Skip to main content

AdAware deletes my autologins!

Comments

68 comments

  • Customer

    Hi deanej,

     

    I suspect that TrackSweep is the culprit - please open AAW 2007 and select "Tools & Plug-ins > TrackSweep" - de-select all options (red crosses) and then close AAW2007.

     

    Reopen AAW 2007 and try scanning again - if your auto-logins are still being wiped, there is another step we can try.

     

    Please post back with how you get on.

     

    Regards,

     

    Spike

    0
  • Customer

    TrackSweep has had all options deselected the whole time.

    0
  • Customer

    OK - my other suggestion would be to "reset" your AAW 2007 settings.

     

    Please navigate to (the default path) C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware 2007\ and delete the file settings.aaw (nb: not the file settings.aw).

     

    Then please re-open AAW 2007 and re-select/save all of your preferences (including TrackSweep, which is under a different tab) and then close AAW 2007 to re-create the settings.aaw file.

     

    After re-opening AAW 2007 again, see if the behaviour continues.

     

    Regards,

     

    Spike

    0
  • Customer

    It works fine now. Thanks! I wonder why ad-aware now requires that you restart the program whenever you change settings to avoid bugs like this (even if the applicable setting wasn't changed - TrackSweep is off by default).

    0
  • Customer

    Hi deanej,

     

    Thats great

     

    I wonder why ad-aware now requires that you restart the program whenever you change settings

    I suspected your settings file had somehow become corrupted. Therefore to re-create a "fresh" one AAW 2007 needs to be closed, the old file settings deleted and then re-opened.

     

    That last action automatically creates a new settings file with the default settings applied. This can then be amended to suit your individual preferences.

     

    Regards,

     

    Spike

    0
  • Customer

    Hi deanej,

     

    They are no longer considered to be Critical, in that they are not malware and are therefore classed as Privacy Objects.

     

    Go to your usual sites and re-save your log-ins - then after your next scan, check each cookie detected to see if they are related to the sites being affected.

     

    If they are, put them into "Ignore" and see what effect that has on your auto-logins (they can always be removed form Ignore and deleted later, if required).

     

    Regards,

     

    Spike

    0
  • Customer

    Spoke too soon. It's just different sites that are affected now. Should I not remove tracking cookies? These were critical objects in SE but are now labeled privacy objects.

    0
  • Customer

    I'm having the same troubles as above. When I run a scan and delete all the findings, I end up having to reinput my password to all the sights I visit regularly (alot). Which is totally unacceptable--I'm sorry! When I make the changes suggested above, it finds nothing to remove.

     

    Why did Lavasoft make this change to the new product? The old product worked just fine.

    0
  • Customer

    Hi Spamsucks,

     

    Firstly, go to "Tools & PlugIns > Tracksweep" and make sure that all of the options are de-selected (red cross).

     

    Then go to "Settings > Scanning" and make sure that MRUs are de-selected and "Save".

     

    Next time that you scan, if any of the Tracking Cookies (under the Privacy Tab) relate to sites that you regularly visit are detected, put them into "Ignore".

     

    If the behaviour persists, please uninstall, then download and install the Microsoft Windows Install Clean-up Utility (WICU) from here - locate any references to AAW 2007 (ie: your previous installation) and highlight/remove.

     

    Then try a fresh download/install from here, making sure that you turn off all of the TrackSweep settings etc as mentioned above after re-installing.

     

    Thereafter, you should be able to scan without saved passwords etc being automatically removed after scanning.

     

    Regards,

     

    Spike

     

    NB:

    Why did Lavasoft make this change to the new product? The old product worked just fine

    AAW 2007 is a completely re-written program for modern malware - the old AAW SE relied on technology some 5+ years old and simply wasn't up to the task. We all mourn its passing - the question now is, do we want something familiar or something that will protect us now and into the future?

    0
  • Customer

    Firstly, go to "Tools & PlugIns > Tracksweep" and make sure that all of the options are de-selected (red cross).

     

    Then go to "Settings > Scanning" and make sure that MRUs are de-selected and "Save".

     

    Next time that you scan, if any of the Tracking Cookies (under the Privacy Tab) relate to sites that you regularly visit are detected, put them into "Ignore".

     

    If the behaviour persists, please uninstall, then download and install the Microsoft Windows Install Clean-up Utility (WICU) from here - locate any references to AAW 2007 (ie: your previous installation) and highlight/remove.

     

    Then try a fresh download/install from here, making sure that you turn off all of the TrackSweep settings etc as mentioned above after re-installing.

     

    Thereafter, you should be able to scan without saved passwords etc being automatically removed after scanning.


     

    Hi,

     

    I just tried this with no resolution to the problem.

     

    I did not apply the available software updates but I did update the defenitions file. I also noticed that all tracksweep options are already deselected in the free version by default (red "x"'s ).

     

    None of the passwords affected show up in the tracking cookie list so deselecting is a non-starter. It is as if it knows they are not tracking cookies so does not list them but then it deletes some of them anyway. No mention of this in the log though from what I can see.

     

    I also tried deleting the settings file and recreating it with no change in behaviour. Is there anything else we can try?

     

    I am using IE7 and wondered if this was significant?

     

     

    dr del

    0
  • Customer

    Hi,

     

    I am also having this problem with ad-aware free.

     

    So far, aside from the suggestions mentioned in this thread, uninstalled and removed all traces from my system then re-installed a version recomended in another post.

     

    The problem continued so I then updated that program with no change. I made another post and tried the suggestions made in that thread also with no solution.

     

    None of the login cookies show up in the tracking cookie list so cannot be added to ignore - it seems to just randomly delete some of them. All tracksweep options are red x's but there is no save button on the tracksweep page so I navigate to another tab and save from there.

     

    It has also recently (in the past 3 days I would say began to freeze at the end of the scan on "conditional folders" or something similar and seems unable to delete tracking cookies on occasion even though all browser windows are closed.

     

    Should I try uninstalling again? Is it an ie7 compatability problem? Can the dev's replicate this fix to try and isolate the cause?

     

    dr del

    0
  • Support

    It sounds like you have already covered any instance of this behavior being caused by Ad-Aware or it's track sweep or settings. And since it is not finding those cookies in a scan, it's not going to delete them. It is possible your issues arise from within IE7 or it's settings, the website on which you having a problem, or another type of privacy software you might be using. For the website you are having a problem with, try locating the cookie for it in your cookies folder. Delete it while offsite. Then try revisiting the site to see if it will create a new cookie. (Then also check the site settings to make sure you haven't instructed it to remove them when you leave or other some such site specific setting)

    0
  • Customer

    Hi dr del,

     

    I have a suggestion that might be helpful - there is a small app called CookieWall (getting rather ancient, but still works with Win OS up to XP).

     

    Check it out here: http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/cookie.htm

     

    I've used it for years to keep an eye on which cookies load at what site - most of them go into "Temp Accept" which I clear out before logging off. A number go into "Always Accept", such as those for online banking, my ISP, sites that I am subscribed to (although I usually delete their advertising cookies), etc. Then there are a few which fall into the "Delete Automatically" category - I have some pet hates, which include anything to do with doubleclick and all but the most essential RealPlayer cookies...

     

    CookieWall isn't a "silver bullet", however the cookies that I want to keep always remain after any security scans or running cleanmgr, etc. - used in conjunction with other more modern security apps (AAW included), it can be useful.

     

    If you do decide try it, change the default Config, so that it checks for new cookies every 10 seconds (rather than the default 1 minute).

     

    Regards,

     

    Spike

    0
  • Customer

    Hi,

     

    I hear what you are trying to say but I've tested that and it most likely is ad-aware free that's causing it.

     

    The problem is randomly affecting about 8 sites (I don't have that many accounts I have to log into but use those 8 on a daily basis). I have checked and the logins remain unaffected between restarts and extended absences but run adaware once and theres a high probability that at least one if not several will have dissapeared. If it was just one or even the same ones every time I would be inclined to think it is their problem.

     

    I have zonealarm pro and avg antivirus but neither is allowed to autoscan. Adaware has long been the only spyware scanner I have run on a daily basis as basically it is only tracking cookies I'm looking for.

     

    I have obviously updated my virus scanner and IE but the only change to my security software has been the replacement of the old adaware free version. It may be the way it scans them or accesses them but don't run it and the logins remain, run it and the problem happens.

     

    The probelm exists for the OP of this thread as well so while the problem might be obscure it is not unique.

     

    Sorry to keep bringing you problems but I hate the idea of trying to find an alternative after years of great experiences with lavasoft.

     

     

    dr del

    0
  • Support

    Is it an ie7 compatability problem? Can the dev's replicate this fix to try and isolate the cause?

    I tried all evening to duplicate the problem and was not able to make Ad-Aware malfunction in the manner described (especially with the other troubleshooting you have tried).

     

    IE7 compatibility - not really (Ad-Aware 2007 is compatible with IE7, Opera and Firefox), however, are you aware of the new cookie controls available in IE7 that you did not have before in IE6? There are quite a few and many of those controls built into your new browser are much the same as Ad-Aware's. You can also now block those 3rd party cookies just using your browser settings!

     

    It is possible there is a bug in Ad-Aware that does this but until I can reproduce it and show to our Development Team I was trying to rule out other possible causes (as described above). I will keep looking or if someone can point me to how to duplicate this action being caused by Ad-Aware then I can have someone investigate.

     

    Are you familiar with these controls now available in IE7? I got the impression that IE7 was a new upgrade for you, so that is why I was wondering if you know about these extra features that now handle cookies and privacy items much differently than we were used to with IE5 and IE6.

     

     

     

    And if you click on that "about" link you will see this info:

    Delete webpage history

    As you browse the web, Internet Explorer stores information about the websites you visit and information that you're frequently asked to provide (for example, your name and address). The following is a list of the type of information that Internet Explorer stores:

     

    Temporary Internet files

    Cookies

    A history of the websites you've visited

    Information that you've entered into websites or the Address bar (this is referred to as saved form data and it includes things such as your name, address, and the website addresses that you've visited before)

    Passwords

    Temporary information stored by browser add-ons

    Usually, it's helpful to have this information stored on your computer because it can improve web browsing speed or automatically provide information so you don't have to type it in over and over. You might want to delete that information if you're cleaning up your computer or are using a public computer and do not want any of your personal information to be left behind.

     

    To delete all browsing history

     

    In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Delete Browsing History.

    Click Delete all, and then click Yes.

    To delete a specific category of browsing history

     

    In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Delete Browsing History.

    Click the Delete button next to the category of information you want to delete, click Yes, and then click Close.

    Notes

     

    You should close Internet Explorer when you're done to clear cookies that are still in memory from your current browsing session. This is especially important when using a public or kiosk computer.

    Deleting all browsing history does not delete your list of favorites or subscribed feeds. It only deletes temporary files, browsing history, cookies, saved form information, and saved passwords.


    Lots of cookie handling options here:

     

     

    See also this very good article:

     

    Blocking Unwanted Cookies with IE 7

    http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/cookies.htm

     

    And you might want to explore some of the new features in IE7 here to get familiar with it

    Internet Explorer Home Page (Microsoft)

    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/...ie/default.mspx

    0
  • Customer

    Hi,

     

    I have been using IE7 for a fair little while but to be honest haven't tinkered with it much - here are the settings at the moment.

     

     

    As you can see I was relying on aaw se as it worked so well.

     

    I will try completely removing it again and re-installing with the latest binary to see if I can replicate your sucess.

     

     

    dr del

    0
  • Customer

    Just bumping this since there has been no reply ... and I forgot to put in my original post that I am using Windows XP Media Center, along with IE6 and Ad-Aware 2007 free. Again, this issue has to be caused by Ad-Aware 2007 because it did not start until I upgraded to Ad-Aware 2007. There is something in this program, whether it shows that these cookies are being detected or not, that is causing it to delete auto-logins whether Track Sweep is engaged or not (and mine is turned off, I have tried all suggested fixes for this as I noted in my original post). And that is a pain in the ###### that I am not prepared to deal with every day, because I have been, since I started using Ad-Aware, running a scan every day. I have downloaded AVG's free anti-spyware software for a trial run. It appears to work fine, about like Ad-Aware SE did, and it does not delete my auto-logins. I would prefer to keep using Ad-Aware because I have used it for so long. I actually have more trust in it than any other product. However, if there is something that gives me, say, 90 percent of the protection of Ad-Aware but comes without the pain in the ###### of having to re-enter 15 or 20 auto-logins every single day, then that is worth the gamble to me and I would, very sadly, have to say farewell to Ad-Aware unless somebody comes up with some fix for this issue.

    0
  • Customer

    OK, I registered for the forums just to add my .02 to this ... I am still using IE6, never have bothered to upgrade to IE7, and Ad-Aware 2007, the free version, deletes all my auto-logins in every single, solitary site where I have an auto-login set up. It has done it since the first time I ran a scan after upgrading to 2007 from SE, and none of the suggested fixes that I've found here have taken care of this problem. I changed no security, etc., settings on my computer after upgrading to 2007. Everything is as it was when I was running SE.

     

    I am a long-time user of Ad-Aware and have always been pleased with the results I've gotten from the software. I had considered upgrading to the paid version. However, the pain-in-the-rear of having to re-enter my login info on an assortment of different sites every time I run an Ad-Aware scan has caused me to (a.) not run Ad-Aware as much as I need to be running it and (b.) consider looking for an alternate product that while it might give a shade less protection than Ad-Aware, is close enough to where it would be worth dumping Ad-Aware to not have the pain-in-the-rear of having to re-enter my login information 12-15 times after every scan.

     

    It is obvious from all the posts on the forum that there is a problem here, and I really wish you guys would figure it out.

    0
  • Customer

    Hi,

     

    Could this be caused by a corrupt index.dat or the permissions set on some of the cookies set inside it? I was just thinking I used to have a "keep list" of cookies and wondered if it did that by changing their properties to write protected or something?

     

    Just trying to find a way round this - ironically I have noticed that while it randomly deletes logins most of the time it nearly always deletes the one for this forum.

     

     

    dr del

    0
  • Customer

    I'm having the exact same problem as the posters above. I'm using XP SP2 and IE7. I've tried the suggested fixes with no luck. If there isn't a proper fix available soon I, too, will be saying good-bye to (what used to be) my "go to" anti-spyware program. And that's a shame.

    0
  • Customer

    Hi,

     

    O.K.

     

    As mentioned in my previous post I was wondering if this was a problem with either file permissions or corrupt files.

     

    Basically I assumed calamityjane and spike know more about how this program works than I do ( a fairly safe assumption ).

     

    So I went looking to try and find any programs that might have whitelists of cookies or domains that would affect file permissions. On my system I found zonealarm pro and window-washer so I went through them and manually removed any cookies or domains set to "keep" or similar.

     

    I then went and downloaded index.dat suite from here as it was recomended by pcanswers as being safe to use but effective. I did make a system restore point despite the fact that one of the side effects of this going wrong is losing the ability to use system restore.

     

    I did deselect temp files and pre-select my os (XP) but other than that left it at the default settings.

     

    I let it find and auto-select the index dat files and cookies etc it thought should be removed the used the create batch command and restarted when prompted.

     

    It might not be necessary to delete/rebuild all the index.dat files but I figured shotgun first snipers rifle later.

     

    Obviously you will need to visit all the sites and re-enter your info to get new cookies etc after this.

     

    Now it is early days as I have only ran 3 scans since doing this all within a 2 hour period but so far none of my logins have been deleted.

     

    The reason I am posting this drivel with so little testing is to see if anyone else can also test using only one part of it to see what, if any, steps actually help the problem on different systems.

     

    If the logins stop getting deleted then I was thinking of trying to re-enable whitelists to see if it comes back.

     

    So, anyone else want to try any of this?

     

     

    dr del

    0
  • Customer

    I can't believe this has been going on for several months without being resolved. I've been waiting to install Ad-Aware 2007 until someone gets to the bottom of this.

     

    I really miss not using this app and hope something can be done about this problem soon.

     

    Surely someone a Lavasoft can address this.

     

    TIA

    0
  • Support

    Interesting finds, Dr del.

     

    You see it had to be something or a setting on your system and I don't whether corrupt index or what. Mixing in other 3rd party security apps may also be a factor (some programs do the same thing and when a user sets 3 different protections doing all the same thing the results can be unpredictable). All I can tell you is that I could not reproduce this on 2 machines here.

     

    I assume then the problem has been cleared up for you?

    0
  • Customer

    dr dl,

     

    Thanks for your reply and efforts to get to resolve this.

     

    I really don't believe a user should have to go through all of these steps to resolve this issue. Especially those of us who are not techies.

     

    For those of you who feel comfortably making all of those adjustments to your PC, I'm sure your efforts will be rewarded.

    But for me, if it's not a simple solution, or better yet, Lavasoft make the changes to Ad-Aware, I'm apprehensive about going through all of those steps and tinkering with my PC. Not because I am lazy, but because I know little about how to fix problems that develop from making changes to my apps.

     

    Unfortuanately, I have to wait to reinstall Ad-Aware 2007 until this is worked out. For me this is a set-back because I rally like the app.

     

    I will continue to read comments and suggestions on this thread hoping to find a solution.

     

    Good Luck to all

    TIA

    0
  • Customer

    Hi,

     

    Seems to be so far yes.

     

    I know I had those whitelists in place when using the adaware se free version so the problem may simply be how the new service based version deals with any problems it encounters with permissions etc.

     

    I was planning on waiting a week to make certain the problem is no longer affecting me then re-enabling the whitelists in zonealarm to see if that brings the problem back. But if anyone fancies testing that themselves I'd be gratefull.

     

    If that doesn't fix it on its own then it may simply be that when adaware runs into the problems it corrupts the index dat.

     

    Or, of course, the program may be totally innocent of all wrong doing and I already had a corrupted index dat under the se version and just didn't know it or see any ill effects.

     

    Just to note I had not actually ran any scans using the third party apps that had the whitelists. Would it be possible to add a cookie handling section to ad-aware to create its own whitelist which could list all cookies not just trackers? It would be a handy feature for those of us who like to clean things till they squeak every now and again.

     

    Interestingly I have also stopped having the "cannot delete......." messages - although they were always sporadic.

     

    It would be nice to know which step had actually helped or if both were needed.

     

     

    dr del

    0
  • Customer

    All of this is OK, but in my particular case, I do not have any other program on my computer that I know of ... and I am not a real techie so I may very well be wrong here ... that should be creating this issue. I have the Windows XP firewall, nothing else, and I have my Security tab in IE Options in IE6 set to Medium. I am using NOD32 antivirus. That's it. I was using all these programs before, and not one setting has changed on my computer. My computer is exactly as it was before, when I was using Ad-Aware SE and that program was working fine, except now that I've downloaded Ad-Aware 2007, when I run it it deletes all my auto-logins.

     

    I hate to sound snippy, but some of us folks out here don't have the knowledge, or the time, or the inclination to try to troubleshoot these issues ourselves. We download a program that's supposed to do a job, we expect it to do the job. Ad-Aware SE was doing the job for me. Ad-Aware 2007 is not. And being that the only variable that has changed on my computer is Ad-Aware 2007 as opposed to Ad-Aware SE, circumstantial evidence leads me to believe that the problem is the software, not my computer. If I need to change some settings to make this work, then please tell me which settings I need to change. If I need to go ahead and upgrade to IE7, then I'll upgrade to IE7. If I need to switch to Vista, I'm not inclined to do that at the moment. Was this program designed for computers that had all the latest bells and whistles from Microsoft? Because some of us out here are not inclined to upgrade until all the kinks and bugs are worked out of things.

     

    Bottom line, I'm about ready to say forget it and delete the program from my computer because as much as I've liked using Ad-Aware and it has done the job wonderfully for me over the years, the pain in the *** of it deleting autologins at 20 to 30 sites (on some of them I had to go through the trouble of retrieving the passwords because they had slipped my mind) every time I run the software makes it useless to me. I am currently using AVG on a trial basis and it's working fine ... and not deleting auto-logins ... to the point where unless something here changes ASAP, I'm going to buy it after the trial period.

    0
  • Support

    Well, am to glad to hear you got it resolved anyway. I'll ask our Development team to take a look at this thread in case they can test it out and perhaps if they can reproduce the problem, make adjustments. The hard part is always finding out what is "breaking" our application. But perhaps you have stumbled across it

     

    I'm not a developer so I can't say really. But thanks for posting all this info - it might help

    0
  • Customer

    If I need to go ahead and upgrade to IE7, then I'll upgrade to IE7.

     

    I'm with you PRW. Please read my post above.

    BTW: I'm using IE7 and still have this issue. I also have XP

     

    I sure hope they fix the app. This has been going on too long.

     

    Good Luck

    0
  • Customer

    I too am having the same problems described in this topic. Also, all my stored addresses in Mapquest are removed each time I run Ad Aware 2007 Free. I have tried everything including reinstalling. Please note that I have not made any changes or updates to my (XP)system, IE etc. The only change I have made is upgrading to Ad Ware 2007 free from the SE version (which I used with great success and ease for years). I only lose my saved log-ins when I run this program. I can no longer use this new version as I need to refer to the saved addresses in Mapquest on a regular basis. I am disappointed that there does not seem to be any fix for this problem. Wish I still had the SE version.

    0
  • Customer

    Hi

    I am having the same sort of problem too. Adaware doesn't find tracking cookies very often, but lately when it does find and removes them, I too have been losing my auto logins. I am using IE 7 with XP Pro and security set to medium with 3rd party cookies blocked. On the last 2 occasions when the program did find a cookie, there was only 1 cookie found. I deleted that cookie and there went my auto logins including the one for my ISP to log into their web based email. I thought maybe it was the mediaplex cookie deletion that had done this, but the next time it happened, it was a different cookie that was found which I deleted. I can't recall now which cookie it was. I use Zone Alarm Pro, but I have the cookie control part turned off and the same thing with my other programs. I like to use these scanning programs as needed and not continuously running in the background. It's happened now with the program finding 2 different cookies, but 1 cookie at each scan on different days.

    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.