Blocking Programs From The Internet?

I have several free programs I run that don't have options to disable their update notices. This can be annoying as I don't want to continuously download them when new updates are pushed out (some on a weekly basis).

I see some tutorials that say to block it in Windows Firewall, however, I run BitDefender so that has disabled it. When I try to block them in BitDefender, it does not seem to kill the update notices (leading me to believe I'm not blocking the proper area of the application that is connecting).

Can anyone suggest a good solution for these troublesome programs in order to stop these notices by blocking their access? I'm open to a solution in BitDefender (actualy, I'd prefer it) but I'm willing to go with a good third-party app as well.

 

I've always found that Ccleaner's Tools > Startup is the easy way to deal with this. Other than Windows Update, which is required, I haven't come across one that can't be stopped in this way.

 

WinPatrol will allow you to stop things running under services which is sometimes where auto updating in some programs hide.
http://majorgeeks.com/WinPatrol_d3380.html

I run the Plus version on 4 computers but the free version allows you to make changes, I think. It is a simple check or uncheck and easy to change if you find you've made a mistake in not having something running.

 

@ Earthling

I manage my start up programs pretty well and the issue here is that when I launch the programs they give me the update notice. It doesn't happen unless the apps are open.

@ plodr

Interesting. So how would I use a program like that to figure out how to block the access to just the update functions of different programs?

 

Example: under services I have listed (XP computer - you did not mention what version of windows)
Mozilla Maintenance Service currently it is stopped and disabled.
If I wanted to change that, I'd go to Administrative Tools then Services
I'd double click to get a box. Under startup, I have choices of: Automatic, Manual and Disabled.

If you mention one of the programs that is pushing updates and the version of windows you run, I'll give a more specific example.

 

Sure. Let's take "Windows Repair (All in One)" app found right here on the MG. It keeps asking me to update to version 1.9.0.

I only use this program to repair my icon cache and I'm not interested in repeatedly having to update my recovery apps to include a new version all the time.

How would you block an app like this for instance? Again, it only happens when I launch the app and I'm pretty sure it's a stand alone program (IE: I'm assuming it wouldn't have an item in the Services, but maybe I'm wrong).

 

If it only asks when you launch it then it is not running a service.
I have a program like that, DVDFab. I just say no every time it tells me there is a newer version and do I want to install it. You learn to live with it for the sake of a free program; if it would too much of a hassle, I'd uninstall and use something else.

Other programs that do this to me that I'm willing to live with because I like the programs: Revo Uninstaller and 123 Free Solitaire.

 

Yeah, but I'm not willing to give up the program I'm using. I also know this can be done because when I disconnect from the internet, the prompt goes away.

So, the app establishing the connection generates the prompt. How can I stop the connection? My firewall (BitDefender) doesn't seem to cut it, so I'll have to use a 3rd party app.

Any suggestions?

 

As plodr suggested you may have to live with it. I do have a suggestion though. Why not asking Shane, the author of Windows Repair AIO? He's got a forum: http://www.tweaking.com/forums/index.php/board,2.0.html?PHPSESSID=16633922976a8057f48177ea9e42b061

While I don't like to refer to another forum, this time it maybe worth it. Since Shane wrote the program he probably would know? I do have his Registry Backup program and also receive notices of updates for it inside this program (no popup) but I can't find it in services either.

 

I could probably do that, however, I just used this as an example. I have several programs I'm having this update issue with.

The program gives me a prompt to update when I'm connected to the internet. If I disconnect, the "update process" runs but does not find a connection, so is unable to locate any update info.

Therefore, there must be some program that will put a wall between the app and the internet connection to prevent the prompt. For some reason, my BitDefender firewall doesn't seem to be getting the job done.

Any thoughts?

 

gadgetslover, OP is running BitDefender firewall, not Windows.

 

You could open the task manager, go the processes tab and when this occuring and get the Process Identifier (PID) of the app.

Then, from an admin command prompt, run:

netstat -aon | more

Look for the PID in question, this should give the port the app is using.
You'll see lines like this;

TCP 0.0.0.0:778 0.0.0.0 LISTENING 2222

Where 778 is the port and 2222 is the PID of the app.

Maybe you could do a port block with that information if it is not a common port like 80 which you need...

 

I've done some digging, and using Windows Repair v1.7.5 as my template for other programs I'll also need to block, here is the network info I was able to ascertain from the Network tab of the Resource Monitor:

Repair_Windows.exe
PID: 6044
IP Address
Local Address
Local Port
Remote Address
Remote Port
Firewall Status: Allowed, Not Restricted

How can I use this info to block the connection. I don't see anything like this feature in Resource Monitor. Also, I find it strange that the Firewall status is "Allowed, Not Restricted" when Windows Firewall is disabled and it is blocked in BitDefender.

 

the program cports.exe will show you the ip address of the program phoning home, and then you will need to modify the hosts file, (windows/system 32/drivers/etc) or make a custom list in a program like peerblock and uncheck it to make updates Just a thought...

 

I've been going back and forth with this and I still, no matter how hard I try, can't seem to find a solution. It's frustrating because this seems like it would be a very simple proposition.

I tried using cports.exe, but it gives me no information about the program (still using Windows_Repair.exe to test) except the PID and the Port. This is basically useless as every time the app loads and connects to the internet, both these value change.

I tried editing the host file but using just the website address names didn't work. I'm at a loss.

Here is a screen shot from the Resource Manager. Can someone ascertain any information I might be missing in how to block a program like this?

http://imageshack.us/a/img191/7794/mg01.png

 

Look for the PID in the Task Manager to identify the program.

 

Greetings, techtitan...

Pardon the intrusion - looks like you're getting some good advice. I just have a quick question: have you tried disabling the BitDefender software, re-enabling the Windows firewall and then setting up custom outbound rules for the programs/updates that are trying to phone home?

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

However, I must ask, isn't that a big no-no? It's always been my understanding that using Windows default firewall is inferior to a good 3rd party app like BitDefender, which disables the Windows Firewall by default when installed.

 

Nothing wrong with disabling BitDefender and trying the Windows firewall for troubleshooting purposes.

For that matter, I have never found anything wrong with the Windows protection schemes - I've never used any 3rd-party firewall software, and 99% of my customers use the Windows firewall included with whatever OS flavor they're running. That's just personal preference, however.

This is certainly not the place to start comparing firewall advantages/disadvantages - just trying to get you up and running.

 

Well, I figured blocking it in the Firewall was the easiest solution, but for some reason BitDefender 2011 is really letting me down in that department.

Is there another good 3rd party firewall and I could purchase and install with BitDefender that could take over the firewall responsibilities AND provide the features I would need to easily block these types of programs from connecting? Or would I just ended up in the same situation with these programs connecting outside my firewall anyway?

 

UPDATE:

I've decided to take a step back from trying to find a third party app to do this and give it one final shot at manually blocking these programs myself. However, I need to know exactly what data I'm looking for.

For instance...

In the above screen shot you see the following information about the connected app:

Even though the PID and Port number it connects through changes every time, this information is always the same. Can I use a combination of the above data to block this connection in the Host file? I know it won't work with the IP address alone and I've already tried adding the .com lines by themselves, but it didn't block their connections.

Any suggestions?

 

You could try adding these to lines to the hosts file in windows/system32/drivers/etc

127.0.0.1 alpha.pg01.com
127.0.0.1 activate.adobe.com

that should stop the update requests.

 

Yes, that was actually the first thing I tried but to no avail.

I was however able to find a solution using Caliban method. I simply turned Windows Firewall back on and blocked it by creating a new rule in the Outbound section and POOF! Blocked it on the first try. I tried it with my other programs that needed blocking and it worked great and it does not seem to interfere with BitDefender Firewall.

 

Good to see old Occam's Razor is still holding its edge...

Glad you got it sorted, techtitan - thanks for the feedback.

 

Update:

This may be unrelated, but I'm currently dealing with an email spam issue where someone seems to have gotten my email and using it to spam people. I now get a "Mail Delivery Failure" notice. Nothing else about my system has changed and I've ran SuperSpyware, Malwarebytes and BitDefender Total security anti-virus scans and they have found 0 results of anything malicious.

Could this be in any way related to me turning on Windows Firewall and providing some type of security hole between the two firewalls?