Dear .... I keep getting this program (ICYF.exe) starting when I boot. Even after I've removed it from the startup group and disabled it in msconfig it continues to reappear in the startup group. It probably came from some application I installed, but I don't know which one. The only place I find it is in the c:/windows/all users/start menu/programs/startup folder. It's not a shortcut, it's there! I searched the drive for the text ICYF and only found one reference, in the ShellIconCache. I have not been able to find any reference to ICYF in either the registry, win.ini, autoexec.bat, or anywhere else. It "seems" to cause the system to freeze occasionally, just after windows starts, but that seems to be its only impact. I can uncheck it from msconfig, but this makes no difference. As soon as I close and reopen msconfig it reappears. If I try to delete the ICYF.exe from the startup folder I'm told that windows is using it. I downloaded an app. to kill it, which it did, with its subsequent removal from msconfig, but when I rebooted, there it was again, in the startup folder, and check off in msconfig. I could not find any reference to ICYF.exe in Google, plenty to ICYF but they seem to refer to some organization. Now I've gone to the length of putting a del command in the autoexec.bat directed at the startup folder. That seems to have stopped it from loading but I have no idea what impact this will have. Any help would be appreciated. John

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

You've probably picked up a piece of spyware from a "free" software utility or something like that. Real Player has a program that constantly tries to run, even after it's been removed from msconfig. It's another process that's creating this. Take a good hard look at any programs you've recently installed from the web or elsewhere. Try unistalling them, one at a time. Goes without saying - update and run an antivirus scan too. Finally, download and install Spybot S&D. It's a great free program written by a fellow from germany that eliminates most spyware. He keeps the definitions updated, so after installation, get the update and scan your machine. Here's where you find it: http://security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page=download If it finds the problem, consider donating a few bucks to the guy. He's created a very necessary and useful program.


On Wednesday, June 18, 2003 at 11:30 am, John Clarke wrote:
>Dear ....
> I keep getting this program (ICYF.exe) starting when I boot. Even after I've
>removed it from the startup group and disabled it in msconfig it continues to reappear in the startup group.

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Thanks Dam, It just so happens that I have recently installed, and uninstalled, Realplayer, so maybe that's the problem. I will try Spybot, as you suggest. Thanks again, John


On Wednesday, June 18, 2003 at 12:07 pm, Dam wrote:
>You've probably picked up a piece of spyware from a "free" software utility or something
>like that. Real Player has a program that constantly tries to run, even after it's
>been removed from msconfig.
>
>It's another process that's creating this. Take a good hard look at any programs
>you've recently installed from the web or elsewhere. Try unistalling them, one at
>a time. Goes without saying - update and run an antivirus scan too.
>
>Finally, download and install Spybot S&D. It's a great free program written by a
>fellow from germany that eliminates most spyware. He keeps the definitions updated,
>so after installation, get the update and scan your machine.
>
>Here's where you find it:
>http://security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page=download
>
>If it finds the problem, consider donating a few bucks to the guy. He's created a
>very necessary and useful program.
>
>
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Hi Dam, SpyBot didn't do it, but AVG, a freeware antivirus package did. As you suspected, one of the items it removed was related to RealPlayer. Thanks again for your help. John


On Wednesday, June 18, 2003 at 12:07 pm, Dam wrote:
>You've probably picked up a piece of spyware from a "free" software utility or something
>like that. Real Player has a program that constantly tries to run, even after it's
>been removed from msconfig.
>
>It's another process that's creating this. Take a good hard look at any programs
>you've recently installed from the web or elsewhere. Try unistalling them, one at
>a time. Goes without saying - update and run an antivirus scan too.
>
>Finally, download and install Spybot S&D. It's a great free program written by a
>fellow from germany that eliminates most spyware. He keeps the definitions updated,
>so after installation, get the update and scan your machine.
>
>Here's where you find it:
>http://security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page=download
>
>If it finds the problem, consider donating a few bucks to the guy. He's created a
>very necessary and useful program.
>
>
>

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