Posted on 09/27/2005 7:25:53 PM PDT by pcottraux
Can anyone help me? I'm not very computer savvy.
Basically, I have a good computer with high-speed internet connection. Problem is, I have spyware, and badly. Almost every webpage I visit, I am bombarded with pop-up ads. The computer has gotten to where it freezes up temporarily as it struggles to bring up a new pop-up ad, which I don't even want up.
I downloaded "Total Access" from EarthLink, but it didn't do any good. I can't block all the pop-up ads, and I can't find a way to get rid of the spyware. I did a free spyware scan, and it determined I do have an almost dangerous level, but how do I get rid of it?
Anyone?
Format c:
Huh?
http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10122137.html
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
Do you have microsoft xp? If so you can download their anti-spyware beta program for free from their website.
also buy thihttp://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/nis_pe/s
The only solid way is to reinstall the OS from scratch
Ignore the format comment above please. It will erase your harddrive.
Go here and download:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/
Install
Let it update its definitions and Run the Scan
It is the best one for free.
After that you can do a search for "Spybot search and destroy" on google. And run that one too. It might catch things Adaware did not.
Lastly download firefox or Mozilla and don't use IE.
"The only solid way is to reinstall the OS from scratch"
That is very rarely True.
Get firefox, install adblock on it and look up "flash popups" and disable them.
There are various free software that might help you. Adaware, avast! antivirus, avg free, spybot, or spyware doctor. You can probably find them here:
http://www.download.com/2001-20_4-0.html
The destination sites are ever changing while sometimes leading to porn sites.
Well?
I have worked on many, many pc's that have been highly infected with viruses and spyware and only about 10% of them will come out 100% cleaned with out problems. For his machine to be totally cleaned he will end up formatting it..
I already tried lavasoft's "ad-aware." It didn't work. It said I didn't have proper definitions, or some malarchy like that.
I had exactly the same problem. I took my computer to a shop locally and he took most of the software for "Total Access" out, took the disc and threw it in the trash. I still use Earthlink but, I don't know how, lol.
Anyway, I had 509 viruses that were removed and he installed a free version of anti-virus software called AVG. The whole thing cost me $105.00
Works great now.
Go to Gladiator Security Forum and post a description of your problem. Then just do exactly what they tell you to do. You will have to download and run several free spyware programs including HiJackThis but the results will astonish you. It may take you 2-3 days and several cycles of running the software and reporting the results on the forum but in the end you will be spyware-free.
These guys helped me save my daughters computer when I was ready to trash it and do a reformat. They are the angels of anti-spyware.
Links? You mean those occasional words sprinkled throughout that are highlighted and underlined like links?
I have no idea what those are, where they came from, or how to get rid of them.
Well, porn is aggressive stuff. Not that I would know, of course.
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