Extraneous Dial-Up Connection Attempts
 

Extraneous Dial-Up Connection Attempts

I've been experiencing extraneous dial-up connection
attempts occurring during start up, shut down, and invoking
various applications that don't even require dial-ups.

It's particularly evident when using Windows Explorer to
open or view Properties of Text files by left or right
clicking on them. It brings up the "Connect To" dialog box
and commenced dialing up my ISP before I had unchecked its
"Connect automatically" box. Now the dialog box just sits
there waiting for me to click something on it. Nothing
happens with Windows Explorer until the "Connect To" dialog
box is dealt with which takes two Cancels before it stops
reappearing. Then the prior clicked function in Windows
Explorer finally manifests itself (very annoying).

Isn't there someplace where you can select NOT to have
"Auto-Dial-Up on Demand" when you invoke an application that
does require an Internet connection?

--
randau
Oregon, USA

I read and post from the Google Groups web site using a Spam
collecting email address that I don't use for anything else.
So if someone wants to contact me, please cleanup and use
the Spam resistant Email address below.

randau2...(at)...proaxis.com

In oups.com,
randau had this to say:

Isn't there someplace where you can select NOT to have
"Auto-Dial-Up on Demand" when you invoke an application that
does require an Internet connection?

Well, you could set the computer to not dial at all but that defeats the
purpose and doesn't clean up what I suspect is the underlying problem here.
I suspect malware of some type given the description that you've given us.
Maybe a trojan? Maybe spyware?

Download, update, and scan with an anti-virus application. Both AVG and
AntiVir are free for personal use if I recall. I don't know of a specific
anti-trojan scanner that's free.

Download, update, and scan with AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy. Those
are the two best free ones out there as Microsoft's Anti-Spyware beta
doesn't work on 9x or ME I don't believe.

In both the above cases try your scan in safe mode without networking and
make sure that System Restore has been disabled. After the scan is complete
reboot to regular mode and scan again. If the system comes up clean on the
second scan turn system restore back on and make a new restore point.

With what you've said I'm inclined to make my first guess for the behavior
as it being some sort of malware and that's where I'd begin. And while you
could probably stop the dialing that wouldn't do anything about keeping your
system clean, secure, and stable.

Galen
--

"My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me
the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am
in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial
stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for
mental exaltation." -- Sherlock Holmes

Most probably you have an Autoupdate of some kind that wants to connect
and update. Find out which one(s) it is and uncheck "Autoupdate"(or
whatever) at the programs Options/Settings.


Rick


randau wrote:
Extraneous Dial-Up Connection Attempts

I've been experiencing extraneous dial-up connection
attempts occurring during start up, shut down, and invoking
various applications that don't even require dial-ups.

It's particularly evident when using Windows Explorer to
open or view Properties of Text files by left or right
clicking on them. It brings up the "Connect To" dialog box
and commenced dialing up my ISP before I had unchecked its
"Connect automatically" box. Now the dialog box just sits
there waiting for me to click something on it. Nothing
happens with Windows Explorer until the "Connect To" dialog
box is dealt with which takes two Cancels before it stops
reappearing. Then the prior clicked function in Windows
Explorer finally manifests itself (very annoying).

Isn't there someplace where you can select NOT to have
"Auto-Dial-Up on Demand" when you invoke an application that
does require an Internet connection?

--
randau
Oregon, USA

I read and post from the Google Groups web site using a Spam
collecting email address that I don't use for anything else.
So if someone wants to contact me, please cleanup and use
the Spam resistant Email address below.

randau2...(at)...proaxis.com

Rick T wrote:
Most probably you have an Autoupdate of some kind that wants to
connect
and update. Find out which one(s) it is and uncheck "Autoupdate"(or
whatever) at the programs Options/Settings.

I disabled everything in the Scheduled Tasks folder which
included Norton's Auto-LiveUpdate dialer and it had NO
effect on stopping the extraneous attempts to dial-up.

The only thing that did stop it was to select "Never dial a
connection" in Dial-Up Networking Properties. Now the only
way it'll dial-up is for me to invoke it manually from a
quick launch shortcut.

Galen,

I run both Norton AntiVirus and AdAware spyware scans on a
regular basis. But, thanks for your reply anyway.

(see my reply to Rick)
--
randau

randau wrote:
Rick T wrote:

Most probably you have an Autoupdate of some kind that wants to

connect

and update. Find out which one(s) it is and uncheck "Autoupdate"(or
whatever) at the programs Options/Settings.


I disabled everything in the Scheduled Tasks folder which
included Norton's Auto-LiveUpdate dialer and it had NO
effect on stopping the extraneous attempts to dial-up.

Hmm... what about
Start/Programs/Startup folder or
Start/Run/msconfig.exe |Startup tab
anything in there?

You could have a virus or spythingie happening. What's your
anti-malware stuff say ?


Rick

On 5 Mar 2005 11:31:37 -0800, "randau"

I run both Norton AntiVirus and AdAware spyware scans on a
regular basis. But, thanks for your reply anyway.

You say that as if this excludes the possibility of active malware.

Hah! But seriously, folks... ;-)

The behaviour you describe sounds as if the integration point is most
likely to be within the Explorer shell. The best tool to enumerate
and reversably disable such integrations / intrusions is Shell
Extension Viewer... I'll Google that for you:

http://freehost14.websamba.com/nirso...s/shexview.zip

I have a hunch you might find it's NAV itself (or its LiveUpdate
component) that is the problem here.

You can also do these tests, and report back:
- Safe Mode Cmd Only
- Safe Mode
- Normal Mode with all startup items suppressed in MSConfig



---------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Cats have 9 lives, which makes them
ideal for experimentation!
---------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

randau wrote:
I disabled everything in the Scheduled Tasks folder which
included Norton's Auto-LiveUpdate dialer and it had NO
effect on stopping the extraneous attempts to dial-up.

Rick wrote:
Hmm... what about
Start/Programs/Startup folder or
Start/Run/msconfig.exe |Startup tab
anything in there?

I disabled everything in the MSconfig.exe Startup tab with
still no effect on the extraneous dialups.

I think I can live with the "Never dial a connection" option
selected and just manually invoke a Dialup from my quick
launch shortcut when needed.


You could have a virus or spythingie happening.
What's your anti-malware stuff say ?

I run Norton AntiVirus with automatic LiveUpdates and a
manual LiveUpdate and disk scan every week. I also run an
AdAware spyware disk scan periodically. Though, Norton has
caught a number of email viruses, its disk scans have been
clean. AdAware has caught some spyware and regularly
catches tracking cookies on subsequent disk scans.
That's all.

--
randau

cquirke wrote:
I have a hunch you might find it's NAV itself (or its
LiveUpdate component) that is the problem here.

You can also do these tests, and report back:
- Safe Mode Cmd Only
- Safe Mode
- Normal Mode with all startup items suppressed in MSConfig

I disabled everything in the MSconfig.exe Startup tab with
still no effect on the extraneous dialups.

I don't understand the difference between the two Safe Mode
items above (I've not run Safe Mode before).

randau wrote:
randau wrote:

I disabled everything in the Scheduled Tasks folder which
included Norton's Auto-LiveUpdate dialer and it had NO
effect on stopping the extraneous attempts to dial-up.


Rick wrote:

Hmm... what about
Start/Programs/Startup folder or
Start/Run/msconfig.exe |Startup tab
anything in there?


I disabled everything in the MSconfig.exe Startup tab with
still no effect on the extraneous dialups.

I think I can live with the "Never dial a connection" option
selected and just manually invoke a Dialup from my quick
launch shortcut when needed.


You could have a virus or spythingie happening.
What's your anti-malware stuff say ?


I run Norton AntiVirus with automatic LiveUpdates and a
manual LiveUpdate and disk scan every week. I also run an
AdAware spyware disk scan periodically. Though, Norton has
caught a number of email viruses, its disk scans have been
clean. AdAware has caught some spyware and regularly
catches tracking cookies on subsequent disk scans.
That's all.

--
randau


Is it Windows Update, maybe ?

Doesn't sound like you have a malware infection... what firewall are you
using and do you think you could trap the outbound connection attempt
with it ?


Rick