Computer goes on-line "behind our backs"

[King George John]

We have a XP machine that's mainly used for the kids for "education" and
play.

They have installed all kinds of stuff including some "kids chat" stuff
called NeoPets.

Anyway, when I want to go on-line with another machine, I find that the
kids' machine is already on-line.

How do I find who the guilty party/program? Is there something we can do
outside of that program to keep it from starting the dialer?

EMWTK


--
---
From "A Nation Deceived" (www.nationdeceived.org): "Acceleration is a gift
of time. For the child, skipping one year means one-twelfth of his or her
time in school has not been wasted. If a child skips two years,that's a full
one-sixth of his or her educational career that is spent learning rather
than marking time."

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE]

We have a XP machine that's mainly used for the kids for "education"
and play.

They have installed all kinds of stuff including some "kids chat"
stuff called NeoPets.

Anyway, when I want to go on-line with another machine, I find that
the kids' machine is already on-line.

How do I find who the guilty party/program? Is there something we
can do outside of that program to keep it from starting the dialer?

EMWTK

First eliminate any spyware.
What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

CAUTION!!!!! Removing some spyware can damage the Winsock stack and you may
not be able to connect to the Internet. Before you try to remove spyware,
download a copy of LSP-Fix - a free program to repair damaged Winsock 2
stacks AFTER you remove the software (all Windows versions)
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
Winsockfix for W95, W98, ME, NT, 2000, XP
http://www.tacktech.com/pub/winsockfix/WinsockFix.zip
Directions here: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=257
WinXP:
Get WinSockxpFix
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html
How to Reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357
In WinXP SP2: You can fix Winsock by going to Start | Run and typing
CMD
In the command window type
netsh winsock reset

See
Dealing with Unwanted Spyware and Parasites
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/tshoot.htm
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/

 

[Leythos]

We have a XP machine that's mainly used for the kids for "education" and
play.

They have installed all kinds of stuff including some "kids chat" stuff
called NeoPets.

Anyway, when I want to go on-line with another machine, I find that the
kids' machine is already on-line.

How do I find who the guilty party/program? Is there something we can do
outside of that program to keep it from starting the dialer?

If you have Auto-Dial setup then it could be as simple as Windows XP
Update or your AV software fetching updates. It could also be that their
computer "chat" software is auto-connecting.

What you need to do is run a FULL Antivirus scan, run a full scan with
AdAware Se (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/)

One other thing - have the kids machine logged out - back at the login
window. Disable FAST USER SWITCHING so that users can't leave things
running while you are doing something with the computer.

 

[Malke]

We have a XP machine that's mainly used for the kids for "education"
and play.

They have installed all kinds of stuff including some "kids chat"
stuff called NeoPets.

Anyway, when I want to go on-line with another machine, I find that
the kids' machine is already on-line.

How do I find who the guilty party/program? Is there something we
can do outside of that program to keep it from starting the dialer?

The most common cause for this behavior is malware on the machine. Since
you mention kids, the probability is very high that you do.
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Malke

 

[Yves Leclerc]

Install a better firewall program than the default Windows firewall. I use
Zone Alarm Free and it tells me which Windows program is attempting to
connect to the Internet. I have "authorized" several programs already so I
do not get a notice for the attempts by those programs.