OK, so the guy who's wireless ADSL I was using has turned security on and I'm after an ISP so a Wanadoo CD in Argos seemed simple enough; after all, they used to be Freeserve and were a pretty decent ISP...
Well, I watched the CD install some unrequested and nameless stuff, vetoed all the browser hijacking (homepage, default homepage, search page, another fucking toolbar, and signed up.
The first thing I noticed when it finished was that my toolbars had been unlocked and moved around to accomodate the Wanadoo Search Bar that it had installed (why change my search page as well then?) so I uninstalled that in Add/Remove Programs. Searching for the files I noticed that it didn't delete the folder though, and left the uninstall there just in case I fancied doing it again. :-/
I phoned their TechSupp line to be told there wasn't anything else to uninstall other than the desktop icons, the program menu shortcuts, and the dialup connection... the myriad of blurred filenames I saw in the install procedire's box were just rinning from the CD, apparently.
After hanging up and deleting the wanadoo folder the TS guy forgot to tell me was in Program Files I noticed another called VVSN containing a file of the same name that runs at startup.
Xsoft Spy told me it's actually SaveNow, a little spying program. Creation date for the folder? 1:43PM today... a single minute after the wanadoo folder was created.
The Indian sounding lady that took my next TS call listened carefully, took notes, then disappeared for a minute and came back to suggest I take my machine to a specialist after installing and running an antivirus program.
WTF is she doing in TS if she's not going to actually support technically?
Never mind.
I told her that I have Adaware, Spybot, Xsoft Spy & Kaspersky v5, that it's obvious SaveNow came from them, that I don't have a virus and that I'm not going to seek third party help because I'd probably know more than they do.
Well, OK, I removed the threat, wiped wanadoo and left the dialup connection so I could find a more honest ISP online.
That was my intent when I connected a few minutes ago to initially check my email... until I tried to reply to one.
I have my own web address and a POP3 email service comes with it, but although I can download email, if I try to send one my client fails telling me there was an error, whereby the server says it's not ready and that I should check that it is set to smtp.wanadoo.co.uk.
I can't believe that they block all smtp traffic that isn't to their server.
Freeserve used to be a great ISP for me on dialup, but wanadoo have really fucked it around.
All in all, I'm rather glad that I'm, not going with them - even AOL looks better than wanadoo (wanadon't?)
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