Platte: not much of a choice.

Why, in direct contradiction of the agreement we entered into, did you repeatedly decline to email me the uninstall instructions for your software after I terminated my membership? It appeared that you were deliberately stalling, and I can only speculate as to the reason. Is this a matter you have now addressed, and if you have, how have you done so?

Firstly, we would like to apologise for the delay. We have a dedicated freephone uninstall line which deals with uninstall enquiries and it is our policy to use this line to carry out uninstalls. Our customer service advisors were not 'deliberately stalling' but rather following company policy.

However we recognise that in line with our terms and conditions, you should have been provided with uninstall advice in the first email which you received. Your case brought a discrepancy between the automatic email about cancellation and the terms and conditions of sign-up to our attention. Having chosen option b of the terms and conditions, the email which you received confirmed that your account was cancelled. However, it should also have provided the following uninstall information: "If you would like to uninstall the software from your PC, please call our uninstall line FREE on 0800 051 6664 for instructions". We can only suggest that this discrepancy was due to human error and we have now amended the automatic email to include the above statement.

Again, we would like to apologise for the inconsistency between our terms and conditions and the email, and for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for highlighting the issue.

Platte's response to my question deserves some examination, and I'd like to start by showing a screenshot of the relevant section of my agreement with them taken at the time of my signing up:

It is section 17.4 that is of interest:
To cancel your Subscription and uninstall the Software You must either:
(a) Call 0800 051 6664 quoting your Account number and request an uninstall.
(b) Click on the 'cancel Subscription' hyperlink and follow the uninstall instructions as provided in the cancel confirmation email which will be sent to you.
Once your subscription is paid and the software uninstalled we will send you an email to confirm this. Please note that where payment of your Subscription Fee is outstanding, the Software will only be installed once you provide us with evidence of your identity and a correspondence address in order that we forward your uninstall code. If you have not paid your bill by the conclusion of the reminder procedure detailed in clause 2.5 or, the elapsing of 6 weeks from the date the Subscription Fee became due for payment we will cancel your access to the Website. We can use your IP address to identify your residential address details and have the right to commence proceedings to recover the money owed to us in respect of an unpaid Bill.

As someone who planned to end my membership as soon as the software had installed on my PC (I had only originally intended to test the sign-up procedure) it was the first part of the above that was of interest. I particularly didn't want to have to phone for instructions, and I believed (quite reasonably) that I was being offered an email alternative providing I terminated my membership online and owed no money.

However, what Platte now say is that the choice should in reality have been this:
(a) Call 0800 051 6664 quoting your Account number and request an uninstall.
(b) ...call our uninstall line FREE on 0800 051 6664 for instructions.

So where's the choice? You tell me...

What's particularly interesting though is that I did phone, to find out what happened. Firstly, I was asked for my address, and then told that they wouldn't be able to send me my uninstall instructions without it. It took repeated refusal before the person I was speaking to offered to 'talk me through' the uninstall, an offer I declined since I had been offered emailed instructions in our contract. Finally they promised an email within an hour, but they never sent it.

If they can post out instructions to residential addresses, why on earth do they resist emailing the same instructions to people who don't owe them money? You tell me...

What struck me at the time was the way that Platte seemed to be maximising their chance of obtaining my phone number and residential address, although they had no contractual need for either. And I never received the promised email confirming that the software had been uninstalled either although that is not surprising given that their uninstaller didn't actually uninstall it.

Even when you get your uninstall instructions sent they are not as straightforward as they might be. Firstly they direct you to www.plattehelp.com to download their uninstall tool. However, you can no longer get it from that webpage. I first became aware some months ago when I started getting a stream of visitors to the blog who had put plattehelp.com into their search engine. On checking the page, I found that it had been taken down; instead you are taken to http://www.plattemedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43&Itemid=10 - where there is no sign whatever of the download you need. The page they should be sending you to (but don't) is http://www.plattemedia.com/help.php. This change was as I said made some months ago but given the number of visitors who still arrive here as a result of searches for www.plattehelp.com (just check my 'Latest Visitors' in the sidebar) it would seem that Platte have not yet amended their instructions. It's hard to tell exactly why they changed the page in the first place; after all plattehelp.com is still registered to Platte Media International at an address in Soho. They certainly know about the problem since they're this blog's most regular visitor and I first highlighted it ages ago. Perhaps we should be kind and just put it down to 'human error' again, but it is certainly another element in delaying the removal of Platte's software.

Even then it's not as straightforward as it might be. From the number of emails I get, many people find Platte's uninstall utility less straightforward to use than it might be. That at least I can address here; my next post will go through the necessary steps for using it.

Deliberately stalling? Stalling certainly, whether it's deliberate or not I'll leave to others to decide.


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Exposing hidden files

It is not difficult to display the hidden files on your PC, but unless you are reasonably experienced with computers it carries a very considerable risk, since you may unintentionally delete a file that is vital to the operating system. Sometimes it can be helpful though, since it makes it possible to delete files that unwanted software has installed which are not visible otherwise.

It is not difficult to change the settings on your computer to do this, but it is safest to do this in a separate user account that is not in regular use; instructions on how to set up such an account can be found in this post. Exposing the files in one account does not expose them in the others, hence my encouragement that you use an entirely separate one.

This is how you change your settings to expose those hidden files:

1. Via Start open My Computer.


2. Go to Tools on the Menu Bar (at the top of the window) and select Folder options.


3. Select the View tab in the applet (small window) that has now opened.


4. Scroll down slightly so you can see Do not show hidden files and folders, Hide extensions for known file types, and Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).


5. Now you need to change those three settings. Using the radio buttons, switch to Show hidden files and folders. Untick the boxes for Hide extensions for known file types, and Hide protected operating system files (Recommended). When you untick the last of these you will see a warning; read it before ticking Yes.


Her's what you end up with, just click on OK


To reverse these settings just go through the same procedure, restoring those ticks and buttons to how they started the first time round.

I must emphasise again that deleting files while you have the hidden files exposed is very risky; you should never do so unless you are certain of what you are doing.

Platte Media - a response

Now that Platte had finally made contact with me (see my last post), I invited them to answer some questions that addressed this blog's concerns about both their contract and their billing software; here are their responses:

Why, in direct contradiction of the agreement we entered into, did you repeatedly decline to email me the uninstall instructions for your software after I terminated my membership? It appeared that you were deliberately stalling, and I can only speculate as to the reason. Is this a matter you have now addressed, and if you have, how have you done so?

Firstly, we would like to apologise for the delay. We have a dedicated freephone uninstall line which deals with uninstall enquiries and it is our policy to use this line to carry out uninstalls. Our customer service advisors were not 'deliberately stalling' but rather following company policy.

However we recognise that in line with our terms and conditions, you should have been provided with uninstall advice in the first email which you received. Your case brought a discrepancy between the automatic email about cancellation and the terms and conditions of sign-up to our attention. Having chosen option b of the terms and conditions, the email which you received confirmed that your account was cancelled. However, it should also have provided the following uninstall information: "If you would like to uninstall the software from your PC, please call our uninstall line FREE on 0800 051 6664 for instructions". We can only suggest that this discrepancy was due to human error and we have now amended the automatic email to include the above statement.

Again, we would like to apologise for the inconsistency between our terms and conditions and the email, and for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for highlighting the issue.


Why did your software install further files on my computer even after I had used your utility to terminate my membership?

Cancellation of membership is not the same as un-installation. When a user cancels their membership their license will be updated by the cancellation utility to reflect the cancellation. This is not the same as un-installation. An un-install will remove the software completely from the users' machine and should ensure that the software cannot be re-installed further down the line.


Why did your software display your bill on my computer after I had terminated my membership, owing you nothing? And why did it do so across all the user accounts on a shared computer?

(a) Sometimes the software requires synchronizing after a cancellation to ensure that the license on the user machine has been updated. To do this the user should either call customer services or open the platte utility and select the "synchronize" option.

(b) When you install the software it installs across all user accounts on the pc. This is because it is the pc owner that is responsible for the account.


Why do you provide an uninstall utility that does not fully remove your software? The last time I tested it, it still failed to do so. This is despite repeated comments from yourself on other less technical blogs claiming that it achieved a full removal. Is this a matter that has now been fully resolved?

Sometimes anti-virus software interferes with the uninstall process and prevents a full uninstall. This is particularly the case with ESET and AVG software. We believe that our software removes all elements of the install, but if this is not the case on some machines then, given the correct information, we will update the uninstall. The latest uninstaller should remove all files including the inert html/images used to display the embedded bill and the two hidden files. There is however the possibility that some files could not be removed due to being locked as in use (e.g. if the customer had the file open while uninstalling).

In reference to the hidden files, although they carry the .sys extension they are not system files belonging to Windows - they are created by our software. As such they do not constitute alteration of Microsoft's software or violate any third-party software developer license.


Why does the pm_proc1 executable continually try to access the Winlogon.exe file while it is running? I can think of no legitimate reason why it should do so; perhaps you could enlighten me.

Our software does not attempt to access Winlogon.exe.


I shall be discussing these responses in separate posts, but (after further testing for confirmation) I did take up the question of the uninstaller with Platte:

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm not going to respond to all your points right now, but I should say that when you first emailed me last week I downloaded what was at that point your latest uninstall tool (digitally signed to 23 July 2008).

I have now run this on a computer where all anti-virus and security software had been entirely removed (and what little protection Windows XP offers was disabled). Despite this, several files still got left behind, including the hidden 'system' file (the one located within the System32 folder; on my PC it's 1550355105.sys but the number is unique to the PC). I have examined a full process log for the removal; this shows that these files were left behind not because of any software conflict but because your uninstaller did not attempt to remove them.

It is not my intention to become an unpaid software tester for Platte but I would be grateful if you could let me know as and when you are offering a tool that achieves a complete removal.


That elicited a helpful response from Graham Foster, Platte MD:

In response to your recent email, I have spoken to the technical team and they have advised me that the files left behind flag the uninstall process and allow us to ensure the uninstall was successful and all active files are removed.


I shall be returning to this, as to the other matters raised, in due course. In the meantime, it is good to know that Platte do finally accept that their uninstaller does not offer a full removal of their installed files.


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Platte: the uninstaller

Today I've had two emails from the helpful people at Platte International Customer Relations. The first told me that they are now downloading their installer from the link I provided for the uninstall utility in earlier posts; but no sooner had I put up this post to flag it up than they email again to say that they'd got it wrong. So it appears that at this point in time the uninstaller is still available via this link. If you use it and find it doesn't work, please post a comment here to that effect, and I'll look into it.


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Basic computer security

Anyone who works in an office where there is a computing network will know that it is impossible to install software on the computers there, not just because it is against company policy but because the computers themselves won’t allow staff to. The same is true for those using a PC in such locations as a public library. This is because software installation rights are restricted to the computer administrator who accepts the responsibility for the system. Although many do not realise it, Windows XP and Vista both offer the same facility, and if computer owners want to keep unwanted and potentially dangerous software off their machines (such as the Platte software that is the current subject of so much debate) they should avail themselves of the facility. And each user of the PC should have their own account; if there is a problem it makes it far easier to determine who was responsible. I’m giving specific instructions on how to do this at the end of the post.

Nobody (not even the administrator) should be routinely browsing the internet through the administrator’s account, so owners will need to set up a second account for themselves (this is advice from Microsoft, not just me). It is very important that the administrator account is protected with a safe password that is never shared with other users of the PC under any circumstances. It takes two people to put Platte or similar software on a computer; the person who carries out the install and the owner who has been foolish enough to let them do it.You should not rely on any antivirus package to protect you either; they can do no more than flag up a warning against a deliberate installation of software by a determined user with administrator privileges.

Children often represent the biggest problem, not least because they often know far more about computers than their parents.But this is all the more reason to stop them having any access to an administrator account. Children's approach to the home computer is simple - they’ll download anything they like without any regard to the consequences of doing so, whether it’s screwing up the computer or seriously compromising the security of the information stored on it. The parents job is to pick up the bills and little more. Sound familiar? Nor should parents underestimate the likelihood that their children will seek a site such as getfilmsnow out, not because they want to watch a tired old Popeye cartoon but quite specifically because they want to watch material with a sexual content.Boys are genetically programmed to have an interest in such matters, and links to such sites will be circulating among them by email, creating peer pressure to view such material even when the child doesn’t particularly want to. In my youth it was ‘Health & Efficiency’, a publication which appears laughably innocent in this day and age. But of course even without downloaded software there is a lot of sexual content that can be viewed on the internet. While you can limit a young child’s exposure to such material by adjusting the settings for the browser, the most effective way to keep an eye on what the child is viewing without intruding too much is to keep the computer in the regular family room, not tucked away in an office.This can be inconvenient for the adults, but it does enable them to exercise reasonable control over the computer's use. I'm afraid that it is simply not possible to protect a child from the irresponsibility of their parents. You wouldn’t give them unrestricted use of your car, would you?

There are other sources of information on how to manage your computer, not least of which is Google. If you’ve got a problem, someone else will have had the same and there’ll always be plenty of helpful advice. If you’re asked to install software make sure that it’s you who does the download after googling the software you plan to install (since that will flag up any obvious concerns). If a few more people had googled ‘Platte Media’ before installing it there’d be a lot less grief right now. Do check any small print in licence agreements even when they’re written in difficult to follow legalese. If in any doubt, don’t put it on. Very little software is really needed on a computer beyond an office suite and an antivirus package other than the supplied software for your other hardware, printer, camera, scanner iPod and the like. The less software you load on a computer, the less likely it is to go wrong.

The children will moan of course, starting with ‘none of my friends parents...’ (you should just tell them to go and install their software on their friends computers in that case). Don’t give in, not even once. Because once you do you’re on a slippery slope and soon you’ll find yourself right back where you started. The ubiquity of the games console means that it is not even necessary to install games any more and it’s best not to. At least then you’ll no longer have to endure your child playing ‘Rape and Pillage III’ while you’re trying to get on to do your online banking.

Sooner or later you’ll no doubt feel your child is responsible enough to have administration rights. But he should be administrating his own computer, not yours, and accepting the full financial responsibility for doing so – repairs, upgrades, and all the bills that arise from injudiciously downloaded software. If he wants to let passing pornographers access his computer that’s up to him, at least they won’t be accessing yours. Nor do PCs require regular replacement. Mine has lasted 10 years and it is quite reasonable to expect the same of his. If he wants to replace it, let him shell out for the privilege.

So, how do you set up an administrator account? I’m going to give you detailed illustrated instructions here. Take your time, don’t allow any distractions, and read the instructions through carefully to make sure you understand them before you start. You will want to use your existing account as your day-to-day account since it has all your passwords and personal settings, so I am going to call the new account ‘PC Administrator’ – you can’t just call the account ‘Administrator’ since Windows already has a hidden account of that name. These instructions presume that your existing account is set as an administrator account already; if not you will need to log in to one that is. You should note that I will shortly be putting up full instructions for removing all the files left behind by Platte's uninstaller, and these will be written on the assumption that you have followed the advice in this post. So here we go...

1. Open the control panel (click start, 'Control Panel' is in the right-hand column):

Where it invites you to pick a category, select 'User Accounts':

Click on 'Create a new account':




And insert the name for your new account (I've called it 'PC Administrator':




Now you are asked to pick an account type, you should pick 'Computer administrator', before clicking 'Create account':

Now you can set the password. Click on the new account:



From the list of options, select 'Create a password':

Now you have to choose a password. It should not be one you use elsewhere, nor one that will be easily guessed. I've used the registration number of my parents' first car, and put up 'Austin 7' as a clue. Then click on 'Create Password':

If the other users do not already have separate accounts, you should create new ones for them now, repeating the sequence above, but setting the accounts as 'limited', not 'computer administrator'. Now you can log off, before logging in to your new account:

This will take some time to set itself up, but once it has, exactly as before, open the control panel. Now select your original account:




And select 'Change the account type' from the list:

Select 'Limited' and then click on 'Change account type'

Now you repeat that, changing all the original accounts on the computer bar the 'PC Administrator' account to 'Limited' accounts. If you take the time to do this, and keep your password secret, other users will not be able to install any software that poses any risk to the computer.

It's best to insist that all the accounts use passwords (these are set up in User Accounts via the control panel) but each user can set their own. By default, Windows leaves the Guest account turned off, and it is best to leave it that way, unless you want to run the risk of visitors having (limited) unauthorised access. You can set up a separate limited account called 'Visitor' that has its own password for people to whom you allow occasional access.

No computer is impregnable, but these precautions minimise the risk of uninvited software being installed. Owners who prefer not to take them should be prepared to shoulder some responsibility for the consequences of that decision.

Platte - I've been sent a bill

I have received several emails about the Platte software, asking for my advice on whether people should pay the £29.99 that Platte are billing them for, particularly from those who say that their computer was not in use at the time. It would be helpful if I answer that here.

Firstly, anyone who enters into a contract with Platte should (as I said in an earlier post) honour that contract. As I've made clear, I'm not enthused of Platte's business model or the nature of their software but the claim that a computer was not in use at the time the software was downloaded simply cannot be true. Unless a computer is connected to the internet and being used for browsing at the time no unsolicited software can download, whether it is with the owners permission or not. Windows does not permit the installation of Active X controls (a component of the Platte software) without specific consent. Nor do I believe that the software is downloaded entirely unknowingly; there is no need for it to given that there are enough damn fools in this world prepared to agree to just about anything regardless of liability or consequence in order to access pornographic material, particularly with the offer of a free trial.

Here's the warning displayed by Windows at the commencement of installation of the software:

And here's a subsequent Active X warning:

If you are the owner of a computer and find that the Platte software was installed without your consent, you should examine the browser history logs that are on your PC since you will be able to determine what site the download came from and hopefully also identify the culprit - in that case you should present the person concerned with Platte's bill (unless of course they are a minor). Whether you are yourself liable for the bill in those circumstances appears (and I must emphasise that I am no lawyer) to be unclear; you should go to the MBS/Platte Media Victims' Forum if you want to take the advice of others who found themselves in the same position. It is unfortunate that there appears to be no legal judgement yet (at least not one that can be found online) that settles the question of liability definitively in cases like this.

I will put up a post giving basic instructions on how to recover your browser history logs; computer owners owe it not least to themselves to determine who has been using their computer and installing software of this nature. At the very least this establishes that the computer concerned was indeed used to enter into a contract involving a financial commitment to Platte, and the user account that was used to do it.

If I found that the Platte software had been installed without my permission on my own PC by an adult, my anger would be directed at the person concerned rather than at Platte, and I would certainly ensure that they met the costs they had committed to. Having signed up myself, primarily for the purpose of determining the clarity of the contract at the time of the download, I can only say I found the current terms to be entirely clear (although my subsequent experience was of course that Platte failed to honour their side of that contract following my cancellation). Unless I had consented to the download, I doubt whether I would feel in the slightest obligated to settle the bill myself, but that is a matter where individual computer owners have to make their own decision and might be best obtaining legal advice.

I find pornographic material singularly distasteful but it is legal, and those who wish to access it should settle any financial liability they commit to. If you signed up with Platte, you should accept the responsibility you foolishly took on in doing so. So please, no more requests for advice of this nature.


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Platte and that billing software VI: further file found

I've found one further file that the Platte software installs. I've added it to the full list and am only posting it here for the benefit of those who have already copied out that earlier list. The latest uninstall tool appears to remove it. Sorry I didn't spot it before.

C:\WINDOWS\system32\pinf.sys


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