Dialler scam
Every time I start my home PC I have one unwanted adult icon in the Start menu and three others on the Task Bar. I remove them (right-click, delete) but they reappear when I restart. Last month I was billed £60 for this unknown number. Mr Scott
Jack Schofield replies: The oft-mentioned Spybot Search & Destroy and Lavasoft's Ad-aware will often remove diallers, so try these first. If not, try to remove it manually. Right-click and Delete only removes the icon, not the program. Instead, right-click the icon and select Properties. The Target section tells you the location of the program, such as C:\Program Files\Dialler\scam.exe or whatever. Make a note of the name and use Windows Explorer to find and delete the program.
Also, go to the Registry (select Start|Run and type regedit in the box), search for the program's name, and remove its registry entries. Windows will not allow you to remove a program's files while it is running, so you may need to stop it first. You can do this using the Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del) or try a utility such as EndItAll2, a free download. Finally, run CleanUp (Start|Programs|Acessories| System Tools|Disk Cleanup) to remove temporary files, reboot your PC, and go to Windows Update to install any critical security updates you have missed.
If the dialler is calling a UK premium rate number, complain to ICSTIS at www.icstis.org.uk and ask BT for a refund. You can also have premium rate numbers barred. Unfortunately, many diallers use numbers supplied by small, remote countries. BT call barring to premium rate services is free (quote Section 1, Part 18 of the price list), but "call barring to international & premium rate service calls by administrative control" costs residential customers £4.50 a quarter. However, BT would save everyone a lot of aggravation if it disconnected these dialler numbers for everyone.
Just words
I am a journalist seeking a cheap new laptop. I want one with Word, a port for a printer, and email and internet access - with no CD-Rom, no media-player, no scanner facility, no games and no other accessories that never get used. Is such a computer available? Carlos Quinn
JS: There have been dozens of attempts to provide simple systems, going right back to the Tandy 100 in 1983, but not many people buy them. The best attempt was, I think, the original Psion NetBook - a supersized version of the Psion Series 5 - which was fine for word processing though it did not run Word. You might get a cheap one secondhand. The current Psion NetBook Pro is also good and runs Microsoft Windows CE and Pocket Word, but it is expensive. A Windows machine will run Word and Office but is likely to be heavier and will not offer the same battery life.
The JVC Mini Note (0.9kg) might be worth considering, but again, it is far from cheap. The IBM ThinkPad 240X or 240Z (1.5kg) might be a good option - I have just retired one - but the screen is small by today's standards. It has been obsolete for years, but Shyamtronics has been selling the leftovers on the Tottenham Court Road (try haggling), and they go for very little on eBay.
Virus hunt
As a full Kaspersky AV user, I thought myself pretty well immune from virus attack. However, yesterday my ISP sent me a rather annoyed note to say that the Netsky on my PC was spoiling its service, and would I use a McAfee's Stinger to remove it please. The Stinger duly stung, three times. I am bemused. What was the great Kaspersky doing about a well-known problem? James Guest
JS: Well done, NTL. Viruses often try to disable anti-virus programs, and any system can be infected due to human or software errors, such as failed updates. That's why it's a good idea to run weekly checks online at, for example, Trend Micro's Housecall, Symantec or eTrust at www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virusscan.aspx, and also to check the Windows Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Del) to see what processes are running. Stinger is very good but only tackles a limited range of common viruses. You can download it from http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger.
Backchat
· Last week, Mr Mira asked about smart pasting: I suggested writing a Word macro. Richard Rees Jones says that in Word 2002 and later versions, a "smart tag" lets you match the formatting with the destination document.
· Hersh Mann reports that the problem he had with symproxysvc. exe could be solved by disabling privacy in Norton Personal Firewall 2002. See www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,10386208.
· A reader asked about parental control software. Alex comments: "This is not a software issue. Any child who is known to view porn sites and install malware needs better supervision."
