Shoutbox

Hey.  I just registered on these forums.  Welcome me! 

Anyway, many of my friends who dowloaded Plus, one of them a computer genius, say that Plus is adware/spy ware, and tracks everything I do, and can get my credit card number etc.  Is this true?  I know it says on the plus website but my friends don't believe it. 

Even if its not spy/adware, my MSN smileys don't seem to work.  This annoys me.  Is there a way I can get my smilies back?

haha, i dont think he's a computer genius either, but back on topic.  He musn't of read the installer carfully. If he did he would have noticed that it's not an install agreement, but a sponsor program agreement. Meaning that it wasnt asking your permission to install Messenger Plus!, it was asking you to install Msgplus!'s sponsor program from C2media. On instructions on how to remove it from patchou himself, please read the thread located at : http://shoutbox.menthix.net/showthread.php?tid=21598

Edit: Plus shouldn't get called or recognized as spyware/adware because it's really it's sponsor that gives you those impressions. So no, Plus! wont get your credit card numbers etc.

Avrum, if you want to find out more about the sponsor program you can search the forum and you will definitely find loads of stuff.

The following is from the Messenger plus! website.

quote:

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Originally posted by msgplus.net
Messenger Plus! comes with an optional sponsor program (for more information about the sponsor, please visit the Get The Facts page). This program will show ads from time to time on your computer, will add a search bar in Internet Explorer and will also change your start page. In NO case this sponsor is mandatory or dangerous. If you don't want it, simply refuse the sponsor agreement during the setup and you will never hear about it again. If you installed the sponsor by error, just uninstall Messenger Plus! (it will trigger the sponsor uninstall program), reboot your computer, and reinstall without the sponsor if you want to continue to use Messenger Plus!.

Important: if you wish to get rid of the sponsor program, you must uninstall Messenger Plus! from the Add/Remove Programs window. If you start deleting files on your own you will prevent a full system restore as some of the files copied by the sponsor are backups of your original configuration files. Also, never attempt to use programs such as Adaware to remove the sponsor. Doing so would permanently damage the sponsor's restore data and would make the uninstallation much harder than it should be. You don't use third party programs to remove your other software, the sponsor is no different. For detailed instructions, check out this special post on the forum.

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Another great site with info about and how to uninstall the sponsor is here. Messenger Plus! Support

Oh... i c.  Thanks.
So... is Plus the sponsor program, or is the sponsor program optional (I was thinking the second one).  I chose not to install the sponsor program, but ran ad-aware after that.    Could that haved harmed my MSN (disabling smilies etc...)?

Some programs may detect plus as spyware or adware even if you didn't install the sponsor, and yes it is 100% optional, and if you accidently install it, it is very easy to delete.

quote:

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Originally posted by AS_Nidhogg
one of them a computer genius, say that Plus is adware/spy ware

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No he isn't: he's most likely one of those that'll believe everything he reads on the Net. True computer geniuses know the difference between adware and spyware, and also know that the sponsor program is pure 100% optional benign adware.