Disabling Bluster to Prevent System Instability

Blubster can cause system instability in any Windows XP or 98 computer it is installed on. It will frequently crash while running in the background. When this happens, it will tie up valuable system resources without generating an error message, thus making the computer itself appear to have "hung." Additionally, it can consume an inordinate amount of networking resources, especially on the wireless network, thus preventing other users from functioning.

What is Blubster?

Blubster is a file sharing sharing program, which connects computers peer-to-peer (direct from one computer to another) so that users may transfer files between them.

How Blubster works:

Blubster, by default, starts at the same time the computer starts. This means that, no matter what you are doing, Blubster is running in the background.
Whenever the computer is connected to the network or internet in any way, Blubster becomes active. It transmits two sets of information across whatever network it is connected to.
The first signal basically says, "Hi, I'm here and I have files to share!" The second one says, "Hey, is anyone out there who has files?" Blubster sends these two sets of signals at regular intervals, up to dozens of times a minute. This creates significant traffic on whatever network the given computer is on. When multiple computers are doing the same thing at the same time, the network traffic increases exponentially.
When the signals go out, they find other computers broadcasting similar signals. That way, if Blubster is running in the background on your computer, someone else could find your machine, connect to it, and start downloading files without you even knowing it.

What to do about Blubster

Drew University does not recommend the usage of this software. Drew's network is a shared resource which is intended primarily for academic usage. Blubster can take up inordinate amounts of system resources, especially when used on the wireless network, and can affect other user's ability to work and function. Drew recommends you either disable Blubster at start up, or ideally remove it from your computer all together.

NOTE: Blubster, and other similar programs, technically set up a server on your computer and may use an unusually high proportion of network bandwidth. Please note that this is expressly prohibited by the Campus LAN Agreement.

In the bottom right hand corner of your screen, in the "Taskbar," you should see a small icon indicating that Blubster is running.

Right click on that icon, and choose Settings as shown in the image to the right.

In the window that comes up, click on Program.

In the bottom right hand corner of the window, there is a section labeled "Startup." In there, there is a check box labeled "Do not run on system startup." Check that box.

At the bottom of the window click the Accept button, then restart your machine.

You will still be able to access Blubster should you choose by opening the program, but this will enable you to use the computer without it running as the default.

NOTE: DISCLAIMER: Blubster is not recommended, supported, or condoned by Drew University. Those individuals who use this program should be aware of any relevant legal implications software like this carries before using it.


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