Error on start up, Wild Tangent

[xbcmc]

Rundll error on start up. Used adaware to clean up spy and ad ware. Adaware removed something called Wild Tangent. I have an HP and it appears that HP had this installed from the start. Rundll error is Wild Tangent could not be found, unable to locate. Can someone advise me on how to get rid of the error message? Thanks.

[bnoble]

remove Wild Tangent from your startup file:

Go to START, RUN
Type MSCONFIG
Select STARTUP tab then uncheck anything that says Wild Tangent.

Also, you can do an Registry search for any Wild Tangent entries and delete. If you're not familiar with editing the registry then you probably shouldn't do it.

Lastly, there is another program out there called SpyBot Search & Destroy which is freeware: http://www.download.com/3000-8022-10122137.html

Copy and paste the above link into your browser address bar to download and follow the instructions.

[(jj)]

For better control over the startup programs, you might want to take a look at Mike Lin's Startup Control Panel (http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml)

Wild Tangent often comes with games, especially some of the Shockwave game downloads.

[xbcmc]

Thank you for your reply. I did what you suggested and no more error message. Should I download the search and destroy freeware even though I have Adaware?

[snowmaker]

It's not a bad idea to have both of those programs, one may catch things the other misses.

[OAC Records]

ad-aware has been my favorite program and I have been using it since release, however i recently purchased a copy of the newer Norton Anti-Virus 2004 and found that it picks up adware also. Only downside for the average computer user is the fact that it has problems repairing, quarantining, and deleting these files. I am a certified computer programer and technician so I have no problems letting NAV find them for me and from there, deleting and removing registry keys and values. For the average surfer Ad-Aware is still the most user friendly and efficient on the most part :)

[bnoble]

both programs are good to have and run on occasion. there is another called hijack this that is also free and good - with all of these programs you should be careful. it is imperative that you pay attention to what you're asking the program to get rid of because they pick up things you might want to keep - ie. Windows Update and others.

you can use them, just pay attention when you do.

lastly, spybot has a a great "Immunize" feature which blocks a lot of bad products out there. be sure to run that as well.

take care, glad everything worked out.

[tacimala]

I've recently been in charge of fixing everyone's computer at work because of all the spyware going around and the way I get rid of spyware and viruses is using 4 different programs actually.
1) Ad-aware (available on download.com)
2) Spybot search and destroy (available on download.com)
3) Webroot's Spy Sweeper (http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php)
4) Norton Anti-Virus

I first install Ad Aware and then run the updates and then scan it. It usually finds a lot of stuff, but it doesn't seem to dig very deep anymore. It used to be my favorite but I've found that it just doesn't get in those "hard to reach places." Spybot is up next and after updating the definitions, I run that one as well. It flags a lot of different pieces of spyware but it's nice that it also tells you what each one does and I think it even has an IE addon to help the system block spyware in the future. At this point, it's somewhat a tossup what you run next. If your computer has viruses on it, update the virus definitions and then reboot and go into safe mode. To go into safe mode, reboot your computer and then hit F8 as it's rebooting. A black screen with white text will come up with all the boot options and you can then move up and click on "Boot into Windows Safe Mode" which should be at the top of the list. Open up Norton AV, and run a full scan. It's best to run it in safe mode because safe mode allows a minimum amount of software to run on boot, so you can clean it better. If you don't think you have viruses then you can run Webroot's Spy Sweeper third and Norton AV last. Webroot's Spy Sweeper is by far, the best spyware remover I've found so far. I can see why they only let you use it once and then make you pay for it. I had one computer that Ad Aware flagged over 1500 items and it still ran poorly afterwards until I ran Spy Sweeper. Open it up and then run the definitions update first thing or you won't be able to update them later. The program lets you update the definitions the first time you open the program and then scan the computer to get rid of spyware. After that, I'm pretty sure you can still scan, but you can't update the defs.

From there, just keep Norton AV running and updated and run your Windows Updates and you will be ahead of the game most of the time!

[katson77]

Hi bnoble. I found this reply (quoted) you have posted to xbcmc. I have exactly the same problem with the start up thing. I tried doing what you advised to xbcmc but then after doing that, the PC tells me that in order for me to keep the changes I have made, I would have had to keep my pc in the "selective start up mode" rather than the "normal start up mode". Am I meant to keep the PC in the selective start up mode for good, will that affect anything or should I put it back to normal mode and therefore put up with the error message on start up?????

Could you help me with this??? I'm sorry to bother you with this.
Hope to hear from you.


remove Wild Tangent from your startup file:

Go to START, RUN
Type MSCONFIG
Select STARTUP tab then uncheck anything that says Wild Tangent.

Also, you can do an Registry search for any Wild Tangent entries and delete. If you're not familiar with editing the registry then you probably shouldn't do it.

Lastly, there is another program out there called SpyBot Search & Destroy which is freeware: http://www.download.com/3000-8022-10122137.html

Copy and paste the above link into your browser address bar to download and follow the instructions.