PrivDog still running after double installation and removal

Hello.

I am not sure if I should post here or in bug reports. I both need help and want to report a bug.

I was asked yesterday by CIS to download and run an update.
During this process I was also asked to install PrivDog. PrivDog was already installed in my computer, so at first I was puzzled by the question. Shouldn’t Comodo check whether PrivDog is installed or not before asking for installation? I thought that it could be an update like it was for CIS, so I proceeded.

My OS is Windows 8.
After the restart of the machine I was welcomed by the typical Windows 7 & 8 warning window asking me if I wanted to “let this program make changes to your computer”. The program was PrivDog. I accepted the request. it was a strange request since PrivDog should have been already installed.

Anyway the main problem is that I kept receiving every now and then the same warning window asking me “do you want to let this program make changes to your computer?”. Something was wrong.

I looked for PrivDog in my hard drive and found it in two different locations:

C:/Program Files
C:/Program Files (x86)

I thought that the warning windows I was receiving were coming from the new PrivDog that wanted to install but couldn’t because of the old PrivDog. So I ran the uninstaller.

Now PrivDog is no more on the list of my installed programs, but it is still running as add-on for Firefox and Dragon.
How is that possible? I want to completely remove PrivDog and then eventually reinstall it. How can I do it?

The are no more AdTrustMedia folders under C:/Program Files (x86) but there is still an AdTrustMedia folder under C:/Program Files. Under C:\Program Files\AdTrustMedia\PrivDog there are two folders:

1.8.0.15 (date modified 04/04/2014)
1.8.0.18 (date modified 22/01/2014)

In the first folder there is only one file: trustedadssvc
The second folder has these files:

magpie.dll
mfc100u.dll
msvcp100.dll
msvcr100.dll
scriptservice.dll
trustedads.dll
trustedadssvc

Many thanks in advance for your help

Hi Fangorn,
During uninstall you should have been presented with a window asking from which browsers to remove PrivDog.

  1. I would suggest uninstalling it from within the extensions window of each browser including IE if it is present.
  2. Remove all associated files/folders.
  3. Download the installer from the link below.
  4. Close all browsers and then run the installer.
    http://www.privdog.com/

Kind regards.

Hi captainsticks,

I removed the add-on from Firefox and the extension from Dragon as you suggested. No need to remove it from IE.
In the meantime I made some research and found the following microsoft utility:

It’s Microsoft’s uninstall fixer utility, which should fix “Problems that prevent existing programs from being completely uninstalled or updated”.

Would you recommend it?

Hi Fangorn,
Microsoft Fix it utility tools have been a little hit and miss IMO, I wouldn’t like to say yes or no as I have never used that particular tool.
I personally don’t think it would help remove the remnants of PrivDog, only speculating though.
Remembering PrivDog is only installing browser extensions.

Ok, I wasn’t sure myself about miscrosoft’s fixer utility, there’s very little about it on the website.

So being PrivDog uninstalled, and the extensions removed from the browsers, what you suggest is that it should be safe enough if I remove manually the remnants of the application, that is folder C:\Program Files\AdTrustMedia and subfolders.

I usually would be horrified about such a solution for an application, for the uninstaller should do the job, but if there are not leftovers somewhere in the file system, PrivDog only installing browser extensions, I will do it. :wink:

Thanks!

Hi Fangorn,
Check under the processes tab of Windows Task Manager for the service ‘trustedadssvc.exe’, if that service is not present you would be safe to manually remove to files as there is no other associated running processes for PrivDog.
If you do see that service running let me know I will post the steps required to remove it.

Thanks.

‘trustedadssvc.exe’ was nowhere in my Task Manager. I looked in ‘Processes’, ‘Details’ and ‘Services’ tabs but didn’t find it. I suppose that means PrivDog is not running. However I also suppose it can be launched by double-clicking the ‘trustedadssvc.exe’ file. In fact there are two ‘trustedadssvc.exe’ files, one in each of the following locations:

C:\Program Files\AdTrustMedia\PrivDog\1.8.0.15
C:\Program Files\AdTrustMedia\PrivDog\1.8.0.18

Hi Fangorn,
When PrivDog is installed that service will run from an entry in the registry.
Seeing that it is not running means that the run at start-up entry has been removed.
All that remains are the obsolete files, which can safely be removed.

Ok captainsticks, many thanks then! :azn:

You are welcome. :slight_smile:
Have you re-installed PrivDog at this stage?
Thanks.

Not yet, since I am using Adblock plus with Firefox now and want to try it alone. 88)
It might be worth installing PrivDog for Dragon though, since Dragon does not support Adblock Plus. I use Dragon in place of Firefox when Adblock plus prevents some multimedia content from working or being loaded properly even when it’s disabled. For instance I am unable to load spanish lessons into the bbc player with Firefox.

Hi Fangorn,
If you decide you want PrivDog back in Dragon only, Drag’n’Drop the ‘privdog.crx’ file into an open extensions window of Dragon.
File found in the following folder location.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Comodo\Dragon\extensions

Adblock plus for Chrome will work in Dragon.
Adblock Plus-Chrome Web Store

Kind regards.