Hello Glsphotog!
If you don't want to know about the background information of GAIN ads
and just want to get rid of it then skip to the "To Uninstall All
Spyware from Your Computer" section below.
Gain stands for Gator Advertising and Information Network and is a
program that usually comes with other programs that remembers
passwords for you, shows you ads and tracks which ads you click on.
This is classified as spyware, which spys on what ads you click and
"profiles" you to give you better ads so you'll be more likely to buy
something.
Gator Corporation's Faq
http://www.gatorcorporation.com/companyinfo/press/press_faq.html
I also see that it tracks this information. This is an excerpt from
GAIN's privacy statement which was found in SpyBot Search and Destroy
1.2 (more on SpyBot later on):
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Privacy Statement
Some information we may collect, use, and associate with your
Anonymous ID includes:
Which web pages your computer views and how much time is spent at
those sites
Your response to the ads we display
Standard web log information and system settings
What software is on your computer
Your first name, country, and five digit ZIP code
Your GAINware usage characteristics and preferences
Information associated with your Anonymous ID is used in any of three
ways:
a) to offer assistance (e.g. knowing when to offer help filling in a
form or adjust your computer's clock),
b) to select and deliver installation files for optional new GAINware
and/or third party software applications, and
c) to deliver advertisements and information to you on behalf of our
advertisers who are often competitors of the
web sites you are viewing.
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Really though, these ads are intrusive, annoying and sometimes
abusive.
Sometimes if you try to uninstall them they will not uninstall
completely. When this happens you'll have to do a bit of extra work to
free your computer of these pests.
--To Uninstall All Spyware from Your Computer--
Note that some applications you may have downloaded and installed
might require the spyware to work correctly. (These application may
have included spyware and you might have agreed to it during
installation. Note spyware is often labeled as "promotions, ads,
offers, incentives, or extra features".)
(Uninstalling certain spyware from certain applications might cause
that application to not work.) If this happens there are ways around
it (sometimes), or you could just use an application that does not
contain spyware.)
1. The first step is to use the Add/Remove Programs dialog box.
Click Start, Click Settings, Click Control Panel.
In the Control panel click Add/Remove Programs.
2. Find "Gator eWallet" or "GAIN" (or something similar)
and Click Remove. Click Yes if it asks you if you are sure.
Now we'll use SpyBot Search and Destroy on it. SpyBot allows you to
remove spyware easily and it finds it in all the places it could be
hiding. (It only finds known spyware but Gator/GAIN is known so it
will find it and allow you to delete it). If you haven't already got
SpyBot Search and Destroy 1.2 then download it.
3. Download Spybot S&D 1.2 from here:
SpyBot Search and Destroy Download
http://studserver.uni-dortmund.de/~su1669/spybotsd12.exe
4. Install SpyBotSD. (Double click on the downloaded file and follow
the instructions.)
5. When you run SpyBotSD for the first time it will ask if you want to
download the updates for it. You should download the updates for it so
it will detect the newest pests (so it can allow you to remove them).
You can download the updates for SpyBot manually if you choose by
clicking on "Online" on the left button panel and then Clicking
"Search for updates" (to the top right, right of the globe with the
magnifying glass). Then it will download a list of what can be updated
and then will list the items that can be updated on the bottom there.
Check each item and then click "Download Updates" after that to
download them. When green check marks appear next to each item, that
means it was successfully downloaded.
6. Click Spybot-S&D on the left button panel.
7. Click "Check for Problems" on the bottom right.
8. It will scan for any spyware you computer might have and when it
finds GAIN/Gator it will show up in the list of detected spyware. It
might take awhile depending on how fast your computer is and how much
storage space it has.
9. All spyware items will show in red. You should make sure that each
red spyware item is check and then click "Fix selected problems". Then
click Yes. That will remove the spyware for you (and the GAIN pop-up
ads since the spyware creates those).
(If you remove something here by mistake you can recover it in the
"Recovery" section of SpyBotSD). It will probably find more than just
GAIN as spyware. Those other items marked as spyware are safe to
remove. A green check mark will show when items are successfully
removed. If SpyBotSD asks you to run it when Windows Restarts then say
Yes (or OK) and it will remove it when you reboot/restart the
computer.
Gator/GAIN ads should be removed at this point (you might have to
restart). It would be a good idea to immunize yourself from certain
spyware. This can be done by clicking Immunize in SpyBotSD and then
clicking Immunize on the right.
Another measure of protection from spyware would be AdAware which is
similar in function to SpyBot Search and Destroy.
You can get AdAware here:
Ad-aware Homepage
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
I hope this helps you to rid yourself of this pesky annoyance. If you
need anymore help as to how to remove GAIN/Gator or if anything is
unclear then please "Request Answer Clarification" before you "Rate
this Answer" and I'll do whatever I can to help. :)
-arcadesdude-ga
Google Answers Researcher
Sources/Useful Links:
What is Spyware?
http://www.spychecker.com/spyware.html
Gator Corporation's Faq
http://www.gatorcorporation.com/companyinfo/press/press_faq.html
SpyBot Search and Destroy Homepage
http://security.kolla.de/
Remove Gator
http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/howto/story/0,24330,3389395,00.html
Ad-aware Homepage
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Search Strategy:
"Gain Advertising" spyware
://www.google.com/search?q=%22Gain+Advertising%22+spyware
"remove gator" spyware
://www.google.com/search?q=%22remove+gator%22+spyware
personal experience |
