HijackThis is used primarily for diagnosis of browser hijacking, as uninformed use of its removal facilities can cause significant software damage to a computer. HijackThis does not remove or detect spyware; it lists most common locations where browser hijacking activity can occur.
Thanks for the tip, I may try it when my more informed son comes over.
Yes, it can screw things up if you start checking things off willy nilly. If you only look at the BHO section though, you can pretty much remove anything there and not do permanent harm to your system, since those are all just add-ons to your internet browser.
The worst you can do if you remove BHO’s is you might remove a browser add-on that you actually wanted, like an Adobe PDF helper or something like that.
GB,
If you are going to use HijackThis install it. Then run the app and do a scan and create a log file. It will be a really long text file that indicates everything it finds about your computer. Copy the entire file and paste it into the text box at this website - http://www.hijackthis.de/ then click ANALYZE. It will tell you which things are okay, what things are bad (safe to remove) and what things are questionable. Its pretty accurate as well. I have used it many times and never had a problem.