IE Browser Add-ons

J

John Gregory

After reading an article in "Wired" last night, I installed the Google
Toolbar on my Windows 2000 XP HE. I ran Ad-AwareSE and SpyBot. Browsing
seemed to go quicker and smoother. This morning, however, I got a MS Windows
message concerning "possible" trouble with my browser. It recommended
examining my add-ons in IE. I don't have sufficient knowledge to recognize
what I should and shouldn't have or, more appropriately, what may be harmful
here. I know that those "RealPlayer" programs are invasive so when I saw
that listed, I disabled it. That's all I've touch. Could someone please give
me advice about the remainder:



1) AcroIE Obj Class by Adobe - a Browser Helper Object (BHO)

2) Bad download blocker by Safer Networking Ltd - (BHO) Also, Not
verified (NV)

3) Google by Google Inc (NV) - Toolbar

4) Google Toolbar Helper by Google (NV) - (BHO)

5) McAfee by McAfee (NV) - Toolbar

6) Research by (nothing) - Browser extension (no file was listed
though)

7) Shockwave Flash Object by Macromedia - ActiveX control

8) Sun Java Console by Javasoft/Sun Microsystems - Browser extension

9) Windows Manager by (nothing) - Browser extension. No file listed



I think number 9 may have been written down wrong. It may be "Windows
Messenger". I've seen that crop up in my message tray before. I turned it
off. It also (an icon) cropped up on the Google toolbar last night. I
removed it. (Could this be why I got an error message this AM?)



Would appreciate general comments and specific references by number as to
"engage (E)" or disengage (D) each add-on.
 
J

John Gregory

Is it a Messenger Service window? See fig:<<



Unfortunately, I didn’t keep the message. It did NOT look like the one in
your figure. I recognized it as being a common message I receive from time
to time from the Windows XP software informing me of an error it suggests I
report. Nothing looked strange. It referred me to a Microsoft link that
contained instructions for the problem identified as “The error was likely
caused by Microsoft Internet Explorer”. The heading of the document said
“Microsoft Online Crash Analysis”. Three steps were give for me to analyze
the problem in Safe Mode. I’m sorry I can’t failed to copy the original
message. It did not appear suspicious. I have seen the format several times
over the year and a half I’ve had this machine.



Can you discern any irregularities from the list I gave?



P.S. The message also began by having me install “XP Service Pack 2” for
Internet Explorer.
 
D

David Candy

If you don't recognise it then remove it. I have none. Though I had a site last week where stupid scripting meant I had to put acrobat back for a few minutes (done in Acrobat's Preferences)
 
J

John Gregory

Ramesh, both links you've given me result in a "The Page Cannot Be
Displayed" message.
 
J

John Gregory

I recognize all these as legitimate companies with the exception of numbers
2 and 6. So I should remove 2 and 6?

P.S. Why would you have none and I have as many as I do? Wouldn't you have
something from the Java and Shockwave folks?


"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
If you don't recognise it then remove it. I have none. Though I had a site
last week where stupid scripting meant I had to put acrobat back for a few
minutes (done in Acrobat's Preferences)
 
R

Ramesh, MS-MVP

2 is legitimate, comes from Spybot S&D Malware remover utility. Remaining
ones, depends upon the usage. I usually block Flash.

Here is my list:

==================================================
Name : Clear Temporary Internet Files
Publisher :
Status : Enabled
Type : Browser Extension
Last Accessed : 7/9/2005 9:11 PM
Class ID : {7A8B2368-E336-49C5-A762-0FF3E7E09DDB}
==================================================

==================================================
Name : Copy Title and URL
Publisher :
Status : Enabled
Type : Browser Extension
Last Accessed : 7/9/2005 9:11 PM
Class ID : {38F4B056-884B-4DD6-BAA0-3C563091B715}
==================================================

==================================================
Name : MS-KB
Publisher :
Status : Enabled
Type : Browser Extension
Last Accessed :
Class ID : {8B2D996F-B7D1-4961-A929-414D9CF5BA7B}
==================================================

==================================================
Name : Research
Publisher :
Status : Enabled
Type : Browser Extension
Last Accessed : 7/9/2005 9:11 PM
Class ID : {92780B25-18CC-41C8-B9BE-3C9C571A8263}
==================================================

==================================================
Name : AcroIEHlprObj Class
Publisher : Adobe Systems, Incorporated
Status : Enabled
Type : Browser Helper Object
Last Accessed : 7/9/2005 9:12 PM
Class ID : {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3}
File : AcroIEHelper.dll
In Folder : G:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 7.0\ActiveX
==================================================

==================================================
Name : EERedirect.Handler
Publisher : (Not verified) Eduardo A. Morcillo
Status : Enabled
Type : Browser Helper Object
Last Accessed : 7/9/2005 9:12 PM
Class ID : {F02B00B3-A88C-4EF1-98FE-557F1DAF6E4D}
File : EERedirect.dll
In Folder : d:\windows\system32
==================================================

==================================================
Name : Google Toolbar Helper
Publisher : (Not verified) Google Inc.
Status : Enabled
Type : Browser Helper Object
Last Accessed : 7/9/2005 9:12 PM
Class ID : {AA58ED58-01DD-4D91-8333-CF10577473F7}
File : googletoolbar1.dll
In Folder : g:\program files\google
==================================================
 
D

David Candy

No because they are all useless (unless you use it like google). Messenger adds a toolbar button to IE's toolbar. When was the last time you used it? Acrobat is for viewing pdf files in IE - this is very likely to crash IE (yet neither crashes if you allow acrobat to open as a standalone application) - I read many PDF files a day..

Bad download blocker - Duplicating IE's feature assuming that it does what it name suggests rather than the opposite.
Why do you want a McAfee toolbar. Isn't it intrusive enough already. Do you use it?
I don't have Java installed and if I do it will be MS's. Can't imagine it does anything useful. Do you use it?

And I don't have them because I remove them. I like IE not crashing. I often have over 20 windows open and a crash is likely to stop me dead and unable to even remember what I've just lost or able to find it again. Sometimes I keep windows open for weeks. I have a PDF open in acrobat that I opened over a week ago. I stupidly rebooted yesterday and spent over an hour finding my place in this large document. And no I don't read anything about computers.

BHO = CRASH.
 
R

Ramesh, MS-MVP

Well said. Most of the IE crashes can be avoided by eliminating the add-ons.

But from where that the knowledge came from, David ? :) I read only about
computers. I usually download the informative/tech stuff I find online, and
properly save it, but I never look at it, and forget about the documents.
Here is the list of folder each storing useful info - I rarely find time to
read, or I forget about that.

In E:\Notes

MSFT Staff
David Candy
Scripting Guy Links
MS Scripting Guide
Keith Miller
autocad.txt
Memory Dumps_files
Memory Dumps.htm


--
Ramesh, Windows XP MVP
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
No because they are all useless (unless you use it like google). Messenger
adds a toolbar button to IE's toolbar. When was the last time you used it?
Acrobat is for viewing pdf files in IE - this is very likely to crash IE
(yet neither crashes if you allow acrobat to open as a standalone
application) - I read many PDF files a day..

Bad download blocker - Duplicating IE's feature assuming that it does what
it name suggests rather than the opposite.
Why do you want a McAfee toolbar. Isn't it intrusive enough already. Do you
use it?
I don't have Java installed and if I do it will be MS's. Can't imagine it
does anything useful. Do you use it?

And I don't have them because I remove them. I like IE not crashing. I often
have over 20 windows open and a crash is likely to stop me dead and unable
to even remember what I've just lost or able to find it again. Sometimes I
keep windows open for weeks. I have a PDF open in acrobat that I opened over
a week ago. I stupidly rebooted yesterday and spent over an hour finding my
place in this large document. And no I don't read anything about computers.

BHO = CRASH.
 
D

David Candy

Well I used to. But there little new to read. When was the last time you read 100 tips and actually saw a new one. I read the newsgroups which is the only place one can learn anything new (and two blogs - RC and LO - but that only takes 5 minutes a day). And of course researching problems.

I never go to MS site. If Help & Support can't find it - tough luck. I have MSDN libraries installed here which gives the real technical info.

I read military/strategic theory and political theory. My adult education is in psychology and political activism (ie social work). I also read about economics. All are humanities.
 
R

Ramesh, MS-MVP

Well I used to. But there little new to read.

Exactly the same thing what I thought after posting my comment.

Very true David. Most of teh so called "tips" in various are the ones
already known or available in H&S or somewhere. Real tips are the ones from
RC's blog and similar. I like RC's blog too, I think I got the link from you
last year, and since then it's in my aggregator. Having so much to learn in
Windows, my interests are only in this area. Apart from that, I'm looking
foward to learn .NET as it sounds to me that that's the future in computing.
Reading Political theory, Economics.... may be after few years not now :)

--
Ramesh, Windows XP MVP
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
Well I used to. But there little new to read. When was the last time you
read 100 tips and actually saw a new one. I read the newsgroups which is the
only place one can learn anything new (and two blogs - RC and LO - but that
only takes 5 minutes a day). And of course researching problems.

I never go to MS site. If Help & Support can't find it - tough luck. I have
MSDN libraries installed here which gives the real technical info.

I read military/strategic theory and political theory. My adult education is
in psychology and political activism (ie social work). I also read about
economics. All are humanities.
 
S

Sharon F

Ramesh, both links you've given me result in a "The Page Cannot Be
Displayed" message.
Click to expand...

Can't reach the mvps.org servers this morning. I think they're down. Check
again later today.
 
J

John Gregory

1) >>Messenger adds a toolbar button to IE's toolbar. When was the last
time you used it?<<

If this is in reference to the icon I removed from IE earlier, why is it
still listed as “enabled” as an Add-on to IE? Should I disable it?

2) >>Acrobat is for viewing pdf files in IE - this is very likely to
crash IE (yet neither crashes if you allow acrobat to open as a standalone
application) - I read many PDF files a day..<<

What a coincidence! I just received an error message identifying “Acrobat IE
Helper” as the culprit. It read “The instruction at 0x01b0d3d0 referenced
memory at 0x01b0d3d0. The memory could not be read. Click OK to terminate
the program”. (This is referencing the same location?) So… I disabled
Acrobat from the Add-on list. We’ll see what happens. That was my first
crash with IE on this machine. I hope I’m not gumming things up here.



3) >>Bad download blocker - Duplicating IE's feature assuming that it
does what it name suggests rather than the opposite.<<

I assume this came with the Google Toolbar I downloaded last night. The
added ability to block ads while browsing is what sparked my interest to
download in the first place. I’ll remove this last if necessary.



4) >>Why do you want a McAfee toolbar. Isn't it intrusive enough
already. Do you use it?<<

If the “toolbar” is the McAfee icon in the system tray that leads me to
their menu when I click on it, “Yes”, I use it.



5) >>I don't have Java installed and if I do it will be MS's. Can't
imagine it does anything useful. Do you use it?<<

I have sites I visit that require Java in order to display technical
analysis of stock charts. I assume this is related. IT was probably put
there by the StockCharts website. As for Shockwave… I haven’t a clue. I
think it has something to do with displaying animated figures that dance
around on the ads I don’t want to view. Or perhaps something to do with
sound. Should I remove this?



If you’re serious about BHO = CRASH … I should remove 1,2,and 4.

P.S. I've got to leave for a few hours so I won't pick up your replies 'till
this evening. I deeply appreciate the help from both of you. Sure hope I
haven't screwed this machine up by downloading that Google toolbar. I never
had a browser crash involving memory that couldn't be read before... on this
machine.



"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
No because they are all useless (unless you use it like google). Messenger
adds a toolbar button to IE's toolbar. When was the last time you used it?
Acrobat is for viewing pdf files in IE - this is very likely to crash IE
(yet neither crashes if you allow acrobat to open as a standalone
application) - I read many PDF files a day..

Bad download blocker - Duplicating IE's feature assuming that it does what
it name suggests rather than the opposite.
Why do you want a McAfee toolbar. Isn't it intrusive enough already. Do you
use it?
I don't have Java installed and if I do it will be MS's. Can't imagine it
does anything useful. Do you use it?

And I don't have them because I remove them. I like IE not crashing. I often
have over 20 windows open and a crash is likely to stop me dead and unable
to even remember what I've just lost or able to find it again. Sometimes I
keep windows open for weeks. I have a PDF open in acrobat that I opened over
a week ago. I stupidly rebooted yesterday and spent over an hour finding my
place in this large document. And no I don't read anything about computers.

BHO = CRASH.
 
D

David Candy

1. It's also a menu entry too I think. I don;t have it anymore.
2. You get used to this if you want to view pdfs in IE. Open Acrobat and in Preferences tell it to not Display PDF In Browser.
3. As long as you know what it is and you use it. I suspect it does nothing useful but I don't know the program so it might. (exp makes me suspicious).
4. It should have nothing to do with the System Notification Area. Programs go there not IE addins. While it's possible it's not likely. It could be a virus checker but this will mean McAfee is virus checking twice. Once in IE and once on disk write. I'm not familar with current versions of McAfee (I first used it in 1994 and last in 1995 and was my first AV program). Generally this is to show you the program doing something for your money.
5. No other Java requires a BHO. It is probably a menu of some type.

BHO is a place viruses try to get into. Any BHO should be treated with suspicion untill proven innocent. In my experience no BHO are ever required (I don;t use google toolbars or anything) unless you want that specific feature. BHO run inside Explorer and Internet Explorers address space. So they can and do crash both. It's a hard type of program to write as they can't test interactions with other BHOs. So BHO are more likely to be buggy as all BHO and other shell extensions run inside explorer (we would all need 8 gigabytes of memory and faster processors if they were protected from each other as normal programs are) and that means nothing can be predicted or tested for sure - one can only say it works on a clean installed XP running just my BHO..
 
D

David Candy

One can't do the same think one's whole life. As a teemager it was designing antennas (one sold zillions of copies). Then in my 20s it was working out how to win at the gee-gees. My 30's was economics, political action, etc. My 40s are military art. I just wanted to know what the government could do to prevent planes flying into me - I discovered not much. But then I discovered military history and learnt that before WW2 the RAF refused to defend britain. People like me thought it was a bad idea and the government made the RAF buy fighters - which won - just - the battle of britain. You can't trust the military to know what they are doing. They believed that they would bomb germany into submission. Except their bombers couldn;t find germany. They believed the germans couldn't shoot down their bombers. They were wrong. Without civilians like me, WW2 would have been over really quick and we'd all be speaking german (well you and me more likely Japanese).
 
J

John Gregory

Two days later...
I just had another crash but all the BOH's were removed two days ago. When I
checked the Add-on list in IE, I found something that wasn't there the first
time I reported the list; IEHlprObjClass, no publisher given, file name
"IE_kmw.dll". That file is not in the Castlecops list of BOH's.

Q1) Is this a moving target? Does my list change daily depending upon what
sites I visit? I've downloaded nothing since posting here. I've read a few
articles from the on-line Forbes magazine which always has a big ad cover
the screen forcing me to click to advance but that's about it.
Q2) Should I remove this new intrusion or did the system put it there for
good reason?
 

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