P2P filesharing, kazaa, bearshare, imesh, et al...

[reboot]

On recommendation of a mod from another site, I tried iMesh.
WHAT A JOKE! OK, not really a joke at all, but what a mess.
It installs at least 4 different programs, including "Common Name, and "StopSign", all limited adware or demoware.
The first thing I noticed is that I no longer had an internet connection. Secondly, my desktop had new icons, new things in the taskbar, etc.
OK, I think, time to dump this POS...easier said than done.
Common Name's uninstall requires an internet connection...***?
Of course I had to get my internet back before I could do anything. Jump through hoops, and finally get it gone.
Now I've got StopSign, Gozilla, and a few other things to kill.
StopSign has a hidden uninstall. You need to browse the folder in explorer to find it, then it's one of those component things, where you can add or remove different stuff. Got it gone.
Gozilla you can't kill. It simply hibernates and comes back to haunt you when you least expect it, something like Bonzi.
Brwose through the add/remove list, and find 4 more things, with totally obscure names that I didn't know I had, uninstall all.
Run Trojan remover, found 1. Run AdAware, find 19 new components. Run EasyCleaner, find 133 new reg entries that don't belong.
Anyhow /rant on this one.
Bearshare...hidden spyware. Won't work through my router anyhow. Gone.
WinMX, same trouble. Gone.
Guess what folks? Back to Kazaa lite. It works, it doesn't peeve me off, it doesn't install loads of useless crap.

[Kubie]

reboot,

Can you give an idea what hidden spyware WinMX installs on the system?

Carl

[reboot]

Sure, if I want to install it and mess with it.
Give me half an hour, and I'll tell you.

[Kubie]

reboot,

The reason I ask is because I've had it for a few months and neither Adaware or Spybot finds anything.
If its hidden, they did a good job. As much as I like WinMX, I'll dump it in a second if it has spyware.
Carl

[reboot]

You're right. I can't find anything like that in it, but it still won't go through my router/firewall without me opening a port.
Kazaa will use Port 80 (browser) or port 21 (FTP) if it can't find any other open ports, so no extra configuration is needed.

[audiyoda]

WinMX and Kazaa Lite are the only two decent P2P clients left. There are a fw others that don't have spyware/adware/demoware, but not many. I always try and check www.zeropaid.com overy now and again to see if anything new is around, but usually there isn't.

But I'll agree with Reboot -- Kazaa Lite is a no-brainer for setup -- if you want to get the absolute most out of WinMX you've got to set up a primary connection (most people will use a secondary connection) which can be a major hassle with a router and/or a firewall.

-Craig

[Kubie]

audiyoda,
I use the secondary connection and the d/l speeds aren't bad. I specify cable or better.
BUT, if KazaaLite doesn't have spyware, I may look into it.
On the other hand, I don't d'l music very often either.
Carl

[Tuf]

I keep hearing about a program called Shareaza. It is supposed to be clean as well.

[audiyoda]

Tuf,

You mean this Shareaza?

-Craig

[Tuf]

I'll bet that's it. Everyone I have heard talk about it likes it except I think you may have to configure it if you are using a router. Shouldn't be to hard I wouldn't think.

[reboot]

OK, just tried Shareaza, and XoloX.
Shareaza won't connect unless I open ports on the router.
XoloX had no trouble connecting, but it's dreadfully slow.
Setup is easy enough with both, but you must read all the stuff, otherwise you end up with crap.
Neither have as many features as kazaalite.
XoloX puts a big flash enabled window on your screen, full of ads, that you can't get rid of.
Shareaza's uninstall seems to work, but leaves the folder and the uninstall executable behind.
Neither left any bad reg keys, except the usual MRU and MUI cache ones. Standard for every program you have.
Neither left any spyware or adware on the computer, unlike iMesh, which left behind loads of stuff, some of which I still haven't gotten rid of, namely it's popup/ad blocking demoware.
Looks like kazaalite is still the winner.

[Markoman01027]

Reboot, Kazaalite you have to pay a monthly fee to use it right?

[smokealotapotimus]

NO you don't. You obviously downloading it from the wrong place. If you search for kazaa lite on Google, at least the first 6 links should take you to a suitable place to download it. Also, I havn't tinkered with the new version of Blubster so I dont know if it has spyware, but it is supposed to be decent for music.

[reboot]

Kazaalite is totally free. If you're getting something you need to pay for, then it's a scam. Someone may be trying to charge for it to remove ads or something. I'd be interested in seeing a link.
You guys want me to test Blubster, or any other?

[smokealotapotimus]

I've heard good things about it, if you feel like it go ahead.

[Markoman01027]

Does KazaaLite come with the added spyware? Probably not. But just making sure :P

[reboot]

Kazaa has all the spyware. Kazaalite has nothing, which is why we're all recommending it.