Adware, spyware -- How to stop this crap

vanity

[no nau]

My computer is infested with this crap and I can't get rid of it. None of the free services can solve the problem, and I might even pay for such a service, except that all of them seem to be just folks willingly to take advantage of you and charge you more money, and possibly infect you more. Has anyone here seen this? How should I and anyone else deal with this?

[neodad]

I can’t help it. I love pron sites. ;)

[Florida native]

Also, if you don’t have a second clean HD preloaded with Windows, you can alway use a boot disk, like BART PE. Bart can be configured to run Spybot, McAfee Stinger, or Ad Aware without having to boot to the OS of your affected HD.

[JSteff]

“Download SpyBOT Search... its FREE..”

Most important parts are the Immunize and Hosts files features.

Also get CCleaner. Run it every time you get off your system. Right click on the recycle bin and select “Run Ccleaner”.

Gets rid of the stuff you might have downloaded without knowing it... before it can run for the first time with your next startup.

[mtbopfuyn]

Norton by Symantec works for me.

Ours continually froze up with Norton's.

[webboy45]

go to http://malwareremoval.com/
post your problems
wait for replies

[JSteff]

“stay away from pron sites”

Yeah, I hate those evil PRON sites.

[KoRn]

Download and install Linux, and say goodbye to crapware and virii forever.

Here’s a good place for most Windows users to start:

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

[Salvation]

AVG. I am very satisfied with it. Also use adware. Haven’t tried the spybot stuff.

[roamer_1]

Norton is crap.
McAfee is crap.
PCCillin is crap.

Kaspersky is the BEST.
F-Protect is good.
Nod32 is good.
AVG, AntiVir, Panda, BitDefender... All good.

F-Protect is my favorite, very efficient, with good price for multiple boxes.

Use Spybot Search and Destroy, and either LavaSoft Adaware or SuperAntiSpyware. Also AVG AntiSpyware is a great companion to any antivirus. It is the old Ewido Trojan hunter.

Use Internet Explorer ONLY for trusted, known sites, Firefox or Opera for surfing.

If using a POP3 mail client, and not bound to Outlook for PIM or Exchange purposes, use Mozilla's Thunderbird mail client.

Use a webmail service for your internet presence. Yahoo or Gmail from Google seem preferred. Do not give your real email away online to anyone. Use it only for folks you've got eyeball with.

[LiveFreeOrDie2001]

Thanks!

[Teflonic]

If you’re going to do a clean install, once you have run all Microsoft critical updates and reinstalled your software - create a disk clone. Then whenever you have a problem that you can’t easily resolve you can just reimage with the cloned copy in less than 10 minutes rather than spend hours reinstalling everything.

[rabscuttle385]

The easiest means of avoiding spyware and adware: stop using Internet Explorer, use a regular (not administrative) system account, use a pop-up blocker, don't install untrusted software (or click on questionable attachments or links) downloaded from the Internet or e-mail, and install a decent firewall and anti-virus solution.

We use Nod32 for anti-virus, Firefox for Web browsing and pop-up window blocking, and the Windows Firewall is good enough. And, of course, run a hardware firewall (use a Linksys router, for example).

Alternatively, you can also switch to Linux or Mac. Just make sure to properly secure your system, regardless of which operating system you use.

[boomop1]

Unplug it.

[dayglored]

Cleaning up your present system might be hard-to-impossible. And there's no point unless you change how you use it. Let me suggest this:

1. Re-install Windows (XP) and your applications fresh.

2. Get good anti-malware (I use MS Windows Live OneCare and SpyBot Search-and-Destroy, others are also good). Make sure it covers all viruses, worms, trojans, adware, and spyware.

3. Enable all the protections, including the firewall.

4. Don't visit social-networking or porn sites. Don't click on random links in unknown email or web pages.

5. Don't visit social-networking or porn sites. Don't click on random links in unknown email or web pages.

6. Yes, that's an intentional dupe. Remind yourself every time you click.

Or you can save yourself a lot of time and get a Mac, but that's not for everybody. If it were, Mac would have more than the present 10% market share.

I use Macs for my main machines, but I have about four copies of XP running in VMs (virtual machines). They all use the above rules.

[kingu]

http://www.everythingisnt.com/hosts.html — it takes moments to install the text file or use their program to do it for you, it blocks many of the banner ad servers as well as a considerable number of trash sites that infect your computer. Use Firefox. Install the ‘NoScript’ addition, be very happy that most of this stuff is finally blocked.

[JoJo Gunn]

all of them seem to be just folks willingly to take advantage of you

You post a thread such as this, complaining about being an easy mark, and yet you don't do the most basic of things, giving anyone that could help some info such as the OS, make and model number of machine or if it's a homebrew, exactly what anti-spyware programs you're using, when you last updated, any specified spyware found, etc ad nauseum.
 

[rabscuttle385]

If you’re going to do a clean install, once you have run all Microsoft critical updates and reinstalled your software - create a disk clone.

You could also use a product like Deep Freeze...or, if you are going to set up disk images, make sure to partition your drives so that data is separate from applications and the operating system.

[hiredhand]

Download and install Linux, and say goodbye to crapware and virii forever.

I would agree except that most people who have NEVER used Linux simply aren't going to quit Windows cold turkey...no matter how much we wish they would.

I've been giving away Knoppix CDs so people can "try before they buy"....so to speak.

Knoppix

HOWEVER....Ubuntu DOES have the same "try before you buy feature". I've had people tell me that Knoppix is a little less intimidating though.

With the likes of Ubuntu being available, I really fail to see why ANYBODY suffers through MS-Windows anymore.

[JSteff]

“switch to MAC”

Apple pays you what to post that suggestion TWICE within 4 other posts? A download for your IPOD? A pay stub signed by Stevie Jobs?