I downloaded a video that requires me to install a specific Video Player or Video Codec.What should I do?

Question

Anyone is welcomed to contribute based on their personal experience.I am refering to those who have been infected by spyware before and would like to share tehir computer behaiviour after the fraudulent attempt.

Answer 1

Currently there are 2 spyware programs related to video that i am aware of.One of them is the PLAY3W and the oder is simply called Video Codec.If u own a file that rewuires these 2 u should delete it immediately and turn your back on it.Why?... very simple.

A video file is not supposed to be preferential when it comes to video codecs or media plyers.The video codecs supplyed by K-lite and ACE Mega Codec Pack is more than enough to play any video file existent today.Their effort on constantly updating their codec makes that posible.



Some of u might ask why is that true..well it is because when video files were invented a specific standard was also developed that was released to the public.That standard is here today after many years so any attempt to modify a video file to require special attention from the user is a possible fraudulent atack.



I was infected twice by the trojan known under the name of Video Codec. It is found when a user is trying to view xxx content and it will not play until that codec is installed.What happens after u install teh codec?....well that content does play eventually but after 10 minutes or so you will get Windows like warnings that your computer is or might be infected with spyware and it requires you to download a software that will install even more spyware.In the end your computer will be useless and a complete format is required.



Is this type of software detectable by well known virus/spyware scanners.Most of the cases NO!!!. Why?...because a spyware does not appear as a virus...(a virus will infect an existing file thus changing its size and signature..thats how virus scanners know what happens when),infact it appears as a normal program that runs in a priviledged mode taking control over your daily tasks such as surfing the web.Spyware usually installs its self as a windows service (configurred properly a windows service cannot be terminated by the user or it will respawn after termination so playing with task manager wonn't do the trick).Also spyware has a backup program that will regenerate that piece of software in the event that the spyware is deleted.A spyware will also try to impersonate well known windows components thus making the task more difficult.



So..u see the complications that appear when spyware is on your computer.The task of Anti-Spyware is very complicated and it involves having the complete knoledge about that pesky program.Thats why most of the time an Anti-Spyware product will not detect the malware at all or it will not remove it completelly.



Also be advised that Anti-Spyware programs may release their own malware that only their product can remove it so that u will buy their software.This fact is very real and it has been a marketing teqnique for years.



After reading this article I hope that you feel alarmed about all the potential threats and think twice when you feel eager about having some pece of software.If you really want it buy the product it will be 100% safe.

Answer 2

If your media players have been working properly then all of a sudden you're told you need a new codec, that's more than likely a trojan asking to be let in. If the video won't play without the new codec it's likely bad news too. Often if you ignore the request to install the new codec the video will play anyway.

Answer 3

I didn't have spy wear or a good firewall at the time. I downloaded the same thing and my comp died! Had to get it re-formatted, wiped!

Answer 4

here are the files you need to watch:

tv shows/video/music

MY BASIC VIDEO/TV/MOVIE PLAYER APPS



MEDIA BASICS



If you're going to be able to watch:

Tv

videos

movies

or just listen to music,you'll need these basics:



SHOCKWAVE

http://www.adobe.com/products/shockwaveplayer/



Shockwave & Flash Player FAQ

Shockwave & Flash Player Overview



* How do I fix almost all Shockwave and Flash Player issues?

* What is Shockwave Player?

* How do I get Shockwave Player?

* How does Shockwave Player protect my privacy?

* What is Flash Player?

* How do I get Flash Player?

* What's the difference between the Flash and Shockwave Players?



Troubleshooting



* Why doesn't Shockwave Player download properly with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5?

* How can I improve the performance of Shockwave Player?

* I'm trying to download Shockwave Player, but I can't. How can I get Shockwave Player?

* How can permissions affect installing the Shockwave and Flash Players with Windows NT and Windows 2000?

* How can I make sure my Shockwave and Flash Players are working?

* Some Web sites prompt me to download Shockwave or Flash Player, but I'm sure I have the latest version. How can I check this?

* I updated to the latest version of Shockwave Player, and my Shockwave Remote disappeared. Why?

* Why am I not receiving my Shockwave Player updates?

http://www.shockwave.com/help/faq_flashplayer.jsp



FLASH

http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash



QUICKTIME

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/



JAVA

http://java.com/getjava/





HERE ARE SOME NON-DOWNLOAD TV PLAYERS.

Joox.net requires a DivX plugin which you get by clicking on the plugin notice after which all your selections will play nicely for you.



HIGHLY RECCOMENDED

JOOX.NET

http://www.joox.net



In2TV

AOL's In2TV claims the largest selection of free TV shows on the Web.

You won't find this season's latest releases, but you're bound to see

memorable favorites. There are episodes of Gilligan's Island, Welcome

Back Kotter, Babylon 5, The Ben Stiller Show and more. There also is a

mix of childhood favorites like Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Jetsons and

Looney Tunes.

http://television.aol.com/in2tv



Yahoo! TV

Yahoo!'s new site sets out to be the ultimate TV watcher's companion.

To start, it features schedules for broadcast and premium programming.

You can watch preview or summary clips of the latest shows. If you

have a TiVo, you can schedule recordings from the site. You also can

join the Yahoo! TV community and rate individual series episodes.

http://tv.yahoo.com/



Link TV

Link TV is an original online source of documentaries and news. Many

of the available programs focus on foreign cultures and political and

environmental issues. The site relies on donations and encourages

activism in environmental organizations.

http://www.linktv.org/experience/



TV Land

TV Land is dedicated to the TV shows of yesteryear. Revel in memorable

scenes from MASH, Get Smart, I Love Lucy, All in the Family, The Odd

Couple and more. You can also watch recent interviews with the stars

for their insights. One of the real gems on the site is the

Retromercials section. TV commercials do not age well, but they

certainly become interesting and funny. Be sure to catch the "Where's

the Beef?" commercial.

http://www.tvland.com/video/



Discovery Channel

Watch the best of Discovery Channel's interesting mix of programs. For

example, go from dinosaur documentaries to the World's Ugliest Dog

Competition. Also check out the Video Downloads section. Alongside the

pay selections are free full-length offerings every week.

http://animal.discovery.com/beyond/



MySpaceTv

http://vids.myspace.com/



THESE NEXT ARE DOWNLOADS WHICH I USE DAILY;

HIGHLY RECCOMEMDED

Miro

download youtube,google videos and more.

vintage cartoons,tv shows [ Roy Rodgers,Dick Tracy,ect ] and whatever your heart desires ]

http://www.getmiro.com



THIS 1 HAS SOME ADULT LINKS,NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN

RECCOMENDED

Winamp

radio,tv,movies,music of all gendres

http://www.winamp.com



NEEDED CODECS FOR XP & VISTA



Vista Codec Package 4.5.1 Beta 2 [ 21 Mb | Freeware | NT/200x/XP/Vista]

Compiles the best codecs from all the big name codec packs.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Vista_Codec_Package_4.5.1_Beta_2_d5701.html



XP Codec Pack 2.3.0 Beta

Codec pack which helps you to play all major audio and video formats.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4838.html



Windows Media Encoder

Windows Media Encoder is a powerful tool for content producers who want to capture audio and video content using the many innovations in Windows Media, including high-quality multichannel sound, high-definition video quality, and support for mixed-mode voice and music content.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/default.mspx





FIREFOX BASICS



Firefox Add-ons: Common Plugins for Firefox

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:7



Acrobat Reader

By Adobe Systems

For viewing and printing Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)



Adobe Flash Player

By Adobe

Adobe Flash Player is the universal rich client for delivering effective Adobe Flash experiences across desktops and devices.



Java

By Sun Microsystems

The Java Runtime Environment enables your computer to run applications and applets that use Java technology.



Quicktime

By Apple Computer

QuickTime Player is an easy-to-use application for playing, interacting with or viewing video, audio, VR or graphics files.



RealPlayer

By Real Networks

RealPlayer enables your computer to play streaming RealVideo and RealAudio.



Shockwave

By Adobe

Shockwave Player displays Web content that has been created by Adobe Director.





RECCOMENDED VIDEO DOWNLOADER



UnPlug

by h2g2bob

UnPlug is an extension which lets you save video and audio which is embedded on a webpage - it's a video download tool.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2254



Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin

This plug-in allows you to use Windows Media Player inside of Firefox.

http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download.aspx



once you have these installed,try playing the video in it's rightful player.



more players at end



now,if you STILL can't play this video,choose a player that matches the file type demanded by that video



MEDIA PLAYERS:



TiVo Desktop 2.5.1 [ 15.4 Mb | Freeware | Win All]

Access your music and photos located on a PC over the network using a TiVo.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/TiVo_Desktop_d4362.html



QuickPlayer 1.00 Beta 60a

http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_6_73_18914.html



TuberPlayer 1.04 (Freeware)

from Softpedia - Latest software

This software application is a free multiple audio format player for Windows

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Audio-Players/TuberPlayer.shtml



TAMP description

Media player for Windows with automatical detection and use of codecs installed in the system.

TAMP is a media player for Windows. Our player automatically detects and uses codecs already installed on the system. It supports the following formats: AVI, MPG, VOB, OGM, OGG, MP1, MP2, MP3, MO3, IT, MOD, MTM, S3M, UMX, XM, WAV, flash video, also playlists too.

Together with Tuber, a fun character from a new 3D arcade "Adventures of Tuber", you will plunge you into the world of video that you love!

The advantage

of the player is that it uses little of system resources. Besides it contains 3D bonus video and soundtracks from Tuber series.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Video/Video-Players/TAMP.shtml



Aimp-

like winamp but better,it comes with an encoder and tagging tool

http://www.aimp.ru/



GODtube

http://www.godtube.com/



FLVPlayer4Free v2.0.0.0

http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_6_74_37068.html



# SWF & FLV Player is a powerful but tiny Flash movie player. (giveawayoftheday)

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/swf-flv-player/



VIDEO SHARING SITES

http://www.metacafe.com

http://www.video.google.com

http://www.veoh.com



Flash Movie Player description

Freeware stand-alone player for Flash animations with enhanced features

Flash Movie Player is a freeware standalone player for Shockwave Flash (SWF) animations, based on Macromedia Flash Player plug-in.



In addition to all Macromedia Flash Player abilities, it has a lot of extended features, such as animation rewinding, advanced full screen mode, .exe projectors support and playlists.



VMware Player 2.0.0.55017

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4891.html



Free Sothink FLV Player

from SnapFiles - 20 latest freeware programs

Sothink FLV Player enables you to play FLV files without the need for any other players. It supports playback of local files as well as streaming playback from an URL. The program can be associate

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/sothinkflv.html



Spider Player Basic 2.0

from MajorGeeks.com

Multimedia player as well as ripping, streaming, tag editing and more. [License: Freeware| Requires: Win All | Size: 2.20 Mb]

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5771.html



SMPlayer 0.5.51

http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_6_74_27426.html



QuickTime Alternative 1.81

Updated: 2 May 2007 | Freeware | 12.3MB | Downloads: 8050530 Screenshots

Reviews [196]



QuickTime Alternative will allow you to play QuickTime files (.mov, .qt, .3gp and other extensions) without having to install the official QuickTime Player. It also supports QuickTime content that is embedded in webpages.

As a bonus, Internet Explorer will play all QuickTime movies that are embedded in a webpage. You do need a media player that is capable of playing QuickTime files. The included Media Player Classic supports it and works very well. The QuickTime Browser plugin supports Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape and Mozilla. The QuickTime plugins include iPIX and QuickTimeVR.

Some advantages compared to QuickTime player :

- Quick and easy install

- It's easy to make an unattended installation

- No background processes

- Use a player of your own choice

- Low on resources

- Smaller size

Features of QuickTime Alternative 1.81 :

- Media Player Classic [version 6.4.9.0 rev 611]: this is a full-featured player which has internal decoding support for DVD, MPEG-2, MP3, MP2, AAC, AC3 and DTS. It also has internal support for opening Matroska and Ogg containers. Media Player Classic is also capable of playing QuickTime and RealMedia content if those codecs are installed.

- QuickTime Codecs [version 7.1.6.200]: required for playing QuickTime content.

- QuickTime DirectShow filter: allows you to play QuickTime content in all DirectShow enabled players.

Without this filter QuickTime content can only be played in Media Player Classic.

- QuickTime plugin for Internet Explorer: allows you to view QuickTime content that is embedded in a webpage. It is installed together with the QuickTime codecs.

- QuickTime plugin for Opera/Firefox/Mozilla/Netscape... allows you to view QuickTime content that is embedded in a webpage.

- Extra plugins for QuickTime: plugins for viewing some special formats that are sometimes used on webpages.

- CoreAVC: is an external filter for Media Player classic

- CoreAAC: is an AAC DirectShow filter decoder based on FAAD2.



Features of QuickTime Alternative Lite 1.81 :



- QuickTime Codecs [version 7.1.6.200]

- QuickTime plugin for Internet Explorer

- QuickTime plugin for Opera/Mozilla/Netscape

- Extra plugins for QuickTime

- DirectShow MOV parser

- DirectShow QuickTime decoder wrapper

- CoreAVC

- CoreAAC

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/quic...



RECCOMENDED

VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/



RECCOMENDED

FLV Player - Reviews and free downloads at Download.com

http://www.download.com/flv-player/3000-...



RECCOMENDED

Winamp Media Player - MP3 Player, Multimedia Player, MP3 Music ...

http://www.winamp.com/



RECCOMENDED

MIRO

http://www.getmiro.com



GOM Player

This freeware media player comes with a ton of popular video codecs

preloaded. For codecs that GOM Player cannot handle, the software

automatically takes you to open source software sites to download the

appropriate files.

GOM Player can also handle partial AVI files. That means you can watch

movies while you're still downloading them. Or if you've only managed

to download part of the video, you can check it out to see if it's

worth downloading the rest.

http://www.gomplayer.com/main.html



KMPlayer



Like GOM Player, KMPlayer includes a ton of codecs for watching most

video files right out of the box. If you want to watch a file in a

proprietary format like h.264, you can specify an external decoder to

use with the media player.

KMPlayer can also handle damaged AVI files, Quicktime movies, and Real

Media files. You'll need to have RealPlayer and QuickTime installed,

or download Real Alternative and QuickTime Alternative.

http://www.kmplayer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63



rulesPlayer



This unassuming little media player is a powerhouse of video codec

compatibility. Like SMPlayer, rulesPlayer is built as a frontend for

MPlayer.

RulesPlayer includes support for multiple languages, and can handle 12

different subtitle formats.

http://rulesplayer.altervista.org/



GOM Player

This freeware media player comes with a ton of popular video codecs

preloaded. For codecs that GOM Player cannot handle, the software

automatically takes you to open source software sites to download the

appropriate files.

GOM Player can also handle partial AVI files. That means you can watch

movies while you're still downloading them. Or if you've only managed

to download part of the video, you can check it out to see if it's

worth downloading the rest.

http://www.gomplayer.com/main.html



KMPlayer



Like GOM Player, KMPlayer includes a ton of codecs for watching most

video files right out of the box. If you want to watch a file in a

proprietary format like h.264, you can specify an external decoder to

use with the media player.

KMPlayer can also handle damaged AVI files, Quicktime movies, and Real

Media files. You'll need to have RealPlayer and QuickTime installed,

or download Real Alternative and QuickTime Alternative.

http://www.kmplayer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63



rulesPlayer



This unassuming little media player is a powerhouse of video codec

compatibility. Like SMPlayer, rulesPlayer is built as a frontend for

MPlayer.

RulesPlayer includes support for multiple languages, and can handle 12

different subtitle formats.

http://rulesplayer.altervista.org/





once you determine that none of these measures works,you have spyware!



SPYWARE REMOVING



SPYWARE PREVENTION and REMOVAL:

1st,shut down system restore:

the REASON we shut down System restore is that nasties like to hide tthere and when you restore to an earlier time,you drag those nasties right along with your earlier restore point and you've gained NOTHING!

shutting down system restore DELETES those old restore points ALONG with any nasty hiding in them.

later,we'll set up a new CLEAN restore point to work from.



XP HOME:

start

all programs

accessories

system tools

system restore

settings

drive (c)

check OFF box



VISTA:

The Windows Vista System Restore feature will make sure that software installations, drivers, and other updates can be rolled back. The only price to this feature is some disk usage. If you want to disable System restore, which is a bad idea, it's really pretty simple.

Just to make sure you understand… Windows Vista has just been released. There are bugs. Things will crash. Disabling System Restore will keep you from rolling back changes.

So, you've read this far. Now let's disable it. Type system restore into the start menu search box

click open system protection.uncheck:

OS (c) (System)

turn system restore off { ok }



now it's time to turn to internet options and clean up THAT puppy!



XP or Vista:

start

control panel

internet options

General:

history_clear

cookies_clear

temp files_clear



Privacy:

advanced

override

allow 1st party cookies

Block 3rd [ tracking ] cookies



XP ONLY:

Advanced:

ActiveX:

un check all "unsigned or unsafe ActiveX elements



ok,exit internet options



next:



start

my computer [ XP ] or computer [ Vista ]

local disk drive (c) [XP] or OS (c) [Vista]

windows

prefetch folder

edit

select all

press delete



now go to:

temp folder

edit

select all

press delete key



COOKIES [XP ]:

my computer

local disk drive (c)

documents & settings

username

cookies

delete all



COOKIES: Vista:

start

search pane enter

appdata

local low

microsoft

CryptnetUrlCache

Content & MetaData

empty these 2 folders of vista cookies



that's about all you can do internally,now for some security downloads i use and HIGHLY reccomend:



Avast anti-virus

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html



AVG Free Advisor - AVG Anti-Spyware Free Edition

Download antivirus for free, as well as other free AVG products, join the millions of home users that trust AVG to protect their computers.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-anti-spyware/us/frt/0



AVG Anti-Rootkit 1.1.0.42

http://www.freewarefiles.com/program_9_90_22524.html



Arovax Shield :

protects your IE and Firefox from unwanted extensions like odd toolbars or malicious browser helper objects and keeps your default home page settings secure. It pays particular attention to hosts file, system registry and other crucial areas of your PC which are most frequent targets of malware.

Arovax Shield discovers and blocks suspicious activities. After this it acts depending on your preferences: notifies you letting you make the final decision or automatically defines if the activity is actually harmful to your computer.

And while other security systems of similar complexity and security level are beyond the pocket of most small companies and individual users, Arovax Shield is absolutely free and available to anyone.

http://www.arovaxshield.com/



Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.5.

This new version features a lot of improved detection mechanisms (which in parts were already made available through the regular 1.4 updates in the past months), improved Operating System support (Windows Vista integration, restored support for Windows 95, more compatibility with Wine, support for bootable Windows CDs), improved browser support (e.g. for immunization)

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html



Yahoo! Toolbar helps you:

Make the Web a safer place

* Spyware Protection eliminates dangerous spyware

Organize your Web experience

* Bookmarks keep your favorites at your fingertips

* Personalized buttons get you to your most used sites in 1 click

* Web Search with instant suggestions as you type

Stay in touch with friends

* Yahoo! Mail alerts let you know when you've got new mail

http://toolbar.yahoo.com/



this next download will clean out old,unneeded files making your computer faster.



Over 90 million downloads!!!

CCleaner :

is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

http://www.ccleaner.com/



this next download allows you to check any link BEFORE you open/download it! there will be a GREEN icon for SAFE and RED for DANGER.

pay attention to these icons when doing google,yahoo,ect.,searches.



The Browser Defender™ toolbar allows you to surf safely by displaying site ratings as you browse the Internet. When you visit a site its address will be checked by our servers and a rating shown in toolbar based on any malicious behavior or threats we have found associated with the site.

The toolbar also integrates with the search results provided by popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo! so you can see if it is safe to continue before you visit a site.

http://www.browserdefender.com/download/



this next download allows you to check each link by right click BEFORE you open/download it.

you now have TWO methods to protect yourself from malicious downloads!



LinkScanner Lite - Reviews and free LinkScanner Lite downloads at Download.com

LinkScanner Lite - Analyze Web site content and safety and receive advices in real time. - Review and free download at Download.com

http://www.download.com/LinkScanner-Lite/3000-2144_4-10610872.html?tag=dl-blog



download/install/update/run all the anti spyware/anti-rootkit freeware [ did I mention EACH of the above is FREEWARE? LOL! ]

run these at LEAST twice !



OK,NOW !!



it's time to turn restore system back on again and create a new,CLEAN restore point for you:

XP:

start

all programs

accessories

system tools

system restore

settings

drive (c)

setting

place a check in the restore box where you un checked it before

look for the create a restore point link and create your new, CLEAN restore point.



VISTA:

start

search pane enter:

system restore

click open system protection link

check OS(c:) (System)

click create a restore point

follow prompts



you can use this procdeure to rid yourself of messenger pop ups,spyware,virus',ect.

no different!



just add Avast anti-virus

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html



Malware Removal Guides and Tutorials

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Malware-Removal-Guides-Tutorials-f121.html



Dealing with Unwanted Spyware and Parasites

http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm