Cable-Lynx Support / How can I disable file sharing software

The most common misuse of bandwidth is having programs which you or your children may have installed that allow file sharing, and other people accessing your computer, or it may be a virus broadcasting your personal information out to the Internet . Both of these can be very damaging, and should be corrected to prevent harm to your computer and information. Common examples of programs, which allow this, are Napster, Morpheous, Kazaa, and Hotline. These programs when installed, allow outside users to access files on your computer. If not set up properly, your personal information is at risk of being sent out onto the internet, or even destroyed.

It is in the best interest of file-sharing programs to not let their users quit. The way these programs work is that it allows you or anyone else to download files off other people's computers. If people could quit these programs easily, then there would be less people (or no people) for people to download stuff off of. So, they "discourage" people from quitting their programs – which usually means outright trickery and deceit. For us, it means people are inadvertently congesting the network . So for all you people using Windows: notice that when you click on X button on the top-right corner most programs do quit. Most file-sharing programs don't actually quit when you click on the X button, they just hide. Look at the tray next to the clock: the icon for the program is still there, meaning it's still running. Double click on that icon, and the program pops right back up like nothing happened.

The following are instructions on how to kill these programs, to keep them from clogging the network and thus, reducing your overall bandwidth usage and speeding up your Internet connection.

Morpheus/KaZaA/Grokster

Morpheus, KaZaA and Grokster are actually the same program, and functions identically. You can tell if the program is running if you see the icon in the System Tray (next to the clock). To quit the program, right click on that icon, and select Quit Morpheus, Quit KaZaA or Quit Grokster. Selecting Hide Morpheus or Hide KaZaA or Hide Grokster will only hide the program and it will continue running. Make sure it is not running anymore by checking to see if the icon is still there.

Morpheus Icon on top, KaZaA on bottom

Right-click menu for Morpheus.
Click on Close Morpheus to exit

To disable the program from automatically running when you start your computer, go to the Tools menu and select Options... Make sure Launch _____ Automatically is unchecked and click OK.

Options/User window for KaZaA. Morpheus will look similar.

If you still want to use Morpheus, Kazaa or Grokster, you can stop people from downloading off your computer. Under the Traffic tab in the Options window, put a check next to Disable sharing of files.

*Options/Advanced window for KaZaA. Morpheus will look similar.

Audiogalaxy Satellite

Like Morpheus, you can check to see if it is running by seeing if the icon is in the System Tray. To quit it, right-click on that icon and select Exit Satellite. Make sure it is not running anymore by checking to see if the icon is still there.

AG Satellite Icon

Click on Exit File Agent to exit AG Satellite

To disable the program from automatically running when you start your computer, check to see if it is in the StartUp folder under the Start Menu. Right-click on the Start button. Double-click on the Programs folder and then double-click on the StartUp folder. In the StartUp folder, if you see Audiogalaxy Satellite, go ahead and delete the icon. Deleting this icon will not remove the program from your computer, but will prevent it from starting automatically.

Bearshare and Limewire

Limewire and Bearshare are exceptions to the rule — you can quit them by clicking on the X button on the top right corner. Limewire will ask if you would like to keep running Limewire in the System Tray, select No, close the program and abort file transfers and click OK.

WinMX

Similar to the other programs, WinMX will close if you right click on its icon in the System Tray and select Exit. If it gives you a windows asking if you would like to have it continue running in the background, select Completely exit the program.

Napster

Like Morpheus and Audiogalaxy, Napster will show an icon on the System Tray while it is still running. To exit Napster, right-click on its icon in the System Tray and select Exit.

Taking the time to ensure these programs are installed correctly will not only unclog the network, but should increase speed and reliability to all subscribers.

For more information on how to disable P2P programs, the University of Chicago Network Security Center offers some tutorials.