I just noticed from the firewall log that anydvd is trying to phone home to slysoft?

Should I take the name slysoft literally?

What kind of communication is going on there without asking or even notification.

update check?!?

If you care to check options you have "Automatically check for net AnyDVD versions" what is trying to "call home"

It also might be checking your license key to make sure it's real and/or vaid?
VH

Well, I don't really know about that so I can't tell... But even what if it does that what is the harm? Unless you are using illegal copy...

I'm afraid you were right, I exploded after seeing in the logs what I thought was a program trying to call home without realizing that accidentally the above mentioned option was checked when changing options

Perhaps it might be an idea to have the program notify the user when it does check, like my TDS-3 is doing when updating the signatures to avoid a tired and thus grumpy user to shoot of an email in error.

Next time I'll grab a coffee to up my caffeine level to see clearly what's going on first.

Sorry Ollie

These days with so many scumbag vendors around (like ACD Systems), it's only natural to be on edge about that sort of thing.

I think that AnyDVD behaves quite suspicious after installing update 5957. It tries to access the trusted zone (10.0.0.254) and also attempts to access one site (209.23.116.91) which is not belonging to Slysoft, but to BOClean. I use BOClean software. What has AnyDVD to do with BOClean? Isn't such behavior suspicious?

AnyDVD does not do this. It is probably this "BOClean" responsible for this.

Hi
I agree James. Just been off having a root around on my pc & no such problem.

boclean thinks anydvd is spyware when it starts to see if it needs updates. see if you can give anydvd permission as trusted with boclean.

@Katanovic
another WNP

I don't see questionable outgoing connections from AnyDVD 5.9.5.7, but I have noticed (what I think is) a new registry key, created by AnyDVD each time it runs:

The questionable thing about this registry key is that it makes use of nulls in order to avoid casual deletion.

One can delete the subkeys under Zepter Software using Sysinternals RegDelNull utility, using the regdelnull hku -s command. Do that with AnyDVD not running, then delete the entire Zepter Software key, and rerun AnyDVD. Watch the key be recreated.

I've already contacted SlySoft, but they have a nasty habit of ignoring me or providing useless replies that don't answer the question asked.

What's new, pussycat?
Wildlife and nature photography?
Wildlife nature preserve?
Wireless Number Portability?
We nibble pigeons?
We need paint?

What's new pussycat? Woah, Woah
What's new pussycat? Woah, Woah
Pussycat, Pussycat
I've got flowers
And lots of hours
To spend with you.
So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose!
Pussycat, Pussycat
I love you
Yes, I do!
You and your pussycat nose!

This is the intentional, as it is used to keep track of the evaluation period of the unregistered version.
Just ignore it.

OK, great, but I have a legitimately-registered version, and it's irritating to have such a key in place. (Though now that I know the purpose of the key, it's quite a bit less irritating.)

My workaround has been to delete the subkeys of HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Zepter Software, and then to disable writing to the entire key, by changing its permissions.

Good point, it shouldn't need to write to this key if a valid key is found. Will be fixed in the next update.

Re James
I don't see what the big deal is and you have been very accomadating
A program does a reg key check and if valid makes a registry entry to that effect
now just because the registry entry has a proper noun name, people get upset.
What is the big deal?
If the entry had been a 30 digit CLISD registry entry then nobody would be upset?
You assured everybody that the entry belonged to your software and was not spyware : that should have been the end of it.
Keep up the good work
awaiting your emails for updates due to real problems

I agree, but it was a simple change. No big deal. All the other bugs have been fixed as well, a new version should be out tomorrow. I wouldn't wait for emails, they will usually not be sent if two releases are very close.
Enable the update check instead.

Why a new version so soon again? Only three days? Is there something that bad with 5.9.5.7 that I shouldn't install it?

wraithdu
cosmetic mainly
I am using with no problem

You have no idea what you're talking about. I wasn't upset over a "proper noun" name. I was primarily upset before finding out what that registry key was.

The reason I was upset is that, out of the blue, I discovered a strange-looking registry key, that was doing strange things that seemed to amount to subterfuge. Below the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Zepter Software key, subkeys were constantly being created and deleted.

And, two important points: (1) The name "Zepter Software" was totally foreign to me. Maybe you don't care what is installled on your system, but I do, and this registry key seemed to come out of nowhere. And (2) The subkeys being created made use of null characters, to prevent deletion. Not only is this annoying behavior, it is a behavior sometimes used by malware.

In addition, since the subkeys and values were constantly being changed, I would have had to accomodate it in my registry-scanning software (i.e. Total Uninstall), in order not to have to look at meaningless changes all the time. Again, if you don't take steps to monitor changes in your registry, you'll be blissfully unaware of all this.

So now you know why I was ... annoyed. Suddenly, I notice an unrecognizable registry key that is behaving strangely, and is trying to prevent me from deleting it. The fact that I had to spend time figuring out what it was is annoying. And again, maybe you like to be in the dark as to what is going on with your system, but I keep on top of things, so I want to know. And now I do.

I used to be so trustful of SlySoft that I wouldn't even run Total Uninstall when updating AnyDVD. No longer.

@annoyed
obviously you have missed your nightly dose of haldol
sleep tight

I do not think so. It was ZoneAlarm who notified me about AnyDVD's new behaviour. This incident happened only after installing the new update.