More Advantages of AllAdvantage

by KireC

The article "Taking Advantage of AllAdvantage" about AllAdvantage in the Spring 2000 issue of 2600 caused me to look into the program for myself, in normal, hex, and reverse compile mode.

They pay 50 cents per hour of your surfing (only if the browser is highlighted - this is unfair because most people multitask while using the browser and don't get credited) for up to 10 or 25 hours per month.  You get 10 cents per hour of a referral's surfing time, but you can only get paid for the same amount you have surfed (i.e., if you have surfed 10 hours and they have surfed 15, you can only get paid for 10 of theirs).

It's a fine deal, but would be much better if it counted time when other applications were highlighted, not just the browser.  My goal in examining the program was to shut the ads off, as well as the whole bar, and still get paid.  I used the green LED to test this, as well as checking my account status daily.  Green LED means you're being paid, red means you aren't.

You do have the ability to turn off AllAdvantage ads, but not the whole box.  The program needs Internet Explorer or Netscape installed in order to run, so it is dependent on those programs.

The easiest way to stop the flashy graphics is to go into your browser options and turn graphics off.  (MSIE is under the Advanced tab, in Multimedia.  Uncheck Show Pictures.)

Before using the program, you can modify STARTUP.GIF to be whatever you want it to be.  The Viewbar will force the image to fit, so image size doesn't matter.  You can also change STARTUP.HTML to change what it starts automatically.  Whenever I start the Viewbar, I look at 2600.

You are free to alter any of the HTML files in AllAdvantage's directory.  However you should write-protect all files that you alter and backup the originals.

After you start the program, it will create a few different web pages in its installation directory: MOTD.HTML and AD.HTML which will be deleted when you quit the program.  While running the Viewbar, edit those two web pages, and delete everything in between the two <noframe>/</noframe> tags, save, and then write-protect your altered files.

Next time you load the Viewbar, you will see your own pages instead of the ads.  Certain alterations cause the Viewbar and/or whole system to crash.  If this happens, hover your mouse over the AllAdvantage icon in System tray (this will get rid of the AllAdvantage icon) and then lower your screen resolution, and say "No you do not like it" and want it changed back.  Your screen is now redrawn correctly.

Another way to just disable the ads and keep the Viewbar open involves a hex editor with code access, like HIEW.

There is HTML code inside of VIEWBAR.EXE that should be altered.  Find the first occurrence of the ASCII HTML and that's what creates AD.HTML which shows us the ads.

First occurrence is on line 0x004351F0.  Don't alter the hex here, alter the code itself.

Change lines 004351F0 to 004351F2 to NOP commands, hex code 0x90.

If you change the next lines, you won't get paid because they control the LED.  The Viewbar is then only loading the page MOTD.HTML and won't show you ads (it performs "No Operation" upon loading AD.HTML).

I couldn't figure out how to shut the whole Viewbar down, but these fixes will turn the ads off.

If anyone knows how to turn the whole Viewbar off, that would be helpful.  Anyone interested in continuing this project should note that the program appears to have been written with Microsoft Visual C++ because it uses a Microsoft Foundation Class Library (MFC).

As far as I know, AllAdvantage can't detect these, but they will probably start soon.  They'll probably fix these bugs quickly and might cancel your account if you use this.  That's why you backup the original files; reset everything when you download the new Viewbar, it will probably check for some of these fixes.

Even if you do shut the ads off, you still need to actively surf (either in person or with a program).  The point of this was just to see if it could be done.

The best way for AllAdvantage to detect these is for them to check the user's actions based on repetitiveness and randomness.  I don't condone turning their ads off and cheating them, nor do I condone their act of only crediting your account if your browser is highlighted.

You are the only one responsible for any action taken with this information.