uTorrent 3.2.x has ADS (Alternative Data Streams) - how to disable?

[uchi]

I really don't like the

"The publisher could not be verified. Are you sure you want to

run this software?"

security warning which comes when I try to open a file that have been downloaded from the internet.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2cwn1gp.png

This comes because Windows adds an ADS (Alternative Data Stream) to these files:

The ADS's name is "Zone.Identifier" and it contains 26 bytes of text:

[ZoneTransfer]
ZoneId=3

This "ZoneID" number goes from 0 to 4, and AFAIK, corresponds to the zones in IE:

ZoneId=0: Local machine
ZoneId=1: Local intranet
ZoneId=2: Trusted sites
ZoneId=3: Internet
ZoneId=4: Restricted sites

So if you have a file with ZoneId=4, it will not open at all, ZoneId=3 will give the security warning,

ZoneId=2 and ZoneId=1 will open the file without any warning but still "know" the file is came from another computer,

and finally ZoneId=0 will of course be the default, and give the same effect as if there were no "Zone.Identifier" ADS on the file at all.

As I wrote, I really DON'T like this zone stuff.

That is why I - as often as possible - instead use a download manager like FlashGot -> FlashGet,

since this will not add the ADS to any of the files it downloads.

Also BitTorrent (at least Azureus / Vuze and uTorrent, which are the clients I have used) will let me be spared for those ADS.

That is, until now.

I used uTorrent 3.1.2 until ca. the end of April 2012. Then I downloaded some 3.2 beta.

And today, when I should do a full-disk check for ADS because I have a program that uses ADS among other things to make sure people don't reset the trial period, I discovered that all the files that had been downloaded with the different uTorrent 3.2 builds I've been using for the last 4 weeks, had the "Zone.Identifier" ADS.

Luckily the ADS-checking program makes it very simple to delete the ADS also.

But it would be even better if I could get uTorrent 3.2 to not make them in the first place.

I tried to look at Preferences -> Advanced, especially at the diskio.* entries, but I found nothing.

Then I tried to search here at the uTorrent forum..

..but I just got a LOT of false positives when I searched for the terms;

"ADS", "alternative", "data" and "streams" are used in so many places..!

So I figured that the only way would be to start my own topic and ask there:

uTorrent < 3.2 (e.g. 3.1.3 build 27220) will not save files with "Zone.Identifier" ADS, while

uTorrent 3.2.x beta (e.g. 3.2.0 build 27272) will save files with "Zone.Identifier" ADS.

Is there an option or any other way to make it so uTorrent uTorrent 3.2.x beta does not save files with "Zone.Identifier" ADS?

[Firon]

preferences -> advanced -> diskio.mark_of_the_web

[uchi]

"mark_of_the_web" - indeed a fitting name..!

Thank you very much!

[Kitsoran]

There's also a way to tweak windows to not bitch about downloaded exe's. I used to do that on XP.

[jsillup]

There are two methods for disabling it in Windows.

Registry Option

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments\SaveZoneInformation

Change SaveZoneInformation to 1.

NOTE:

0 = Not Configured

1 = Enabled

2 = Disabled

---------

.... and ...

---------

Group Policy Option (Run... gpedit.msc )

Group Policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates >

Windows Components > Attachment Manager.

Enable "Do not preserve zone information in file attachments".

.... no reboot required.

[uchi]

Ah, thank you for this very useful info, jsillup!