparently minutes.


Yes, 1 minute OR LONGER. The install-time defaults are longer than 1
minutes for most of WinPatrol's monitors. Just do an install of the
free version of WinPatrol and just go look at the default configuration
for its monitors.

> It cannot identify the culprit of who made the change. It can, and
> does.


It (the free version) NEVER tells you what process made the change. It
can't because the change was detected *after* it was made. Unlike other
HIPS security apps, the change is not pended. You are not alerted at
the instant the change is made or even within a few seconds of the
change. You won't know until the next polling interval occurs.

>> Think of WinPatrol as one of those chemically-activated monoxide
>> warning stickers. It tells you the level of monoxide is too high.
>> By the time the color changes to warn you, the level has already
>> been high for awhile. It doesn't tell you the source that is
>> producing the monoxide. But knowing late without knowing why *might*
>> still be better than not knowing at all (I said "might" because it
>> presumes the user can understand the change that was made upon which
>> WinPatrol alerted).

>
> Jeez, talk about apples and oranges! Resorting to analogies usually
> means the writer is out of words but still wants to make more of an
> impression.


Just because you have no imagination to provide an illustration that
explains the situation to someone not versed in the intracies of a
process doesn't obviate the usefulness to someone other than you.

> You have failed in any way to change any of my opinions because your
> credibility was shot in the first few paras.


I wasn't trying to change your opinion. I was showing that the free
version, the one that Bob mentioned, detects the changes late (plus from
talking with its author there are some changes not yet alerted by WP).

I *do* use WinPatrol. Have used it for several years. Have even
conversed with the author to get additional startup items included that
he missed (to explain how they work). I know very well how the free
version works. It doesn't do much of what you claim. None of its
alerts are immediate. One minute is the minimal configurable polling
interval.

While you can go off on a tangential subthread about what the paid Plus
version has, I responded to Bob who proffered the *free* version as a
solution. Bob mentioned the free version. You roamed off to the Plus
version. Yes, there are more features in the paid Plus version, like
the on-access scanner. However, I saw no indication that Adela, the OP,
had interest in finding payware solutions. She was trying to use
something that was already available in her OS hence free to her. I
didn't say WinPatrol Free wasn't a useful tool. Just don't make the
free version sound like it has more features than it really has.

I responded to and discussed the limitations of the free version as a
reply to Bob mentioning it. It's you that wants to spam, er, promote
the payware version.
 
Top