Other programs with Immunization?

[gopackgo]

What are some other programs with Immunization? I already have S&D (obviously), Advanced WindowsCare, SpywareBlaster, and Spyware Terminator. Are there anymore free programs that have Immunization in them? Also, on my XP, in my cookies to block in IE7, it goes up to ones that start with 'c' and that is it, is there a limit to what can be shown in that window?

[md usa spybot fan]

Immunization type add-ons:

There are Hosts file add-ons such as MVPS Hosts and hpHosts:

• Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts File
  http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
• hpHosts Online - Simple, Searchable & Authorized!
  http://hosts-file.net/

There are Restricted Sites add-ons such IE-SPYAD:

• resources Ad Blocking Resources
  http://www.spywarewarrior.com/uiuc/resource.htm

Cookies:

To the best of my knowledge there is no restriction on the number of cookies that can be displayed in IE 7. I don't know why your list should end with sites starting with "C".

[jeeprad]

Hi Gopackgo,

I have a significantly different system from you, with a few of the same applications, and the same stunted IE cookie list.

Same: Spybot S&D 1.5.1.19, Spyware Blaster, Advanced WindowsCare. (Note Advanced Windows Care *just* updated to v2.6, but that's irrelevant.)

All of the above immunizations are current with no immunization failures.

Real-time protection differences:
You have Spyware Terminator, I don't.
I use Avast 4 Home Edition AV, Comodo Firewall Pro v2.4, and Comodo BOClean.

You: Win XP, IE7
Me: Win2K Pro SP4, IE6 (all patches and updates current.)

Me: On-demand: Superantispyware, A-Squared Free,
Spyware Doctor Starter Edition (with real-time disabled.)

I use Firefox as my primary browser (v2.0.0.11) and my Firefox list of blocked cookies goes the whole way to zedo.com.

Last entry on my IE6 restricted cookie list is colorfulcollarcompany.com

Since I only rarely use IE, it never occurred to me to look there until I saw your question. And even though it doesn't really affect me (as I don't use IE anyhow), I can't imagine this situation is so rare as to only be you and me. Perhaps with two of us noting this, maybe more people will check their IE and find the same thing and have an idea how to fix it.

[md usa spybot fan]

gopackgo:
jeeprad:

As of the 2008-01-16 updates Spybot blocks the cookies from 182 sites. As of the 2008-01-10 updates SpywareBlaster blocks the cookies from 209 sites. The two programs together block 352 sites. Assuming that you were able to fully immunize, if you don't have at least 352 sites listed I would suspect that there is a problem with the registry.

I suggest that you take a look at the following registry keys and their sub-keys and see if there is an apparent problem:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\P3P\History]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\P3P\History]

[jeeprad]

Hi md USA spybot fan.

Thanks for taking an interest. I did check those keys and sub-keys as you suggested. I found that they both have entries from A to Z, with the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE having about 370 entries, and HKEY_CURRENT_USER having significantly more, well into the 3000 entry area. So in my way of thinking, if there is a problem, it doesn't appear to be there.

You can feel free to drop this on my behalf if gopackgo isn't following it any further; but as I said I appreciate the interest that you took. I'll keep an eye on this thread for a reply, but since I rarely use IE anyhow, it's really not that important to me. But still, it would be nice to get it sorted out...

[md usa spybot fan]

jeeprad:

The only thing I suggest is not to necessarily look at the quantity of entries but to look at the entries around the last entry that is displayed when you access the list via IE > Tools > Internet options.

There was an incident in March 2005 were Spybot's immunization added an invalid entry which caused the truncation of the cookie site list when viewed through Internet options.

[jeeprad]

Hi again md USA spybot fan.

As I said in my initial reply to 'gopackgo', the last entry displayed in my IE6 when I access the list via IE > Tools > Internet options is colorfulcollarcompany.com , confirming what the original asker, 'gopackgo' said about his IE7 list stopping with the letter 'c'.

I got this computer used in March of '07 and it had been freshly formatted at that time, so the only versions of Spybot ever on this rig have been whatever version was new in March of '07 and all updates since. Is there any way that the "incident" of March, '05 that you mentioned got re-introduced at some point since?

I think what I'm going to do now is "remove all" from my managed web sites and then reset my Spyware Blaster, Advanced WindowsCare and Spybot, checking the list in between and resetting Spybot last. I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks again for the interest.

[md usa spybot fan]

jeeprad:

I'm sorry. I didn't really mean to infer that fact that Internet Explorer doesn't display all the entries in the following registry key was because of an incident that occurred with Spybot's immunization in March 2005:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\P3P\History]

I was trying to suggest that the truncation of the entries when displayed via Internet Explorer may be caused by an invalid entry somewhere within that registry key.

_______________

In March 2005, I discovered an invalid entry being placed in that registry key by Spybot's immunization facility. I wrote up the problem (unfortunately on a defunct forum so that the exact details are no longer available). Someone else pointed out that invalid entry also caused the display of entries within Internet Explorer (IE 6 at that time) to be truncated.

After the problem was analyzed, the next integrated update included a BAT job that reversed the affects (removed) of that invalid entry.

I will restate: In my experience, the display of blocked cookies within Internet Explorer has always reflected what is in the registry, without limitation for the quantity, except when there was an invalid entry within that registry key. In that particular case that I am citing the invalid registry entry was:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\P3P\History\//]

[Lupatrian]

This is a FYI: I couldn't get my Firefox items to immunize, UNTIL I disabled Zone Alarm Firewall.

[jeeprad]

Lupatrian,
Firefox immunization was never a problem in this case; it was strictly an IE immunization issue. Since the original person in this thread and I had a similar problem with very un-similar systems, it made sense that the problem stemmed from something that both of our systems had in common; Spybot S&D, SpywareBlaster, or Advanced WindowsCare.

Md USA Spybot fan,
I believe I've found the problem and it seems to be Advanced WindowsCare's immunization feature, "Security Defense." When starting with an empty list of IE6 'Managed Web Sites' by clicking the 'remove all' button, it doesn't matter what order you activate the SpywareBlaster, Spybot or Advanced WindowsCare immunization features; as soon as you activate the Advanced WindowsCare "Security Defense," the IE list gets truncated at letter "c".
If you install/activate AWC's "Security Defense" first, the IE list only goes to colorfulcollarcompany.com. If you activate either Spybot or SpywareBlaster first and then check the list, the list is full. If you activate both Spybot and SpywareBlaster first and check the list, the list is full. But in all cases as soon as you add AWC 's immunization, the list immediately gets truncated.

So if gopackgo reads this and wants to have full IE immunization and still keep AWC, he's going to have to deactivate AWC's "Security Defense" feature, empty the IE list, and re-immunize it with Spybot and SpywareBlaster. That's what I've done.

BTW, I tried several months ago to get some advice from Iobit, (the makers of Advanced WindowsCare,) on a different matter, but it was futile. After a cycle of about six canned replies from them I just gave up. So I'm not going to bother trying to bring this to their attention.

But at least it's figured out now and you can be happy knowing it wasn't Spybot's fault.