That is all part of AOL "Giving you a better internet" I think. The Yahoo
one does something similar. I won't install AOL for anybody because it is so
viral it's almost impossible to later get rid of it and their so called
"Protection" is, in my humble opinion, about as much use as an ashtray on a
motorbike.
With the Yahoo one there are options when you install the messenger that you
have to uncheck, in one case you have to uncheck an option twice during the
install. If you don't uncheck during install then the only way to get rid of
their worthless "Helper" is to uninstall the whole thing and start over,
next time being very careful to read and recheck option boxes at each stage.
Past experience with the AOL thing is that you actually can't uninstall it
properly, ever, without doing some serious hacking, but you could try the
method that works with unwanted Yahoo options just to see. If you manage to
get rid of the "Options" you don't want but can't find a way to reinstall it
without them coming back try using google to search for "Trillian", "Gaim"
and "Miranda". These are open source programs that can talk with other
instant messenger systems without being forced to install the junk.
If this is not due to AIM install then the other links for spyware you were
given should help.
Charlie
