letting games update online

[Dorothy]

I purchased the license for the Chuzzles Deluxe game. It has stopped working
because I won't allow it to access the internet. Is there a way to get around
this.

I had a nasty spyware problem a couple of months ago, the alert messages
said it was caused by a Wild Tangent file. I like the Chuzzles game but
really don't see why it has to access the internet.

Any advice?

 

[Regina Parker]

Frankly, I'm not sure I trust some of the "spyware" programs that are out
there right now. I am a subscription member of Stardock and one of my
anti-spyware programs *insists* that the .exe program for Stardock Central
(loader.exe) is a spyware program. Plus, it also insists that one of the
files in my Sims 2 games (don't remember which one it is off the top of my
head) is a spyware program. First time it came up on Stardock, I let it
delete, and ended up having to re-install the whole program! It is possible
that it was a coincidence that you got the spyware at the same time as
having the Wild Tangent. I've had Wild Tangent for several years without a
problem along with Stardock. I currently use AVG Antivirus, AVG
Anti-Spyware, Spybot, System Mechanic, and Ad-Aware. All of these programs
were recommeded to me by the computer guy that handled our computers at work
(and except for System Mechanic, they are all the free versions ~ can you
believe it? A professional computer guy recommending a *free* product??).
AVG runs daily, the rest run on a weekly basis..and since Windows Defender
came out, it was added into the mix too . These are the same programs we
use in our office setup also. The only time we've gotten a virus was when
our boss (who is *NOT* computer literate) clicked on something that he
shouldn't have. It took me almost 8 hours to clean his hard drive. Sadly,
our computer guy passed away from a heart attack last year, so I no longer
have access to his help.

 

[Dorothy]

Hello Regina, thank you so much for your help. From what I'm learning, I tend
to agree that the Wild Tangent issue may be a coincidence. I'm very careful
about what I download and open in e-mails, and this is the first time I've
ever had any problem. I think after I had to restore my computer and reload
everything (luckily I lost very little except my e-mails and a lot of time) -
I think I went into panic mode. I'm using Avast Pro anti-virus, Spyware
Doctor and Desktop Maestro from PC Tools. Wild Tangent says that it no longer
insists on it's games updating and explains it's info collecting which seems
ok to me. I also am sending my info to PC Tools to see what they say. I much
appreciate your time and info, thank you again.