Track LimeWire via Registry...

PikKOn

PikKOn

PikKOn

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Joined
16 Aug 2005
Posts
263
Hi all, I would appreciate some help on the matter regardng the ever so popular sharing application among our teenagers. Apparently my Mum's close friend's child has experience a sudden slow down on his PC. I find this diffiult to take as having worked with PCs for most of my life now and built a couple sudden slow down in PCs don't simply occur spontaneously. This kid has installed LimeWire twice before and I have had to re-install Windows three times (twice due to LimeWire and once because he downloaded some porn desktop shortcut application). I had informed him and his parents that I won't go through the tiresome process of re-installing Windows if he installs this application again and was wondering what ways can I track LimeWire down besides the Registry?

I would really appreciate some help on the question in hand as well as possible ways of preventing this from occuring again. I could make an Administrative account on Windows which he does not have access to which prevents him from installing applications?

Thanks again, Pikkon.
 
if its not LimeWire it will be something else.

tell them to set up there account properly, i.e. make him unable to install software.

also he is obviously untrustworthy using a PC, so maybe some supervision my be in order, but that's for them to work out.
 
msconfig?

see what programs are set to run on sartup, then tern them off.

but if he is going to start downloading porn applications, they really really need to lock down his account. This is not hard to implement.
 
Can download Hijackthis from link in the top right corner.

The program doesn't get installed and it's a single exe in a zip file.

Run program and use top botton option to "Do a system scan and save log file". Leave program open and load logfile up on the same site to get a break down compared to a database of known nasties.

Not sure if it fixes issues or just removes entry from list, but using website compare list you can place ticks next to entries in the Hijackthis program and click "Fix Checked".

Might speed things up without having to spend hours using scanning software.
 
Thanks everyone I really appreciate the help. The idea of finding whether he has installed it is important to me as I want to show his parents that he continues to disobey my guidelines numerous times. I believe I will have to make it so that he won't be able to install anything at all. If his parents are compliant with that only then will I fix it.

Some kids believe they know everything about computers which is kind of annoying as they don't have to sit down and re-install Windows.

Thanks again everyone for your kind help.
 
PiKOn I sympathise with you mate though I have one piece of advice for you; charge them for your time. If it ends up costing the parents for there son's mistakes then they will act soon enough to stop him doing it again.

I've got a younger brother who acts just the same as the kid that you describe. I had to sort out his pc several times before I just locked down everything that I could do without stopping essential processes from working/updating.

At one point I almost admired his persistence at finding ways round some of the things that I had done. In the end though nobody won as I just formatted and locked it down further until he was left with nothing more than what I installed and setup.
 
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just do this simple solution.

if the PC is currently screwed.

fresh reinstall vista, mention this is the LAST time that i do this, i now recommend to prevent any other account art form admin, which only i will know the password on to install any applications.

the reason for this last bit, is although have is grate, its only as good as the weakest link, normally some fool leaving there account logged on.

yes windows password can be bypassed easily, but to do that requires some more effort. if something gets installed by the kid, you can show them what he did, and therefore how he can't be trusted to use a computer reasonably, therefore, PC goes in bin, or put a BIOS password on startup and only allow him on supervised!
 
Methinks a talk with the young man about his downloading habits is in order!

It's not LimeWire itself that's causing the problem, it's the stuff he's downloading from it :p Warn him that he risks losing PC privileges if he downloads any more crap.

(edit) And if you have the misfortune of having to reinstall Windows on it again, I'd take a disk image with Ghost or TrueImage as soon as it's installed. That way, restoring it in future will take ten minutes!
 
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This is a intresting subject and all i've managed to learn is how appaulingly little kids know/are taught about PC care and security
Taking a couple of weeks to sort it out does at least give them some time to dwell on their mistakes ;)

Trouble is generally they then get to screw the Family PC while using it under the pretence of essential homework !
 
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