ptsnoop.exe question
i told you, i'd have to.....@nospam.nospam Dr.
on the line. I'll instruct him to give it a try. I suggested he get Buckeye
Express, but he doesn't want to pay for both Buckeye and AOL. And he "just
can't live" without AOL!
"Paul" <firefi...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:dFc$yY6yAH...@colossus.SMG...
>
> "Dr." <if i told you, i'd have to.....@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
> news:qAVhWF6y...@colossus.SMG...
> > Thanks Paul. I have a rough time trying to figure out a problem over the
> > land line with someone who can hardly find the start button! Sounds to
me
> > like something else is causing his disconnection problem. I suggested he
> > dump AOL, but you know how that goes.... At least he'll be relieved to
> know
> > he's not infected. I sent him links to Kaspersky, Tauscan and Zone Labs.
I
> > have a feeling he'll need those utilities. We've discussed his internet
> > habits, however unfortunately he's reluctant to give up his chat room
> > picture trading and ICQ addiction. Cheers!
> >
> <snip>
>
> Going slightly off topic here, but anyway, I too have been getting
> infrequent disconnections from my ISP. What solved the problem in the end
> was the following:-
>
> 1. Get the Phone Company to increase the "Gain" or amplification on the
> line. Sometimes if your line is a bit noisey increasing the gain on the
line
> can filter out the noise and hopefully you would be able to get a better
and
> faster connection with fewer disconnections.
>
> 2. Try and get the modem as close to the main phone connection as possible
> or replace the extension cord.
>
> 3. If you can, get him to find out if he has the latest modem drivers
> installed. New and updated drivers will help.
>
> --
> Paul.
>
>
SkinsFan
Paul wrote:
>
> "Dr." <if i told you, i'd have to.....@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
> news:Xa4u305y...@colossus.SMG...
> > Ahmad,
> >
> > Thanks for the reply. The person with the problem is actually a neighbor
> of
> > my brother, and is very new to computers, and unfortunately not within
> > driving distance. He is using Win 95 and AOL. AOL tech support told him it
> > was a virus after spotting load=ptsnoop.exe in win.ini, and that NAV would
> > remove it. NAV did not detect it. He thinks the virus(?) is causing AOL to
> > lose connection almost immediately after signing on. After removing all
> > traces of ptsnoop.exe nothing has changed. He has no idea what modem he
> has,
> > bought the computer used, and has no driver disks. AOL tech support hasn't
> > been able to solve his problem. I think the best thing for him to do now
> is
> > take it to the doctor!
> >
> <snip>
>
> ROFL! Thats incredible. AOL Support would need to go on a training course.
>
> I posted a message a while back in grc.techtalk and in here explaining what
> ptsnoop.exe was. Its just a program that keeps an eye on the modem port
> waiting for it to be intialized. As far as I can remember PC-Tel's modem
> drivers are too big to fit in the memory all at once so a bit of it is
> loaded using ptsnoop.exe then once the modem is activated the rest of the
> drivers are loaded. The truth is ptsnoop.exe is a bit of a resource eater
> and windows can easily call on other system resources when it wants the
> modem drivers.
>
> --
> Paul.
SkinsFan
NOT spyware, nor a Trojan. I too had this program on my computer and
safely renamed the program, then deleted it after I saw no ill effects.
It may indeed be necessary to have the file IF he intends to use the
Voice features of the modem, but otherwise is unnecessary.
I would highly suggest following the steps I listed above, that is,
renaming the file first to something like "PTS.OLD" and making sure that
the modem still operates properly. If it does, then the file can
*probably* be safely deleted.
**Any suggestions given above are for information purposes only. Any
damage resultant from taking any of these steps is purely the
responsibility of the parties who enact them.
"Dr." wrote:
>
> Can anyone tell me the possible exploits of ptsnoop.exe? This was removed
> from the Win folder, Win.ini, and registry of an acquaintance. Web search
> results seem to vary on this one. TIA
i told you, i'd have to.....@nospam.nospam Dr.
10-4 on the AOL tech support. He thought his modem problem was related to
ptsnoop.exe, which AOL informed him was a virus. Seems like AOL loves to
blame connection problems on anything besides their software and overcrowded
servers. I found out today that he has a cheap 33.6 modem. I suggested he
get a U.S. Robotics. A few years back, before I had cable, I was using a
NewCom 33.6 modem. I had severe disconnection problems which disappeared
entirely after I installed the U.S. Robotics. Hopefully this solves his
problem.
Thanks for the additional info on ptsnoop. Some resources on the web stated
the same info you provided, while others stated it was malware. This group
is great for getting accurate answers, and I thank you all!
"SkinsFan" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:3AE433B9...@nospam.com...
Biaz
(including myself) I know of 4 different folk at totally different
times who had the PWSteal Trojan 'attached' to that file. Been so
long ago I don't even remember if my old NAV caught it or a demo of
The Cleaner did. And none of us had ever shared any files/disks,
nor did it cause (that I could tell) any modem/connection problems,
so go figure. However, it'd be about on par for AOL techs to think
a trojan was a virus. Just thankful my wonderful wife doesn't want
AOL anymore. :-)
biaz
"Dr." <if i told you, i'd have to.....@nospam.nospam> wrote in
message news:xgx#uJDzA...@colossus.SMG...
> SkinsFan,
>
> 10-4 on the AOL tech support. He thought his modem problem was
related to
> ptsnoop.exe, which AOL informed him was a virus. Seems like AOL
loves to
> blame connection problems on anything besides their software and
overcrowded
> servers. <snip>
i told you, i'd have to.....@nospam.nospam Dr.
greatest thing since sliced bread. It didn't take too long to grow out of it
though. For a newbee, it was simple to use and flashy (and the software was
included with my first modem when I bought it). Between all the advertizing
and readily available software, AOL looked like a good proposition at the
time. ...And then I was introduced to IE and Cable. AOL was promptly sent to
the Recycle Bin, along with all the connection problems, busy signals and
generally lousy tech support. My wife no longer being able to play "Slingo"
is the only drawback we have encountered.
Geez...I have a tendency to drone on endlessly, and I apologize. I'll have
him look for PWSteal. He should have been able to download and run Tauscan
by now. Replacing his junk modem got him up and running again. I've also
sent him a few 'Net security links. Hopefully he learns to change his
chat/download habits.
And thank you, Biaz, for the warning regarding the PWSteal Trojan.
"Biaz" <bia...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:XrKzXVEz...@colossus.SMG...
i told you, i'd have to.....@nospam.nospam Dr.
greatest thing since sliced bread. It didn't take too long to grow out of it
though. For a newbee, it was simple to use and flashy (and the software was
included with my first modem when I bought it). Between all the advertizing
and readily available software, AOL looked like a good proposition at the
time. ...And then I was introduced to IE and Cable. AOL was promptly sent to
the Recycle Bin, along with all the connection problems, busy signals and
generally lousy tech support. My wife no longer being able to play "Slingo"
is the only drawback we have encountered.
Geez...I have a tendency to drone on endlessly, and I apologize. I'll have
him look for PWSteal. He should have been able to download and run Tauscan
by now. Replacing his junk modem got him up and running again. I've also
sent him a few 'Net security links. Hopefully he learns to change his
chat/download habits.
And thank you, Biaz, for the warning regarding the PWSteal Trojan.
"Biaz" <bia...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:XrKzXVEz...@colossus.SMG...