Altnet

Anyone know how to fix the Altnet problem?

When I run Spybot Search and Destroy to get rid of Altnet it finds it:

Altnet
Settings
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Altnet

But when I ask for it to be rid of it, it give me a warning:

Some problems coundn't be fixed; the reason could be that the associated files are still in use (in memory).
This could be fixed after a restart.
May Spybot-S&D run on your next system startup?

I click on Yes and it gives me a Confirmation message:

• 
  0 problems fixed.
  1 problem could not be fixed. Please restart your computer

After I restarted my computer, Spybot Search and Destroy started up automatically ready to get rid of the Altnet error. But, alas, it is a continuous loop because it failed to remove it and offered to try again at the next start-up.

Ad-Aware fails to recognize the Altnet problem.

This is Ad-Aware 6.0

I installed Ad-Aware SE.

Ad-Aware SE found the Altnet problem

http://www.completetranslations.com/assets/images/altnet32.gif

Ad-Aware SE calls this bug, "AltnetBDE" and although it says it finds it, and although it says it deletes it, if you run Ad-Aware SE again, it will continue to appear.

Microsoft has a pretty good new program, Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta 1.

It finds the bug, says it removes the bug, and when you run the program again, it shows that it did not remove the bug.

Running this program provides me with the most informtion about the Altnet bug:

Altnet
Type: Browser Plug-in
Threat Level: Elevated
Author: Altnet Inc./Brilliant Digital Entertainment, Inc.

Description: Altnet Topsearch acts as a search engine and runs as an Internet Explorer browser helper object. It can supply advertising to KaZaA users.

Advice: This is a high risk threat and should be removed or quarantined as to prevent harm to your computer or your privacy.

About Browser Plug-in: A browser plug-in is an application that can be installed within a user's web browser. Plug-ins can come in the form of a toolbar that is included in your web browser or a search or navigation feature to extra task buttons on the browser. Although most plug-ins are designed to perform necessary functions, many plug-ins are harmful to you computer because they have complete access to your web browser and can modify, spy and redirect any task you perform.

But this program, Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta 1, behaves much like the others in the sense that it finds the bug, says it removes it, and then, when you run the program once more, it finds the bug again.

Here is a record of my attempt to remove this bug by hand.

First of all, I restarted the computer in Safe Mode. This is done by tapping the F8 key as the computer powers up and then selecting Safe Mode from the appearing menu.

I then selected to start-up as the Administrator.

Once the Safe Mode Desktop appeared I started the Registry Editor program "regedit" by clicking on the "Start" button then "Run" and then typing "regedit".

I found our Altnet friend:

http://www.completetranslations.com/assets/images/altnet4.gif

When clicking on the "Message" key, I get this message:

http://www.completetranslations.com/assets/images/altnet28.gif

I am able to right click on the "Altnet" key and a pop-up menu appears which allows me to change the permissionis:

http://www.completetranslations.com/assets/images/altnet27.gif

Click on Add.
Click on Advanced.
Click on Find Now.
Click on Everyone.
Click on OK.
Click on OK.

Then I tried to delete the key. But this failed...

I googled "Brilliant Digital Entertainment, Inc." and it seems that its website is http://www.brilliantdigital.com/

I clicked on "Help"

I clicked on "Contact US Tech Support" and this opened an email to support@b3d.com < support@b3d.com>

And I emailed then this letter:

I sent the same email to their web master.

I looked up their address on their web site and found:

I did a "whois" on internic.net and found that the web site is hosted by networksolutions.com. So I did a whois on networksolutions.com for brilliantdigital.com and found:

 

Welcome

This site has alot of good tools for cleaning up your computer. It's very important that the first thing you do is the following:

First, please follow ALL the steps in this Sticky thread READ ME FIRST BEFORE ASKING FOR SUPPORT: Basic Spyware, Trojan And Virus Removal.
If you already have any of the programs linked in the tutorial please double check your version to make sure you have the latest one and that you have any/all updates for the programs.

NOTE: In order to resolve the issues you are having it is very important that you at least try to perform all the steps as outlined. If you have any difficulty please post back letting us know what steps you have completed, what you found while doing the scans if anything and details about any problems you have encountered in completing the steps. The more details you can provide the better.

Try this... you may find it's all you need. If not post your results and I am sure one of the PROS can help you. These guys are quite busy, as you can see by the number of posts, so hang in there. Good Luck!!

TheOldThug

 

In addition to completing the tutitorial as posted by TheOldThug you should also do the following as Altnet is related to Kazaa. So, you should run: KazaaBegone 1.10
As you can also see from your post regarding what Microsoft Anti Spyware had to say about Altnet that it has to do with KaZaA..

Best of luck and post back to let us know how things are going..
sw

 

I have pretty much done all that is on that link. My steps have not been as involved. But I will go back and do/redo it all. I have done it so many times that my confidence is extremely low that it will work.

But I will be back once I have done it all.

By the way, I am tracking my progress on my web site, www.completetranslations.com (click on Altnet on the home page)

 

I have done this with a program designed to get rid of Kazaa. I am not sure if it is the same program. But I will do it again with this one.

Also, www.completetranslations.com and click on Altnet to track my progress and steps I have done.

 

I just tried KazaaBegone and Altnet spyware is still in the registry.

I could have bet it would not have worked given the extent I have gone thus far.

 

I Fixed the Altnet Problem!!
I am not so sure the suggestions posted below will work because the fix was pretty involved and very specific.

I got rid of the Altnet bug after running several anti-spyware programs in safe mode, then removing system restore (in safe mode and logged into the computer as administrator) and then doing a lot of jiggling and poking in the registry with regedit and setting a lot of permission values and also reassigning the ownership of the keys. Finally after a lot of setting and resetting in the registry, I was able to delete the Altnet Key.

I will post what I am talking about later