41. by Guest. 2005-05-02 05:05:31
I own Ghost Surf Platinum 2005 (by Tenebril) www.tenebril.com - it comes with SpyCatcher, an anti-spyware program. I also run Spybot SD, Ad-AwareSE, SpywareBlaster, and Spy Sweeper. None of these other programs found the Viewpoint.
I scan weekly, give or take. SpyCatcher found the Viewpoint and removed it permanently and safely. It removed the Program folders and .dll files. A few days later I went to the registry (Win2000 Svr), backed it up (DUH!), and removed all the classes and entries for Viewpoint. Ive had no issues.
I strongly recommend the full Ghost Surf suite, but you can buy the SpyCatcher separately. I dont know how or where the Viewpoint got on my system. I have NO IM progs and Im well aware of everything that goes on my system (see: Ghost Surf Platinum + ZA Pro firewall!! - a beautiful pair). Im thinking it installed when I rented AVP and the DVD tried to install some InterVideo program. I run WinDVD (I know same co, different prog.) so I just canceled the install. A few days later is when I scanned and found it. I KNOW its gone for good because SpyCatcher has some kind of reinstall shield to prevent crap like this from reinstalling itself.
42. by Guest. 2005-04-26 18:04:26
View point is bundled with other software like AIM and Netscape. It is a unique media player because it means view point. You can change the view point on a 3 D picture; turn it to the right, left or up and down. I only found one site that used it, found it accidentally while search for viewpoint on whether I should install in the computer lab I work at. http://www.lookingyourbest.com/inamodel/index.html of all things a breast augmentation simulator. You have to see it to believe it.
It is not a spyware it installs by its self like many programs. It is no more annoying than Adobe Reader and it automatic update and slow loading, realplayer and its message center and update and registration, (I use a bunch of letters and numbers @crap.com for the lab computers realplayer register ration hopefully to choke their server maybe then they will stop. Then there is Quicktime and it taking over file associations from MS media player and not allowing them to be set back, had to uninstall it then reinstall it, and asking if you want to go pro every time you start it,. Then there is the fake domain company new.net that automatically installs its plugings so you can find its fake domains, (that is another story). I always unchecked viewpoint player when installing Netscape. I thought it was a like media player until I saw the “site�. Have not had any instructors or students ask about viewpoint so I probably will not install it, (maybe on one or two computers after restoring the image).
Too much software and plugins are using the spyware and virus techniques to get in your computer. It is sad but it created a new field anti virus and anti spyware. As much as I dislike MS I find the competitors to media player more annoying!
43. by Guest. 2005-04-23 11:04:14
My VMP update box appeared this morning. After searching my PC per all of the posts below, I discovered a folder in Program Files / Viewpoint that was linked to Atmosphere. I uninstalled Atmosphere, and lo and behold, all of the components to VP, including the .dll and registry keys, have disappeared.
I suspect that VMP had been using our bandwidth, as it seems to have magically increased after uninstalling Atmosphere and VMP.
Also, before uninstalling, I had checked the VP folder found in Control Panel, and discovered the following hidden info concerning its privacy practices, or lack, thereof.
Viewpoint and Your Privacy
VIEWPOINT DOES NOT COLLECT ANY PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION, SUCH AS USER NAME, PHYSICAL ADDRESS, ELECTRONIC ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.
Each installation of Viewpoint Media Player is assigned a Player Identifier, a random alphanumeric identifier generated at the time of installation. The Player Identifier is never connected to a users name, email address, or other personal contact information.
Viewpoint Media Player is designed to check for the availability of software updates, upgrades, and add-ons (Updates) to ensure that you have the latest product improvements and functionality. When the Viewpoint Media Player installed on your machine checks for the availability of Updates, the Player Identifier, the type of operating system using the player, the type of browser in which the player is operating, and the URL visited at the time are sent anonymously to Viewpoint. An author of Viewpoint content can use tags to collect aggregated, anonymous information about users interactions with content, such as which colors users select to view the appearance of a product, which animations are most frequently invoked by online viewers, and the like. User interaction data is typically used by Viewpoints clients to understand how their customers, in the aggregate, interact with online presentations of their products.
Much of the data sent by the Viewpoint Media Player installed on your machine is required only to enable a feature or service to be performed over the Internet. All data is discarded after its intended use is served.
Viewpoints Ad Deployment Technology
Creative Innovator, Viewpoints advertising deployment technology, uses Viewpoint Media Player for displaying advertising content. Like other industry-standard advertising technologies, Creative Innovator collects certain information about the advertisement displayed. This information includes the number of times the advertisement is displayed, the number and duration of users interactions with the advertisement, and the browser and operating system viewers are using while the ad is displayed. This information is stored by the Creative Innovator system and reported to Viewpoints customers.
VIEWPOINT DOES NOT, AT ANY TIME, COLLECT USERS PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.
Contact Us about Privacy
If you have any questions about this privacy statement, or our software and website practices, please contact us:
Privacy Policy Group
Viewpoint Corporation
498 7th Ave. Suite 1810
New York, NY 10018
privacy@Viewpoint.com
44. by Guest. 2005-04-18 23:04:36
I uninstalled Viewpoint Media Player. Now my start menu is messed up and unable to do searches, etc. The history is gone. Crapware.
45. by Guest. 2005-04-18 09:04:19
In IE, go to "Tools", "Manage Add-ons..." and under "Enabled" select "AxMetastream.dll". Then under "Settings" click "Disable", then shut down IE. Now you will be able to delete AxMetastream.dll. The reason you could not do it before is that every time IE loads it enables AxMetastream.dll which means you cannot delete it while it is open.
Post Modified by Admin,
This site doesn't provide any Free tools. Except manual removal recommendations,
46. by Another angry user. 2005-04-15 13:04:15
Somehow this application got installed on my computer. I did not ask for it, nor did I approve at ANY time the installation of this software. The first clue I had that it was there when I got the prompt to install the toolbar - which I did not install. I uninstalled the manager, but this did not uninstall anything at all.
I do not have AOL, do not randomly browse sites, and do not want software installed secretly on my computer.
47. by lollipop. 2005-04-12 20:04:36
Interesting stuff posted so far, but is the Viewpoint uninstall.exe safe? It certainly seems like the easiest solution. Or do I really need to try these other methods (run Ad-Aware and Spybot together; manually delete many files)?
48. by Angry User. 2005-04-12 05:04:13
I hope all developers of programs that install without a users persmission will have their head and fingers amputated in the near future. But not before having each of their finger and toe nails removed before hand.
49. by tom. 2005-04-11 20:04:24
Viewpoint, you filthy, bottom-feeding parasites!! Do something honorable with your technical talents instead of invading my privacy.
50. by CG. 2005-03-30 06:03:17
Dont ever install something on my computer which I do not explicitly agree to before hand.
This is unethical practices.
I too will be submitting a complaint and hope that your business is shutdown and as well.
If this is the way AIM is going - I will remove that worthless software and gladly go with the meriad of other chat tools available too us. ICQ, Yahoo, IRC, MSN, Jabber are just a few choices.
51. by mc68000. 2005-03-17 16:03:06
The @#!$% "Your Viewpoint Toolbar has been updated" is back!! The process for the dialog box that appears with the UPDATE and no CLOSE or X button is ViewMgr.exe. Kill the process, the dialog box goes away and NO TOOLBAR! YES! BTW no word from Corp HQ yet regarding my e-mail.
Also, I have a question of one and all in this forum. Did any of you notice that certain processes to particular web sites started mysteriously closing for no apparent reason when you had the Viewpoint Toolbar? Last night when I was trying to submit content to this blog and do research on that Co. those processes just quit running. I restored to an earlier, pre-Viewpoint, restore point and the I am not having the problem anymore. Nor did I have it before the VPT appeared. Maybe I am getting paranoid, but, just because you are not paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you. Right?
52. by DC. 2005-03-17 07:03:01
Viewpoint slowed my daughters computer to a crawl! We used add/remove programs to remove it. It is still very slow. If we download the removal software will that get rid of the extra files listed above that have to be removed?
53. by mc68000. 2005-03-16 12:03:17
Well, I have thrown out the gauntlet. If anyone else cares to let these folks know that their methods are not appreciated and could have a negative impact in the marketplace, that they seem to want to monopolyize so completely, then feel free to copy the email I sent to Viewpoint Corporation, below. Or borrow from it as you will. The link to their corporate site is included, so let them know how you feel! and maybe we can stop this invasion of privacy.
To: sales@viewpoint.com,pr@viewpoint.com,support@viewpoint.com, jprozeller@fd-us.com, r@viewpoint.com,
info@viewpoint.com
Subject: Viewpoint Toolbar
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 17:28:40 +0000
To the Company, Company Management and Board of Directors of Viewpoint:
I am hereby giving you notice that I am making complaint to the Public Service Commission, the IEEE Advisory Board and Microsoft Corporation and any other Government agency or business, including your Resellers/Partners, that regulates, supports or condones this type of invasion of personal property.
This complaint names collectively and singly Viewpoint the entity and each member of the Company Management, Board of Directors, Resellers and Partners by way of the following link to your Corporate web site.
http://www.viewpoint.com/pub/company/
Furthermore, I intend to boycott said Resellers, Partners, Corporations, Companies, Businesses and individuals who continue to support or condone your Companys policy of using invasive and evasive tactics to glean information, personal or otherwise, from my intellectual property without my knowledge or permission until such time as Viewpoint Corporation agrees to cease and desist the use of said tactics and adopts the legitimate and ethical practice to "...allow your users to decide when to install (and uninstall) your product for themselves."
It is also my intention to publish this notice of complaint in as many public forums as possible, in
order that others may also use it, to give Viewpoint Corporation the courtesy of letting it know that these individuals intend to make complaint against the company as well. A courtesy "the...120
million desktops around the country" did not get when your software insinuated itself on our machines.
54. by Zenobyte. 2005-03-15 06:03:13
Greetings fellow Viewpoint victims. I have just recently encountered this nasty bit of malware on both my personal computer and those of my customers as wireless internet tech. The best way that I have found to eliminate Viewpoint, along with many other types of malware, is to run both Ad-Aware SE and Spybot Search and Destroy. Both programs must be ran at the same time for best results since neither of them can get rid of everything on its own. Spybot also has a nice immunize feature that can help protect a computer from future infection of the same malware by keeping a database of known applications that must not be installed. Both programs are readily available for free from the PCworld website or from the disks included with many popular computer magazines such as MaximumPC. After these two programs have done their thing, the computer should be rebooted. I noticed that Jer (post 6) was unable to permanently delete viewpoint with Spybot alone which is not terribly unusual. Try running Ad-Aware also. For Thom (post 8), aaabesthomepage sounds like a type of trojan horse known as a CWS redirector. The telltale symptoms are all your attempts to access websites are being redirected to a search engine that features suspiciously adult content such as gambling, beer, or porn. This search engine may also end up being your default homepage and you will be unable to change it. Another type of CWS redirector will take you to what appears to be the site you wanted but, while the page is loading, the address bar will briefly flash to an unknown website before the desired site loads. The results of your searches may also seem unusual or incomplete with this variant. The best way I have seen to eliminate CWS redirectors is with a little program called CWSshredder which is also available for free from PCworld. The instructions given by Andy (post 12) may well be effective for viewpoint in the short term but leave the malicious registry keys intact which can cause future problems.
For those of you who are attempting to defend viewpoint or are claiming that it is not actually spyware, here is the abbreviated definition of spyware from Webopedia. (n.) Any software that covertly gathers user information through the users Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else.
By this definition, Viewpoint is clearly spyware. Spyware, along with other types of malware, will have detrimental effects on your computer. People with high bandwidth internet connections such as DSL and fast processors may not notice for a long time. People with dialup or wireless connections and slower processors will notice much more quickly as limited system resources and bandwidth gets subverted for use by malware. Malware programs are also frequently poorly written code that will eventually start conflicting with each other as more of them get installed. This will lead system instability even when not on the internet and can ultimately result in irreversible damage to the operating system that can only be corrected by a fresh install of Windows. Those who think that it is no big deal because they like the toolbar and the data being gathered is anonymous, bear this in mind. While your personal information is not being gathered by Viewpoint directly, the IP address that you connect from most likely is. That IP address, along with a time stamp and a good billing system, can be traced back to your account and then back to you. While your account information may be protected from most people by your ISP, it is only a subpoena and a lawyer away from being admitted in court as evidence. So make sure you have no spyware on your system before you do anything legally questionable on the internet.
The comments made by many in this forum condemning Viewpoint and AOL are spot on. Creators of spyware programs and companies that distribute them must be made to feel our wrath. If you can find an email address for them, fill it with hatemail. If they have a phone number, call them incessantly. If they are selling something, make it a point not to buy that item. These companies must be made to understand that spyware is not profitable for them and we must all work together to make that the case. AOL is one of the largest sources of malware that exists. It is a parasite that will infect every part of your computer and cause you massive amounts of grief. Nevermind their claims of providing free spyware protection. All they are really doing is excluding other types of spyware from your computer while infesting it with spyware of their own. Maybe if enough disgruntled people leave AOL, the will change their wicked ways. We can only hope.
55. by Guest. 2005-03-13 17:03:47
Their hidden contact info is at
http://www.viewpoint.com/pub/company/contact.html
support@viewpoint.com
56. by Guest. 2005-03-13 15:03:45
Delete all files from "C:\Program Files\America Online 9.0\Jiti
57. by ecology. 2005-03-12 11:03:08
To remove VIEWPOINTcompletely:
In folder options enable view of all hidden files and folders. go to documents and settings (Drive C) for each user on the computer look in the APPLICATION DATA and LOCAL SETTINGS Folders for VIEWPOINT files and delete them, then delete the VIEWPOINT folder from Program Files.
Alternatively you could do a WINDOWS Search with hidden file and folders displayed and delete any viewpoint files from there.
58. by Tony Lewis. 2005-03-11 14:03:50
I am fed up with software that installs without aking whether I want it or not. I first noticed this one wehn my connection dialogue box would pop up after I had disconnected from Internet. Surely this company and others should be getting prosecuted by government authorities.
59. by JoeJ. 2005-03-09 09:03:15
I guess the owners of this website must have been muscled by Viewpoint and/or it's larger sponsors (AOL, Adobe) into saying that VP isn't really spyware.
As everyone below as expressed (except Zaphod, of course, who almost certainly works for VP) this application is definitely spyware/malware:
1. It installs itself without user permission.
2. It updates an advertiser database with information about it users ("non-identifiable", I know. That doesn't change anything.)
3. It has a fake "uninstall" component, that causes less experienced users to think it has been installed while the "guts" of the application are still intact (and, I suspect, functional.)
The sad thing is that the functionality in the toolbar seems really nice. There are people who would probably not mind installing it voluntarily. And if AOL, Adobe, and whoever else use these 3-D models and animations on their websites, there are many people who wouldn't necessarily mind downloading a viewer to see them -- IF they knew for sure the viewer wasn't spyware.
Viewpoint, if you're listening... take some notes from Macromedia's playbook. Your product isn't so different from the Flash player, and you have some nice features. But make your money from your sponsors (they have deep enough pockets) not your users. And please allow your users to decide when to install (and uninstall) your product for themselves.
And Adobe, AOL, if you're listening? Please don't associate your products with this kind of stuff... it's bad for your reputation. I'd hate to have to try to find a third party PDF writer because I can't trust Adobe anymore.
60. by jer. 2005-03-08 14:03:29
well i have spybot search and destroy and it detected a spybot called "viewpoint" and its there in the regedit files under "content bugger"
can sumone tell me how to delete it from my comp. FOR GOOD it keeps coming back always!!!!
help...i also have spyware blaster 3.2, does that help prevent it also......HELPP!!!
I own Ghost Surf Platinum 2005 (by Tenebril) www.tenebril.com - it comes with SpyCatcher, an anti-spyware program. I also run Spybot SD, Ad-AwareSE, SpywareBlaster, and Spy Sweeper. None of these other programs found the Viewpoint.
I scan weekly, give or take. SpyCatcher found the Viewpoint and removed it permanently and safely. It removed the Program folders and .dll files. A few days later I went to the registry (Win2000 Svr), backed it up (DUH!), and removed all the classes and entries for Viewpoint. Ive had no issues.
I strongly recommend the full Ghost Surf suite, but you can buy the SpyCatcher separately. I dont know how or where the Viewpoint got on my system. I have NO IM progs and Im well aware of everything that goes on my system (see: Ghost Surf Platinum + ZA Pro firewall!! - a beautiful pair). Im thinking it installed when I rented AVP and the DVD tried to install some InterVideo program. I run WinDVD (I know same co, different prog.) so I just canceled the install. A few days later is when I scanned and found it. I KNOW its gone for good because SpyCatcher has some kind of reinstall shield to prevent crap like this from reinstalling itself.
42. by Guest. 2005-04-26 18:04:26
View point is bundled with other software like AIM and Netscape. It is a unique media player because it means view point. You can change the view point on a 3 D picture; turn it to the right, left or up and down. I only found one site that used it, found it accidentally while search for viewpoint on whether I should install in the computer lab I work at. http://www.lookingyourbest.com/inamodel/index.html of all things a breast augmentation simulator. You have to see it to believe it.
It is not a spyware it installs by its self like many programs. It is no more annoying than Adobe Reader and it automatic update and slow loading, realplayer and its message center and update and registration, (I use a bunch of letters and numbers @crap.com for the lab computers realplayer register ration hopefully to choke their server maybe then they will stop. Then there is Quicktime and it taking over file associations from MS media player and not allowing them to be set back, had to uninstall it then reinstall it, and asking if you want to go pro every time you start it,. Then there is the fake domain company new.net that automatically installs its plugings so you can find its fake domains, (that is another story). I always unchecked viewpoint player when installing Netscape. I thought it was a like media player until I saw the “site�. Have not had any instructors or students ask about viewpoint so I probably will not install it, (maybe on one or two computers after restoring the image).
Too much software and plugins are using the spyware and virus techniques to get in your computer. It is sad but it created a new field anti virus and anti spyware. As much as I dislike MS I find the competitors to media player more annoying!
43. by Guest. 2005-04-23 11:04:14
My VMP update box appeared this morning. After searching my PC per all of the posts below, I discovered a folder in Program Files / Viewpoint that was linked to Atmosphere. I uninstalled Atmosphere, and lo and behold, all of the components to VP, including the .dll and registry keys, have disappeared.
I suspect that VMP had been using our bandwidth, as it seems to have magically increased after uninstalling Atmosphere and VMP.
Also, before uninstalling, I had checked the VP folder found in Control Panel, and discovered the following hidden info concerning its privacy practices, or lack, thereof.
Viewpoint and Your Privacy
VIEWPOINT DOES NOT COLLECT ANY PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION, SUCH AS USER NAME, PHYSICAL ADDRESS, ELECTRONIC ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.
Each installation of Viewpoint Media Player is assigned a Player Identifier, a random alphanumeric identifier generated at the time of installation. The Player Identifier is never connected to a users name, email address, or other personal contact information.
Viewpoint Media Player is designed to check for the availability of software updates, upgrades, and add-ons (Updates) to ensure that you have the latest product improvements and functionality. When the Viewpoint Media Player installed on your machine checks for the availability of Updates, the Player Identifier, the type of operating system using the player, the type of browser in which the player is operating, and the URL visited at the time are sent anonymously to Viewpoint. An author of Viewpoint content can use tags to collect aggregated, anonymous information about users interactions with content, such as which colors users select to view the appearance of a product, which animations are most frequently invoked by online viewers, and the like. User interaction data is typically used by Viewpoints clients to understand how their customers, in the aggregate, interact with online presentations of their products.
Much of the data sent by the Viewpoint Media Player installed on your machine is required only to enable a feature or service to be performed over the Internet. All data is discarded after its intended use is served.
Viewpoints Ad Deployment Technology
Creative Innovator, Viewpoints advertising deployment technology, uses Viewpoint Media Player for displaying advertising content. Like other industry-standard advertising technologies, Creative Innovator collects certain information about the advertisement displayed. This information includes the number of times the advertisement is displayed, the number and duration of users interactions with the advertisement, and the browser and operating system viewers are using while the ad is displayed. This information is stored by the Creative Innovator system and reported to Viewpoints customers.
VIEWPOINT DOES NOT, AT ANY TIME, COLLECT USERS PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.
Contact Us about Privacy
If you have any questions about this privacy statement, or our software and website practices, please contact us:
Privacy Policy Group
Viewpoint Corporation
498 7th Ave. Suite 1810
New York, NY 10018
privacy@Viewpoint.com
44. by Guest. 2005-04-18 23:04:36
I uninstalled Viewpoint Media Player. Now my start menu is messed up and unable to do searches, etc. The history is gone. Crapware.
45. by Guest. 2005-04-18 09:04:19
In IE, go to "Tools", "Manage Add-ons..." and under "Enabled" select "AxMetastream.dll". Then under "Settings" click "Disable", then shut down IE. Now you will be able to delete AxMetastream.dll. The reason you could not do it before is that every time IE loads it enables AxMetastream.dll which means you cannot delete it while it is open.
Post Modified by Admin,
This site doesn't provide any Free tools. Except manual removal recommendations,
46. by Another angry user. 2005-04-15 13:04:15
Somehow this application got installed on my computer. I did not ask for it, nor did I approve at ANY time the installation of this software. The first clue I had that it was there when I got the prompt to install the toolbar - which I did not install. I uninstalled the manager, but this did not uninstall anything at all.
I do not have AOL, do not randomly browse sites, and do not want software installed secretly on my computer.
47. by lollipop. 2005-04-12 20:04:36
Interesting stuff posted so far, but is the Viewpoint uninstall.exe safe? It certainly seems like the easiest solution. Or do I really need to try these other methods (run Ad-Aware and Spybot together; manually delete many files)?
48. by Angry User. 2005-04-12 05:04:13
I hope all developers of programs that install without a users persmission will have their head and fingers amputated in the near future. But not before having each of their finger and toe nails removed before hand.
49. by tom. 2005-04-11 20:04:24
Viewpoint, you filthy, bottom-feeding parasites!! Do something honorable with your technical talents instead of invading my privacy.
50. by CG. 2005-03-30 06:03:17
Dont ever install something on my computer which I do not explicitly agree to before hand.
This is unethical practices.
I too will be submitting a complaint and hope that your business is shutdown and as well.
If this is the way AIM is going - I will remove that worthless software and gladly go with the meriad of other chat tools available too us. ICQ, Yahoo, IRC, MSN, Jabber are just a few choices.
51. by mc68000. 2005-03-17 16:03:06
The @#!$% "Your Viewpoint Toolbar has been updated" is back!! The process for the dialog box that appears with the UPDATE and no CLOSE or X button is ViewMgr.exe. Kill the process, the dialog box goes away and NO TOOLBAR! YES! BTW no word from Corp HQ yet regarding my e-mail.
Also, I have a question of one and all in this forum. Did any of you notice that certain processes to particular web sites started mysteriously closing for no apparent reason when you had the Viewpoint Toolbar? Last night when I was trying to submit content to this blog and do research on that Co. those processes just quit running. I restored to an earlier, pre-Viewpoint, restore point and the I am not having the problem anymore. Nor did I have it before the VPT appeared. Maybe I am getting paranoid, but, just because you are not paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you. Right?
52. by DC. 2005-03-17 07:03:01
Viewpoint slowed my daughters computer to a crawl! We used add/remove programs to remove it. It is still very slow. If we download the removal software will that get rid of the extra files listed above that have to be removed?
53. by mc68000. 2005-03-16 12:03:17
Well, I have thrown out the gauntlet. If anyone else cares to let these folks know that their methods are not appreciated and could have a negative impact in the marketplace, that they seem to want to monopolyize so completely, then feel free to copy the email I sent to Viewpoint Corporation, below. Or borrow from it as you will. The link to their corporate site is included, so let them know how you feel! and maybe we can stop this invasion of privacy.
To: sales@viewpoint.com,pr@viewpoint.com,support@viewpoint.com, jprozeller@fd-us.com, r@viewpoint.com,
info@viewpoint.com
Subject: Viewpoint Toolbar
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 17:28:40 +0000
To the Company, Company Management and Board of Directors of Viewpoint:
I am hereby giving you notice that I am making complaint to the Public Service Commission, the IEEE Advisory Board and Microsoft Corporation and any other Government agency or business, including your Resellers/Partners, that regulates, supports or condones this type of invasion of personal property.
This complaint names collectively and singly Viewpoint the entity and each member of the Company Management, Board of Directors, Resellers and Partners by way of the following link to your Corporate web site.
http://www.viewpoint.com/pub/company/
Furthermore, I intend to boycott said Resellers, Partners, Corporations, Companies, Businesses and individuals who continue to support or condone your Companys policy of using invasive and evasive tactics to glean information, personal or otherwise, from my intellectual property without my knowledge or permission until such time as Viewpoint Corporation agrees to cease and desist the use of said tactics and adopts the legitimate and ethical practice to "...allow your users to decide when to install (and uninstall) your product for themselves."
It is also my intention to publish this notice of complaint in as many public forums as possible, in
order that others may also use it, to give Viewpoint Corporation the courtesy of letting it know that these individuals intend to make complaint against the company as well. A courtesy "the...120
million desktops around the country" did not get when your software insinuated itself on our machines.
54. by Zenobyte. 2005-03-15 06:03:13
Greetings fellow Viewpoint victims. I have just recently encountered this nasty bit of malware on both my personal computer and those of my customers as wireless internet tech. The best way that I have found to eliminate Viewpoint, along with many other types of malware, is to run both Ad-Aware SE and Spybot Search and Destroy. Both programs must be ran at the same time for best results since neither of them can get rid of everything on its own. Spybot also has a nice immunize feature that can help protect a computer from future infection of the same malware by keeping a database of known applications that must not be installed. Both programs are readily available for free from the PCworld website or from the disks included with many popular computer magazines such as MaximumPC. After these two programs have done their thing, the computer should be rebooted. I noticed that Jer (post 6) was unable to permanently delete viewpoint with Spybot alone which is not terribly unusual. Try running Ad-Aware also. For Thom (post 8), aaabesthomepage sounds like a type of trojan horse known as a CWS redirector. The telltale symptoms are all your attempts to access websites are being redirected to a search engine that features suspiciously adult content such as gambling, beer, or porn. This search engine may also end up being your default homepage and you will be unable to change it. Another type of CWS redirector will take you to what appears to be the site you wanted but, while the page is loading, the address bar will briefly flash to an unknown website before the desired site loads. The results of your searches may also seem unusual or incomplete with this variant. The best way I have seen to eliminate CWS redirectors is with a little program called CWSshredder which is also available for free from PCworld. The instructions given by Andy (post 12) may well be effective for viewpoint in the short term but leave the malicious registry keys intact which can cause future problems.
For those of you who are attempting to defend viewpoint or are claiming that it is not actually spyware, here is the abbreviated definition of spyware from Webopedia. (n.) Any software that covertly gathers user information through the users Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else.
By this definition, Viewpoint is clearly spyware. Spyware, along with other types of malware, will have detrimental effects on your computer. People with high bandwidth internet connections such as DSL and fast processors may not notice for a long time. People with dialup or wireless connections and slower processors will notice much more quickly as limited system resources and bandwidth gets subverted for use by malware. Malware programs are also frequently poorly written code that will eventually start conflicting with each other as more of them get installed. This will lead system instability even when not on the internet and can ultimately result in irreversible damage to the operating system that can only be corrected by a fresh install of Windows. Those who think that it is no big deal because they like the toolbar and the data being gathered is anonymous, bear this in mind. While your personal information is not being gathered by Viewpoint directly, the IP address that you connect from most likely is. That IP address, along with a time stamp and a good billing system, can be traced back to your account and then back to you. While your account information may be protected from most people by your ISP, it is only a subpoena and a lawyer away from being admitted in court as evidence. So make sure you have no spyware on your system before you do anything legally questionable on the internet.
The comments made by many in this forum condemning Viewpoint and AOL are spot on. Creators of spyware programs and companies that distribute them must be made to feel our wrath. If you can find an email address for them, fill it with hatemail. If they have a phone number, call them incessantly. If they are selling something, make it a point not to buy that item. These companies must be made to understand that spyware is not profitable for them and we must all work together to make that the case. AOL is one of the largest sources of malware that exists. It is a parasite that will infect every part of your computer and cause you massive amounts of grief. Nevermind their claims of providing free spyware protection. All they are really doing is excluding other types of spyware from your computer while infesting it with spyware of their own. Maybe if enough disgruntled people leave AOL, the will change their wicked ways. We can only hope.
55. by Guest. 2005-03-13 17:03:47
Their hidden contact info is at
http://www.viewpoint.com/pub/company/contact.html
support@viewpoint.com
56. by Guest. 2005-03-13 15:03:45
Delete all files from "C:\Program Files\America Online 9.0\Jiti
57. by ecology. 2005-03-12 11:03:08
To remove VIEWPOINTcompletely:
In folder options enable view of all hidden files and folders. go to documents and settings (Drive C) for each user on the computer look in the APPLICATION DATA and LOCAL SETTINGS Folders for VIEWPOINT files and delete them, then delete the VIEWPOINT folder from Program Files.
Alternatively you could do a WINDOWS Search with hidden file and folders displayed and delete any viewpoint files from there.
58. by Tony Lewis. 2005-03-11 14:03:50
I am fed up with software that installs without aking whether I want it or not. I first noticed this one wehn my connection dialogue box would pop up after I had disconnected from Internet. Surely this company and others should be getting prosecuted by government authorities.
59. by JoeJ. 2005-03-09 09:03:15
I guess the owners of this website must have been muscled by Viewpoint and/or it's larger sponsors (AOL, Adobe) into saying that VP isn't really spyware.
As everyone below as expressed (except Zaphod, of course, who almost certainly works for VP) this application is definitely spyware/malware:
1. It installs itself without user permission.
2. It updates an advertiser database with information about it users ("non-identifiable", I know. That doesn't change anything.)
3. It has a fake "uninstall" component, that causes less experienced users to think it has been installed while the "guts" of the application are still intact (and, I suspect, functional.)
The sad thing is that the functionality in the toolbar seems really nice. There are people who would probably not mind installing it voluntarily. And if AOL, Adobe, and whoever else use these 3-D models and animations on their websites, there are many people who wouldn't necessarily mind downloading a viewer to see them -- IF they knew for sure the viewer wasn't spyware.
Viewpoint, if you're listening... take some notes from Macromedia's playbook. Your product isn't so different from the Flash player, and you have some nice features. But make your money from your sponsors (they have deep enough pockets) not your users. And please allow your users to decide when to install (and uninstall) your product for themselves.
And Adobe, AOL, if you're listening? Please don't associate your products with this kind of stuff... it's bad for your reputation. I'd hate to have to try to find a third party PDF writer because I can't trust Adobe anymore.
60. by jer. 2005-03-08 14:03:29
well i have spybot search and destroy and it detected a spybot called "viewpoint" and its there in the regedit files under "content bugger"
can sumone tell me how to delete it from my comp. FOR GOOD it keeps coming back always!!!!
help...i also have spyware blaster 3.2, does that help prevent it also......HELPP!!!