WARNING: Don't visit Crownman's website!!! Unless you want serious computer problems.

1jester

I visited your site, Crownman.

www.zarmunte.virafrikaans.com

And I'd like to report that my computer was immediately infected with various programs/viruses. I now am having many problems with my computer, including various pornography pop-ups which won't go away. I've tried erasing all my cookies, but that won't work. I will have to get my hard drive cleaned and hope I don't lose anything. My computer has also crashed twice due to visiting your website that one time. Lest you think the problems are due to something else, I must add that your website is the ONLY one I've visited since I made contact with you, besides this website.

Thanks a lot, GOOD FRIEND. Also, I think it's a bit ironic that on your website you claim that your "Rock" is "Jesus Christ". Well, I hope that is true. Now please warn others not to go to your website until you get your virus and pornography problems fixed! I must say that this leaves me far from pleased.




I recommend that everybody STAY AWAY from Crownman's website, and any other dealings with him, just as a precaution. I regret that I have to give this public warning, but just remember, Mr. Jaco van Tonder, AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.

ksteelheader

If I may ask, Who is this fellow and why did you visit his site?..
..............Ken

1jester

He is a new member and he invited all of us to visit his website. You can check it out on the Darkside (World and Ancient Coins Forum).

eagle7

Thank you for the information!

a2labmom

Thanks for the warning, jester. I sure hope you get your new found computer problems ironed out.

K6AZ

I went to the site, and nothing is there in the way of a script virus. It is heavy on the java, so if you have an older, slower computer that could have been the problem.

docday2003

but java shouldn't cause all sorts of pop-ups....

K6AZ

Javascript is what is used to create popups. I have my firewall set to prohibit popups, so I didn't see them.

1jester

Thanks for the support. In my past experience, I've never come across something quite like this. Normally, pop-ups disappear after you close them. In this case, however, a porn site popped up as soon as I'd typed in the URL, and that site repeatedly pops up during normal usage, and especially whenever I try to type in another website address, or whenever I boot up my computer. It has also caused my computer to crash twice, and freeze a few times. I run Windows ME, using a 1.5 year-old computer with a Celeron 750mh processor. I've never had anything like this.

I'm going to run some anti-virus software to see if that helps.

CarlWohlforth

I don't know Windows ME but I've seen some very annoying programs get placed in the startup folder. I assume ME also uses a startup folder. Just a thought...

1jester

I've got some good news to report. First of all, thanks to all for helping me diagnose the problem.

Airplanenut, among others, has sent me some sweeper programs and anti-spyware programs, and using them, I found 13 new files with the sweeper, and 49 new files with the anti-spyware program. One of those was an ALEXAS spyware-virus, which was labeled as "Possible Browser Hijack Attempt" which seems to fit perfectly with the symptoms my computer showed. I'd already used Microsoft to clean the cookies, so it was surprising to me that the anti-spyware program found so many files, most of which were attached to cookies.

Thanks again for the help!

Russ

<< <i>I run Windows ME >>



'nuff said.

Russ, NCNE

Dog97

1jester you've made a mistake!
That website does not download anything.
I even turned my firewall off (which is a dumb thing to do but I wanted to see) surfed the site, even looked at the 1897 ANACS Shilling. I ran spybot, adaware & internet cleanup afterward and was clean, the site doesn't even put a cookie on your computer.
If you have porn on your computer, well errr, ummm, you picked it up somewhere else.

1jester

Dog, thanks for the info. Perhaps I got the Cajun Virus??!

I just think it's amazing that my problems coincided exactly to the time I clicked on his URL. Now everybody is saying the site is clean. I suppose it's possible for a site to be dirty at some point, then clean at another. Programs can be uploaded, downloaded, saved, erased, etc. This happened about 2-3 days ago.

If Crownman's site was not the source, then I apologize.

I have only been to PCGS and his website in the past week. I never experienced any problems before, and I never visit porn sites, except kiddie-porn sites from a web cafe. Just joking, of course. I never visit porn sites, and almost never visit any other site than this one. Sometimes NGC site but rarely.

flaminio

Without commenting on the aforementioned website, if you suspect that your computer has a bunch of website inspired crapola on it, download and run one of these programs (or both) to clean it off:

SpyBot

Ad-aware

You will be shocked and awed by what you find.

ElectricEye

flaminio is right ~ download both and watch is shocknawe fashion

sinin1

1jester - maybe when you were not using your computer, someone else was

ANACONDA2

thanks for the info

MadMarty

Hey 1 Jester, if you were'nt surfing all of those porno sites late at night this wouldn't happen!!!!

Dog97

1jester
I know what you're saying. Probably the js conflicting with your puter. My old puter is 98 ME w/celeron 750 and that's nothing to be ashamed of. I would still be using it but it wasn't dsl compatable without buying a lot of adapters & converters.
Really you don't have to click on a porn site to get porn popoups. The browser hijacker you mentioned like alexa & gator will redirect your searches like for example if you search "bust halves" or "lusterous you may be directed to busty babes or lustful teens porn sites. They also plant time bombs which don't popup until hours or days later.
You need a firewall before you really get hijacked.

Adaware is pretty safe but if any of you use spybot don't just go and delete everything it locates because when you start messing with the registry & active x controls you'll be calling the 1-800-helpme tech line because you'll kill your puter.

66Tbird

Check your History file and see just what, when and where the sys was used. Plus I think Alexas is installed during the winblows install. Or mabye the IE updates, but it's always there when I do a clean install. Which then I promptly remove.

1jester

Thanks for all the tips, folks!

For the record, nobody else ever has access to the computer. Except for the cats, and they know it is a no-no territory. Besides, they aren't as evil-looking as ElectricEye's nice monster!