Windows 10: Is someone taking screen shots of my computer?

I can't enlarge the picture to see it, so I can't tell.
I wouldn't delete the the Viewpoint stuff through ADWCleaner until after I've uninstalled it properly through Program and Features.

You can keep your AOL email address, just access your email using a normal browser. I think if you uninstall the AOL browser, most of the junk will go along with it, but then you'd want to run ADWCleaner to get rid of the leftovers.

At any rate, the SearchScopes stuff has to go - only those 2 boxes should be checked in ADWCleaner.

 

All you do is open a normal browser and navigate to

Code: https://mail.aol.com/[/quote] AOL.com - Welcome to AOL
There you can login to your account.
You don't need the AOL browser - it's just spyware and garbage.

 

simrick, so you are saying I cold use Google Chrome to go to Aol and login see my email AND surf and do my favorite places OR juat uae for email???

AOL lets you store 2500 favorite places. If I can't use them anymore how would I transfer them and to where?? I have over 1000 favorite places.

I do have our cable account EMAIL I could use... It is just that I would have to change my email address with all my friends , family, AND the ever important ONLINE credit cards and places I shop.
So is there any place that has a good mail system, favorite places AND browser in one place??? Please let me know what you all recommend.

Not making any big changes for now...

 

You can use a normal browser, access your email, import your AOL favorites, and do all your online stuff in a normal browser and get rid of AOL browser completely.
3 Ways to Transfer AOL Favorites - wikiHow
.

See link above.

Please pick a browser - FireFox comes to mind.
Import your AOL favorites to it.
Use it to access your AOL email, your favorites and all other browsing.
That's all you need.

 

Here are instructions for exporting from AOL Browser and importing into FireFox.
Importing AOL Favorite Places to Bookmarks mozillaZine Forums

.

• Save your AOL favorites. In your AOL interface, go to Favorites > Favorite Places > Save/Replace. This will save your AOL favorites to a .pfc file. Remember where you saved this.
• Go to LinkaGoGo. Make sure that the input is AOL PFC and the output is Netscape/Mozilla/Firefox.
• Click the "Browse" button and find the .pfc file you saved earlier.
• Click on the "Convert" button. You should be prompted to save the bookmarks.html file. Remember where you saved this, as well.
• Open Firefox's Bookmark Manager (Bookmarks > Manage Bookmarks)
• From the File menu, choose Import. Then find the bookmarks file you just saved.

You can get FireFox here:
Download Firefox — Free Web Browser — Mozilla

.

 

@purplelover

Eileen, everything simrick has said is very doable, correct and a good course of action for you.

Let me try to explain and help in a non-technical way.....

Let's separate how you get to the Internet with what you're going to do when you get there.

You have a computer (your house).
You have a browser (your car).
You want to go shopping (go to the Mall, food store, bank, Post Office).

You grab your keys, walk out of the house, get in the car and start it (run the browser).
You look at the maps and directions on a sticky note stuck to your mirror (favorites names and addresses).
You pick one and tell the car (browser) to take you there (it knows where it is).

You do your shopping, banking, get some milk and bread, mail some bills and pick up the new mail, then go back home (close the browser).

3 separate things. Your computer, your browser, your favorites/places/things to do.

Your HP Envy, Firefox/Chrome/Edge browser, your favorites/places/things to do.


You don't have to give up your AOL mail account and favorites. You can drop them as a browser and still have all you have now (without any AOL software directly installed on your computer).

I have a Dell computer, use Firefox and Chrome, and E-Mail accounts with Gmail, Hotmail, and my ISP Verizon. All accessed just the way I described.

In your mind, keep them separate, because they are.

TC

 

tomcat... I get it! I get it! I just needed it dumbed down a bit. Thanks!

Had to make an unexpected trip to the hospital today, I will be down a few days but will get this Viewpoint and Aol mess taken care of thanks to you and simrick and everyone else that has helped me. So greatful for EVERYONE'S patience!

Eileen​

 

Good luck, Eileen. Take your time and get as healthy as possible before you dive in. You'll be able to concentrate better. *Smile

 

I have a small command prompt screen that flashes on the taskbar when starting my browser, I am not sure what it means, but I see no questions or error messages. I see you said it flashes, ok where is at on the screen?

 

simrick and tomcat,

feeling some better. I ran ADWCleaner tonight and expanded the registery. Low and behold there were 2 viewpoint files and one viewpoint files in the folders. I deleted everything but those 3 files I checked. Ran cleaner and the report said

[!] Folder not deleted: C:\ProgramData\Viewpoint

[!] Folder not deleted: C:\ProgramData\Application Data\Viewpoint

Why didn't it delete them? I am still getting the screenshots...

 

Eileen, somewhere in the posts above, either Simrick or TC explained how to get rid of View Point permanently. I'll go looking for it.

 

OK, I found it:

AOL's Forced Installation of Viewpoint Spyware CAN Be Prevented - Thoughts, Rants & Raves, and Useful Info

Here's the text; note the red font toward the end of the article:

AOL's Forced Installation of Viewpoint Spyware CAN Be Prevented

As computing.net has reported: "Both AOL's internet software and the AOL Instant Messenger program (AIM) are force installing unwanted software called Viewpoint Media Player on people's computers." http://www.computing.net/security/wwwboard/forum/9665.html


Antispyware programs like Xoftspy, PestPatrol, Spysweeper, Spyware Doctor and Spybot can detect and remove Viewpoint, however AOL reinstalls it EVERY TIME you open AOL if it's found missing!


AOL has incorporated Viewpoint into it's AIM and Superbuddy features, and considers it integral to AOL "functioning properly". Therefore, even if your antispyware is able to detect and remove all vestages of Viewpoint, AOL will reinstall it the very next time you log on!
According to Paretologic, makers of Xoftspy antispyware software, Viewpoint is not only spyware, but it can slow your system down due to it's hogging of processor cycles and memory.


http://labs.paretologic.com/spyware....oint%20Toolbar "Viewpoint tracks user information, installs without notice, uses immense system resources."


AOL DOES have a way to prevent this, though; but they are SURE keeping it a secret. In fact, the process CAN'T be found unless you know about it! Hence the reason for this article! EVERY AOL user should know about this.


Open AOL and go to "help" on the toolbar. Select "About AOL". Next is the SECRET STEP. You must then press "CTRL+D" to access a "secret" panel to disable all of the desktop and IM fancy features that are associated with viewpoint. This is the only way to prevent AOL from re-installing Viewpoint at AOL startup.


Most users will find their system performance improves once they have removed viewpoint.



Related Reading: http://www.spywaredaily.com/2005/03/spyware.html What is spyware?

 

Wynona,


Open AOL and go to "help" on the toolbar. Select "About AOL". Next is the SECRET STEP. You must then press "CTRL+D" to access a "secret" panel to disable all of the desktop and IM fancy features that are associated with viewpoint. This is the only way to prevent AOL from re-installing Viewpoint at AOL startup.

I did that already. It worked for a few hours and when I opened it the next a.m. It started right back up again. It flashes offline too.

I called AOL yesterday. I told the gal that if she could not hep me I expected her to tell me and put a supervisor on. She never heard of Viewpoint. But had to find out what it was, I sent her the page link you sent me. Those tech' s over there are really drinking the Koolaid. She says the article is not from anyone at AOL. I was not on AOL when I read it. Like if you didn't see it on AOL it couldn't possibly be true.
She told me my AOL IM was shut off. She said I did not have an AOL Virus protection , I would need to download McAfee and it would find anything wrong. So she downloaded it, ran the quick scan and found nothing. She said I needed to run the full scan next. I told her I would and got off the phone. I ran it.....nothing.

Sure wish I knew why the ADWCleaner did not remove those Viewpoint files. I could get used to the constant snapping of screen shots BUT several times they have snapped when I was paying for something at Paypal or on my credit card copying my credit numbers and info. It also clicks when have my favorite places open and email info exposed. How can this be legal???? They do not even have my permission. Is there a website or email I could complain and get them to remove it???

Thanks again. Eileen

The link was from 2004 surely you would think someone had figured this out by now.

 

Eileen, have you given any more thought to using a different browser and just AOL for your email? Like we discussed before?

 

tomcat

At this point I am done with Aol. Will use Chrome for my browser and another mail program IF I can get my address book and favorite places transferred there. Linkagogo doesn't list Chrome.

Have a link???