pop up messages

[the_new_guy]

anyone with Windows2000/XP(Home/Professional) have a
problem with pop up messages on desktop(non internet
connection)?, and I thought the web was bad enough! I
just upgraded my Win verson to XP(upgrade $200), just to
find out that it contains pop up messages built into the
operating system.(Congratulations, you've been hit by the
newest form of unwanted advertising, or spam. This
message was sent to your computer through a built in
feature that Microsoft included in your copy of Windows
2000, NT, or XP. These types of spam messages are worse
than unwanted e-mail since you dont even need to have an
e-mail account or web browser.) Now I have to spend
another $30+ just to get a program(s) to stop the pop up
messages. What is this world comming to especially in the
WINDOWS SYSTEMS!!!

If anyone has any tips to stop the pop up's do speak up
and say so!

 

[PaulM]

Just install a firewall!

 

[Stanley S. Glazer]

Go to Panicware on the web to get a free program called PopUp Stopper; it
will eliminate some popups. Also Go to Zone Alarm for a free firewall which
will stop most spam messages. These are free programs if you want to save
money but if you want to buy their better versions you will probably get
better results. Good Luck Stan

 

[Jim Byrd]

Hi New Guy - These are most likely due to open NetBios ports 135,
137-139 and 445. You really need to block these with a firewall as a
general protection measure. You can stop the popups by turning off
Messenger Service; however, this still leaves you vulnerable. (For some
other reasons you should probably also specifically block the following
additional ports as well: UDP 135, and TCP 593)

See: Messenger Service Window That Contains an Internet Advertisement
Appears http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904 which identifies reasons
to keep this service and steps to take if you do.

You can test your system and follow the 'Prevention' link to get
additional information here:
http://www.mynetwatchman.com/winpopuptester.asp Unless you have very
good reasons to keep this active, it should be turned off in Win2k and
XP. Go here and do what it says:
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/docs/messagepopup/ or, even better,
get MessageSubtract, free, here, which will give you flexible control of
the service and viewing of these messages:
http://www.intermute.com/messagesubtract/help.html Recommended.

(FWIW, ZoneAlarm's default Internet Zone firewall configuration blocks
the necessary ports to prevent this use of Messenger Service. I don't
know the situation with regard to other firewalls.)

Messenger Service is not per se Spyware or something that MS did wrong -
It provides a messaging capability which is useful for local intranets
and is also sometimes (albeit nowdays infrequently) used by some
applications to provide popup messaages to users. However, it can also
be (and now frequently is) used to introduce spam via this open NetBios
channel. For a single user home computer, it normally isn't needed and
can be turned off which will eliminate the spam popups. This DOESN'T,
however, remove the vulnerability of having these ports open, when in
fact they aren't needed, since they can be perverted in other ways as
well, some of which can be much more damaging than just a spam popup.



--
Regards, Jim Byrd, MS-MVP
Please respond in original thread in Newsgroup.




In [email protected], the_new_guy typed:

 

[Plato]

anyone with Windows2000/XP(Home/Professional) have a
problem with pop up messages on desktop(non internet
connection)?, and I thought the web was bad enough! I

http://www.bootdisk.com/xptop5.htm#3