Current AutoPatcher XP Information and Download

[Grayeyes]

Torrent is even slower, I generally find.

[FlishFun Veteran]

Torrent is even slower, I generally find.

All depends if you have more leechers than seeders. (Y) If you get enough people helping to seed, then Torrent can fly.

[Grayeyes]

0KB/sec. Really flying.

So, let's see, I can't download the full version at all because the one site that lets me connect to it disconnects every 5 minutes, and the "Update" is useless because, well, because there are no instructions for using it and when I ask, no one answers the question.

When I first used the February Autopatcher, I thought it was a great idea. I guess no idea is ever as good as it first appears.

[Grayeyes]

Well, I *finally* was able to download the FULL March Autopatcher, and I'm installing the updates as I type this. Still would like to know how in heck to use the "Update" release correctly, though, to avoid having to download 250 MB every blasted time the thing is updated.

[FlishFun Veteran]

0KB/sec. Really flying.

So, let's see, I can't download the full version at all because the one site that lets me connect to it disconnects every 5 minutes, and the "Update" is useless because, well, because there are no instructions for using it and when I ask, no one answers the question.

When I first used the February Autopatcher, I thought it was a great idea. I guess no idea is ever as good as it first appears.

I appologize if your question was missed. Here's the steps to update from one version to the next:

Step 1. Extract out the Full Previous Month's Proggy on your Hard Drive.

Step 2. Extract out this Month's Update file on your Hard Drive.

Step 3. Run "Update.exe"

Step 4. Browse to your previous month's "AutoPatcher.exe" file.

Step 5. Let it update.

Step 6. Run the "AutoPatcher.exe" file in your previous month's install. It will now be the current month's program.

(Y)

[Grayeyes]

FlishFun,

That's what I did, sort of - I copied the files from the Full February release to my hard drive, and ran the Update, and told it the location of the Feb. AutoPatcher.exe. When I ran the "updated" AutoPatcher.exe, it said the database had been corrupted, and wouldn't run at all.

[Grayeyes]

Now I remember why I DIDN'T like AutoPatcher. This thing, when I finally got it installed, installed a TON of spyware, and even six items that Norton classifies as a virus. Neowin should be ashamed to sponsor such CRAP!

[bloke]

Now I remember why I DIDN'T like AutoPatcher. This thing, when I finally got it installed, installed a TON of spyware, and even six items that Norton classifies as a virus. Neowin should be ashamed to sponsor such CRAP!

I think you summed it all up a few posts back mate :rolleyes:

Okay, I'm obviously stupid...

[kbar]

Now I remember why I DIDN'T like AutoPatcher. This thing, when I finally got it installed, installed a TON of spyware, and even six items that Norton classifies as a virus. Neowin should be ashamed to sponsor such CRAP!

If stupidity hurt , you'd be in bloody agony. :pc:

[xplatinum]

Now I remember why I DIDN'T like AutoPatcher. This thing, when I finally got it installed, installed a TON of spyware, and even six items that Norton classifies as a virus. Neowin should be ashamed to sponsor such CRAP!

lol you sure are an idiot making false accusations like that.

Isn't it surprising that you're the only one ever to have complained about spyware and viruses in the Autopatcher ?

[Grayeyes]

Actually, I'm not the only one, but I think I found where the spyware came from -the "Bonus" add-ons that are available from the Autopatcher install program. For example, the program that synchronizes your system clock contains spyware according to AdAware. Norton detected the spyware as a threat (thus, a virus, even though it's not a virus technically). Since it was installed as part of Autopatcher... :wacko:

Oh, and my home page also mysteriously changed RIGHT AFTER installing Autopatcher... to point to a search/spyware site. :cry:

I am now trying an install WITHOUT those add-on "bonus" utilities, on a fresh install of XP Home, SP1a, that was virus-free before I began the installation. If it works, well, then it's the bonus stuff, not Autopatcher itself. :alien:

ETA: Okay, After installing Autopatcher on a clean system, I have a Lycos Sidesearch on my Internet Explorer, that I DID NOT tell it I wanted. I'm running NAV right now, and so far it says it's found 3 threats. My homepage got changed to http://default-homepage-network.com/start.cgi?new-hkcu (this is easy enough to change, but it's annoying). When NAV is done, I'm going to run SpyBot and AdAware, and I suspect they'll find stuff. If Autopatcher isn't responsible for it, someone explain how it went from not being there before Autopatcher was run, to being there after it was run.

:ninja:

Edited April 18, 2004 by Grayeyes

[OptiPlex]

You went to the Neowin main page before coming here right?

Perhaps one of the ads installed the spyware and trojan/virus on your machine. It's been reported to do that.

[Grayeyes]

Actually, No, I DIDN'T go to the Neowin main page before coming here - I've got this thread bookmarked, and I save my bookmarks to CD between reformats.

Not that that's relevant, since I hadn't gone to Neowin at the time I installed and ran Autopatcher! But, thanks for the vote of confidence about this website installing spyware all by itself without my permission. :angry:

[eithyia]

ETA: Okay, After installing Autopatcher on a clean system, I have a Lycos Sidesearch on my Internet Explorer, that I DID NOT tell it I wanted.  I'm running NAV right now, and so far it says it's found 3 threats.  My homepage got changed to http://default-homepage-network.com/start.cgi?new-hkcu (this is easy enough to change, but it's annoying).  When NAV is done, I'm going to run SpyBot and AdAware, and I suspect they'll find stuff.  If Autopatcher isn't responsible for it, someone explain how it went from not being there before Autopatcher was run, to being there after it was run.

:ninja:

I have similar troubles with this month and last month's AutoPatcher.

Something major changed in the February version - because no matter what I check/uncheck, AutoPatcher installs EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, it makes AutoPatcher totally useless now, because I don't want anything close to everything. I've downgraded to the January version + using Windows Update for the rest.

[maxweb]

I think the links are all down :s

[Grayeyes]

It didn't install EVERYTHING.. just a bunch of stuff that I didn't want it to, like the search bar crap. Why is that stuff included in AutoPatcher, anyway? It's NOT an update/patch to Windows! :angry:

I thought I'd gotten rid of all of the crap with AdAware scans, but when I ran AdAware this morning, it found 279 malicious objects. Got it down to 4 with the first scan and the SearchBar that I didn't want is now gone. Ran AdAware again and it got rid of the 4 remaining objects.

I can't speak for AutoPatcher pre-February. Maybe they needed money, so they sold themselves out, like Stardock's Wincustomize.com has done lately - including spyware attached to legitimate downloads, with no way to obtain the legit stuff without getting the spyware. :(

In any case, I *think* I finally got rid of the extra stuff I didn't want it to install. Of course, somewhere along here I also got a message that there were updates to Windows ready to install. Let's see, run Autopatcher, and system is out of date afterwords. :woot:

[FlishFun Veteran]

Whoa whoa whoa. Hold the phone. First of all, we didn't "Sell Out". Second of all, nothing in the AutoPatcher will install those programs of which you speak. I had 10 different testers test 5+ Betas before shipping this out. No one had this issue. I promise you, whatever is happening, it isn't AutoPatcher related.

As far as the new updates, they came out a couple of days after the current version of the AutoPatcher was released. I do apologize for not being able to see into the future and put the release on hold for them. :p

[Grayeyes]

I can understand not being able to predict the future. :p

I just did a search of the AutoPatcher files in the March Update, for the word "Lycos", and found .reg files that seem to install these toolbars (the ones you say aren't installed by AutoPatcher). :alien:

[FlishFun Veteran]

I can understand not being able to predict the future.  :p

I just did a search of the AutoPatcher files in the March Update, for the word "Lycos", and found .reg files that seem to install these toolbars (the ones you say aren't installed by AutoPatcher).  :alien:

Which ones? :s

EDIT - I just searched myself. The only one that comes up is: "ie-ads.reg" and the key is telling it to block certain Lycos sites. I find no others. :/

[Grayeyes]

It's very, very strange - almost like it did exactly the opposite of what it was supposed to do.

Except, I didn't select to install IE-Ads, since I prefer to use AdAware for that sort of thing.

I also just found these files in the root of my C drive:

setup304.exe

SaveInstCsSm.exe

install_george.exe

incredifind.exe

ESB.exe

Going to search USENet to see what these things do, now, and delete them if they do nasty stuff like I suspect they might.

[cpugeniusmv]

none of those come with autopatcher, and i can tell you that most of them are malicious.

[Grayeyes]

This is just getting very, very strange.

Maybe the Autopatcher file I downloaded wasn't a clean release.

FlishFun: I don't have the file I downloaded any longer since I cut the extracted files to CD. Is it possible to run a CRC check on the extracted files, to confirm they are legit? I know it's possible with the downloaded archive.

I think I'll... yet again... install XP, and this time, install AutoPatcher before I do ANYTHING else. My onboard NIC requires drivers that don't come with XP so I don't have Internet connectivity when I first install XP. So, nothing should be able to install itself before AutoPatcher runs. I'll followup in about 30 minutes.

[Grayeyes]

Well, this just keeps getting stranger alright.

Reinstalled XP. Ran AutoPatcher March Update - had NO Internet access at the time, so nothing could have been downloaded without my knowledge (no NIC drivers installed). When I got done updating with AutoPatcher, I installed AdAware and SpyBot, and both found Alexa installed. Although, my home page wasn't changed because I didn't have one set yet, and the malicious files noted earlier aren't present now.

[FlishFun Veteran]

Hate to be the one to tell ya this, Greyeyes, but you have somethin' bad on your system, and it's not AutoPatcher. :s

[Grayeyes]

When there is nothing present prior to running Autopatcher, and something present (Alexa) after running Autopatcher, what put it there? :rolleyes:

Fortunately, AdAware is very good at removing Alexa. But AutoPatcher DID install it, and I did NOT tell it to.