MSN why does it search my hard drive once a week?
Discussion
Normally I can log into msn and have no extra hard drive activity.
But approx once a week, as soon as I open msn the hard drive on my pc goes into overdrive. I only know because I have a particularly noisy hard drive - lots of clicking like drumming your finger nails on a table loudly. As soon as I close msn it will instantly stop, only to start again the next time I open msn if I stopped it prematurely.
It lasts about 15/20 minutes, and like I said happens at least once a week.
Any ideas what the msn program is doing? Is it just updating itself, or searching through my email contacts for spamming purposes, or something similar?
I've checked all the msn settings but allowing or blocking this isn't mentioned. I guess it may be in the small print somewhere when you sign up to msn.
Anyone else with a noisy pc noticed this intrusion? Mine's a one year old packard bell, running Vista.
But approx once a week, as soon as I open msn the hard drive on my pc goes into overdrive. I only know because I have a particularly noisy hard drive - lots of clicking like drumming your finger nails on a table loudly. As soon as I close msn it will instantly stop, only to start again the next time I open msn if I stopped it prematurely.
It lasts about 15/20 minutes, and like I said happens at least once a week.
Any ideas what the msn program is doing? Is it just updating itself, or searching through my email contacts for spamming purposes, or something similar?
I've checked all the msn settings but allowing or blocking this isn't mentioned. I guess it may be in the small print somewhere when you sign up to msn.
Anyone else with a noisy pc noticed this intrusion? Mine's a one year old packard bell, running Vista.
My Conspiracy theory!!
Since 9/11, the US high courts seem to have left MS alone!
No more Billion Dollar fines!!
This is because MS said that it will bug every PC in the world via Windows, MSN and all the pirate Office software out there and search for terrorists via the system sofetware secretly searching your hard drive for key words like BOMB and Alkieeeeda!
Well I think it's a good theory!
Well worth a few paranoid replies?
Since 9/11, the US high courts seem to have left MS alone!
No more Billion Dollar fines!!
This is because MS said that it will bug every PC in the world via Windows, MSN and all the pirate Office software out there and search for terrorists via the system sofetware secretly searching your hard drive for key words like BOMB and Alkieeeeda!
Well I think it's a good theory!
Well worth a few paranoid replies?
Gas Man said:
My Conspiracy theory!!
Since 9/11, the US high courts seem to have left MS alone!
No more Billion Dollar fines!!
This is because MS said that it will bug every PC in the world via Windows, MSN and all the pirate Office software out there and search for terrorists via the system sofetware secretly searching your hard drive for key words like BOMB and Alkieeeeda!
Well I think it's a good theory!
Well worth a few paranoid replies?
I don't think that is a theory actually. Everything that enters or leaves your PC by internet is scanned by the lizards for those 'special' words we don't mention at parties.Since 9/11, the US high courts seem to have left MS alone!
No more Billion Dollar fines!!
This is because MS said that it will bug every PC in the world via Windows, MSN and all the pirate Office software out there and search for terrorists via the system sofetware secretly searching your hard drive for key words like BOMB and Alkieeeeda!
Well I think it's a good theory!
Well worth a few paranoid replies?
Plus, if you signed up for Googlemail you agreed to let them search your e mails, so they could work out your interests and send you suitable adverts and promotions.
deeps said:
packard bell.
Oh no.......deeps said:
Vista.
Good grief!!!Put the pc back in the box, place it in the garden - and jump on it.
Afterwards, hit it with a hammer, set it on fire, chuck it at a chav. Once complete, bury it - and never, ever confess to this again!
or, you could try a complete system clean (spybot/ ccleaner.)
mically said:
deeps said:
packard bell.
Oh no.......deeps said:
Vista.
Good grief!!!Put the pc back in the box, place it in the garden - and jump on it.
Afterwards, hit it with a hammer, set it on fire, chuck it at a chav. Once complete, bury it - and never, ever confess to this again!
or, you could try a complete system clean (spybot/ ccleaner.)
steven182 said:
mically said:
deeps said:
packard bell.
Oh no.......deeps said:
Vista.
Good grief!!!Put the pc back in the box, place it in the garden - and jump on it.
Afterwards, hit it with a hammer, set it on fire, chuck it at a chav. Once complete, bury it - and never, ever confess to this again!
or, you could try a complete system clean (spybot/ ccleaner.)
I would say the same for macs
tbh, I've never noticed msn doing that on my system - then again,. my hd is quiet(er.)
enemy of the state is a good film.
Will Smith is much like vista - some peeps like him, some peeps hate him, and most peeps don't care
Mattt said:
Are you sure this 'once a week' doesn't coincide with an AV scan or similar?
Tbh I'm a bit insulted by that suggestion 
But I suppose I thought most people wouldn't believe me, or say it's a viurs scan or something.No, it's 100% msn. I never noticed it either on my old quiet pc, but this one does your head in with the noise from hard drive activity! Apart from that, I can't fault the pc or Vista.
By the way, by msn I mean msn messenger. I never go on the msn website or even open any emails connected with my msn name. I use it purely as an instant messaging chat program.
mically said:
deeps said:
packard bell.
Oh no.......deeps said:
Vista.
Good grief!!!Put the pc back in the box, place it in the garden - and jump on it.
Afterwards, hit it with a hammer, set it on fire, chuck it at a chav. Once complete, bury it - and never, ever confess to this again!
or, you could try a complete system clean (spybot/ ccleaner.)
Scraggles said:
msn searches your drive for files that link to it's news, so that it can offer you news based on your prefernce of porn and music, problem comes when you family use msn as it remembers the files and assumes they like the same stuff...
I don't use the msn website though. What news is based on porn and music anyway? not forgetting that downloading messenger doesn't just give you messenger......... oh no!
take a wee look at Add/Remove for the related bloatware bundled in with it. shocking!
next time it kicks into action, block its internet access via your firewall.
try and determine whether it's system or internet based.
I'll guess the latter.
If so, erm.........
well, I'll come back to you on that one!
edited: hmm, typoman on a friday? who'd have thought......
take a wee look at Add/Remove for the related bloatware bundled in with it. shocking!
next time it kicks into action, block its internet access via your firewall.
try and determine whether it's system or internet based.
I'll guess the latter.
If so, erm.........
well, I'll come back to you on that one!
edited: hmm, typoman on a friday? who'd have thought......
Edited by mically on Friday 9th January 13:59
deeps said:
Mattt said:
Are you sure this 'once a week' doesn't coincide with an AV scan or similar?
Tbh I'm a bit insulted by that suggestion But I suppose I thought most people wouldn't believe me, or say it's a viurs scan or something.No, it's 100% msn. I never noticed it either on my old quiet pc, but this one does your head in with the noise from hard drive activity! Apart from that, I can't fault the pc or Vista.
By the way, by msn I mean msn messenger. I never go on the msn website or even open any emails connected with my msn name. I use it purely as an instant messaging chat program.
mically said:
next time it kicks into action, block its internet access via your firewall.
try and determine whether it's system or internet based.
I'll guess the latter.
If so, erm.........
well, I'll come back to you on that one!
Right, I just replied but the firewall adjustments I made wouldn't let the message post to forum, so I'll start over again!try and determine whether it's system or internet based.
I'll guess the latter.
If so, erm.........
well, I'll come back to you on that one!
Thanks for the suggestion, better than burying it in the garden
I use AVG and Norton firewalls, and have now set Norton to ask me what to do when a program wants to communicate with the internet. I have turned on program launch monitoring, but have now turned back off program control monitoring, as that wouldn't let me post messages.
We'll see what happens now
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