Researchers are spying on Bittorrents users according to this article in The Register. So be careful or else your computer’s IP address and your illegal downloading habits could be recorded and monitored. .

According to another article on p2pnet news, some people charged for illegal downloading “fees” are fighting back. They’re hiring lawyers and challenging the big labels.

Close to 14,000 people have been charged fees for downloading music illegally, and, I imagine, software copyright infringements could be next.

The risks of being charged a big fee for downloaded or uploading music are probably quite small, but I’m not sure I still want to take the chance. I hate the idea of being monitored even for research.

And there’s an even better reason not to use p2ps and torrents. As a computer tech I see p2ps on almost every computer I fix. And many of them are infected with viruses. P2ps and torrents spread a lot of viruses and malware. Your computer repair bills from viruses caught on p2ps could end up costing more than what you’d spend on the cds you really enjoy.

The worst virus I’ve ever seen is now making its way through Bit Torrent and Limewire and other file sharing programs. It’s called Virut. And once you have it it’s pretty much game over and time for a clean install. You’re done. At least you’re operating system is kaput. So if I were you I’d make sure your anti-virus is working and updating regularly. And stay away from P2Ps until this settles down. Lots of people are losing everything on their computers. What makes Virut so nasty is that it patches itself to every executable, so everything time you run an anti-virus, it “patches itself” onto the anti-virus. Also it changes system files, so if you “delete” instead of “cure” or “heal” them, you’ll be facing at least a Repair install.

Some fixes for Virut run in Safe Mode, but on my client’s computer, Safe Mode isn’t working. I’m right now trying a method I saw on the Internet that uses Dr. Web. Cure-it.

With some P2Ps (Peer-to-Peers) such as Grokster, Morpheus, and Bearshare, you get much more than free music, you also get a computerload of adware and spyware. Also free. This free malware is not only annoying, as it clutters your computer processes and desktop, it also significantly impacts the performance of your computer. It slows your computer down, often oppressively, and interrupts your computing with a lot of adware activity and programs no one could possibly want.

But, as I just read online, some P2Ps have no spyware or adware. According to this article on PC Pitstop, these P2Ps: WinMix, Limewire, Bit Torrent, Shareaza, eMule, and BitTornado have no spyware or adware. None. So you can use them without mucking up your registry and system processes.

You still need to be careful, my duckies. While even though these P2Ps have no spyware in their software, you can still get viruses from the files you download.

Also, be careful, since P2Ps are in a mucky area morally. And it’s self-defeating to live a way that compromises our good opinions of ourselves and our own sense of integrity, and so–and this is only a gentle suggestion from Ms. Ducktoes who in no way is better than anyone else–we might all use Napster and iTunes and pay (only 99 cents per song) for the music we listen to. Unless, of course, we are too poor. I have some clients who who are too poor, that is, they can’t pay for anything, including computer repair and music. I don’t mean you, my poorer ducklings.

I find it gives my self-esteem a boost, like a new stick of ram for the psyche, to honor my own self-respect. It helps to live life to the fullest even in the muckiest swamp. Being good, even on the computer, has its own–rich–rewards. We all, even you hackers and spyware creators among my readers, might consider this too, how hurting others also hurts ourselves. All the financial riches of the world can’t make up for damaged self-respect. It doesn’t mean diddly, that’s diddly squat, lol, riches without inner ease and self-rapport. You can’t even enjoy your own reflection as you float down the prettiest of rivers. Everything looks like a miserable swamp, ugly and meaningless I mean, if you look ugly to yourself. And that’s the real twooth, mon sweetnesses, y mi amigos mios. So be good, sere gut.

I’m sorry if I’m quacking at you too much. But it’s something I just learned myself, or continue to learn about, how to be a little happier in my life. So I’m really interested and tend to go on. Let me know what you think. I invite and am interested in your comments and ideas.

Ciao, duckies.  I’ll see ya later.  Gotta quit yacking and fix a computer or two or ten.  Until then, “Be kind to your webfooted friends, for a duck maybe somebody’s mother!”

Ms. Ducktoes is on her way, saving computers everyday!!

I’ve discovered a free file sharing P2P that doesn’t come bundled with adware or spyware. It is Xolox. Xolox also scans downloading files for viruses. So if Ms. Ducktoes (that’s me) still hasn’t convinced you to quit using P2Ps, at least switch to Xolox.

I hope my sons, Joe, Peter, Ben, and John, are reading this!

Some diehard P2P lovers tell me that the artists only get a small percentage of the money–the corporate record labels get most of it. True. Yet who is going produce albums and promote groups if it is not profitable enough for corporations? Also almost all peer-to-peers have adware and spyware attached to the software downloads. If you think corporations are bad, cyber-criminals are worse. They steal from ordinary people without doing anything positive in return.

Speaking of spyware from filing sharing P2Ps, you’ll need to use a good anti-spyware like Spyware Doctor or Webroots Spy Sweeper to get rid of the mess. Yesterday I removed Grokster from a client’s computer. I had to buy a Spyware Doctor license ($30) for the client. Not only did Spy Doctor find and delete the Grokster application, it also deleted all these all these programs that installed with Grokster: Active Delivery, Casino Outlet, ClipGenie, Commonname, CyDoor, DelfinMedia Viewer, Downloadware, eAcceleration, eUniverse, FavoriteMan, Flashtrack, Gator, IGetNet, IGetNet ClearSearch, Incredifind, IpInsight, Look2Me, Lycos SideSearch, Network Essentials, SC Bar, PeopleOnPage, RVP, Search Enhancement, SearchEnhancement, TOPicks, VX2/e, VX2/f, and WebEnhancer.

That’s a whole heck of alot of c***!! (Of course, that’s caca, lol!!)

To uninstall your P2Ps or any programs, go to Start, then Control Panel, then Add or Remove Programs. Wait for the list to form. Select the name of the P2P you want to uninstall and click remove. After you delete your file sharing program, you’ll need to run your anti-spyware to get rid of the spyware and adware. Spyware and adware do not show up in the Add and Remove Programs tool of the Control Panel, since the creators and promoters of such applications, don’t want you to be able to remove them.
So get rid of the illegal file sharing P2Ps and use iTunes or Napster or other legal music downloader instead.

You don’t let strangers into your house to tramp around and go through cupboards to share your cds, do you, just so you can have a bit (or a lot) of free music? So why let people into your computer to tramp around its registry code and system files or stroll through your personal data? Instead just buy the music you want on iTunes for 99 cents each. That way your favorite musicians can earn money for their work. And you won’t compromise your computer’s security 24 hours a day.¬† Having your hard drive constantly reformatted is a lot more expensive!!

Peer-to-Peer networks (otherwise known as P2P) usually come as a package that includes adware, and sometimes spyware, malware, and viruses, so you’re asking, just asking for trouble from the very get go. And then, when you’re sharing music, all that traffic in and out of your computer slows it down and the music files you receive in return can be infected. LimeWire, Bearshare, Kazaa, Morpheus, Nutella are a only a few of the P2Ps. If you must download free music, and I know some of you must, then make sure you have a real-time spyware catcher in your system. Spy Sweeper is excellent. Let Ducktoes install it for you. Or if you’re not in the Calgary area, download it from their website or buy it at a computer store. And use a good virus checker, AVG has a free one for personal home use, and Spybot and Ad-Aware are good programs to run along with Spy Sweeper. No one software can completely keep you safe.