Adaware and spyware removal

[Supatitanman]

hi guys, i use adaware, but lately its Sh!t, pardon my french, does any1 have a GOOD alternative(s) for adaware, I want my computer VERY protected from this crap.

[Firefox_1]

Spybot Search and Destroy, you can't go wrong with it.

[SorrowsSong]

Yeah Spybot is good but make sure the "display available beta versions" under the web updates is checked.
Other than that you could use M$ anti-spyware, a good firewall and, of course firefox. Trust me it will save you from most spywares (But thats about to change. )

see you...

[Supatitanman]

i hate firefox, lol, for me its loading takes ages. Just to display an image it takes forever... thats why i dislike it. thanks for the spybot advidse

[SorrowsSong]

Try Opera too, i like, but don't use it because of the banner in its window...

HijackThis is a good Spyware tool too...


See you....

[tsot]

i hate to say this but microsoft antispyware beta1 is actually the best spyware removal tool i have used. it got rid of loads of stuff none of the others found. I know most people would probably dislike that it runs all the time but it stops the spayware ever getting on so i recon its good. u disable the always on mode thing and tell it not to scan everynight at 2am and wake you up. I recon you should give it ago! Download it here. U need a legit version of windows!

[six]

most people would probably dislike that it runs all the time

Why should it run all the time? Don't you only need it when your browser is running? How else would ad/spyware gonna get installed besides thru the browser?

[ifakkos150879]

Adware and spyware can also be installed with "freeware" programs or programs that are free but with ads like divx codec. and download accelerator.

[Supatitanman]

thanks for the tip tsot! i thought it was coming out later this year!

[Drizzt]

Firefox (Internet Browser)
SpywareBlaster (Spyware prevention, passive.)
Microsoft Antispyware Beta 1

[tsot]

it runs in the background all the time to stop all sorts of stuff like boot changes and dody programs aswell as stopping spyware. u can tell it not to do that though and just use it as a scanner. as Drizzt says use firefox as a browser aswell. that will stop most spyware.

[Finchwizard]

Firefox as your browser.

Thunderbird as your mail client.

Spybot Search and Destroy for your spyware checking.

And don't just download programs that look cool, make sure you check on the forums or something to see if they are ACTUALLY spyware free or if there is a better alternative.

[Supatitanman]

i realy like the microsoft one, its eye candy and it protects real nice! A+A+A+A+A+A+!

[Finchwizard]

/Sigh

That's because it's still the other peoples spyware.

Wait until Microsoft do something other than rebranding it, wait till they start adding definitions to it.

[joe187]

right now im loving the M$/GIANT antispyware. Stopped a little nasty BHO on my comp just last night, before it could even get a chance. Its good. Definitly not the ONLY one you should have though, but its a good one at a time when ad-aware has gone a bit sour for a lot of us.

[JJLoke]

yep ... microsoft's antispyware stills rock ... i d/l 4 adware and spyware removal program ... still have pop ups ... so happen my sis read the papers and came across the review of microsoft's version... now its all clean and the com runs terribly fast ... go www.microsoft.com/athome/security for d/l and info

[dzutrinh]

i'm using ad-aware, microsoft anti-spyware and spybot s&d. i like that microsoft tool, it can fix some that the others 2 cant and i use the others 2 to fix some the microsoft one cant. just to make sure my comp are spyware free.

the last choice is to use Norton Ghost to backup ur hdd and restore it when neccessary.

[Supatitanman]

adaware SE as this annoying thing that it as to update everytime i fire it up, its really annoying! b.c i use it everyday. But i also have S&D, ms anitispy, and ad-aware SE. DO yall know what they took out of the normal aaware, and made adaware SE? Because the SE probably "second edition", to me seems like its normal adaware but cheaper, and less effective. it would be nice if there was just 1 app, that has pop-up blocker, virus scan, adaware scan, spyware can, registry fix, firewall, and runs smoothly in your backround, so it protects real time. I woyld actauly PAY for that lol! I dont realy pay for apps. I would also like the imaginary app to scan and fix all this crap, in 1 easy scan, and it should also block those unwanted cookies and crap, and just like a big-@$$ all in 1 program, i would deffinatly pay around 100 bucks for that, oh yea, and it updates regularly, any1 know of such imaginary app? or something close? thanks for reading my big-a$$ post!

[guardz]

Use both Ad-aware SE and sypbot! They free so go for it. Also...Ad aware SE works really well!
I had always used the first edition of that software but just last night installed and ran SE. It picked up a load of $hit that the last version just didnt get! Go figure.

[AJ²06]

SpywareDoctor.... constant monitoring of cookies, browsers, and just makes sure everything is safe.

[Supatitanman]

yea, im using microsofts beta spyware removal, its great

[JJLoke]

used spyware docotor before ... quite troublesome and cannot remove some of the spyware microsoft's ones did

[RocketDogg]

Originally posted by Finchwizard
Firefox as your browser.

Thunderbird as your mail client.

Spybot Search and Destroy for your spyware checking.

And don't just download programs that look cool, make sure you check on the forums or something to see if they are ACTUALLY spyware free or if there is a better alternative.

Actually this is the same setup I use and find it be quite effective. No problems at all.

[Watcher]

This was posted at Majorgeeks.com. May still be on the site but could not find the link.

Found this new link

All programs can be downloaded from here

Watcher

P.S. another thread

Introduction:

This article reflects countless hours of experience removing spyware, trojans and viruses. If you can take the time to do all of these steps, there's a good chance your problem will be solved by following this article. While all of these steps are not required for each case, they should be beneficial to all. In general, these steps should work on all versions of Windows XP, but some may not apply to older operating systems like Windows 98. If you need to post a new thread requesting support be sure you have done all of these steps, tell us you did so, what symptoms you are experiencing and then follow any directions we give you exactly. As you can see reading some of the threads, people often ask for advice, then only do bits and pieces. This will not help you, frustrate us and take more time then required

Section 1 makes sure your computer is not at risk for hard to remove viruses. Section 2 covers cleaning and removal.


Getting Prepared; Steps to be sure your system is ready to be scanned:

1: Windows Update; Update your copy of Windows at Windows Update. Just click on Start, then Windows Update. Many security loopholes are found and exploited and Microsoft patches for these. Millions of people were affected by the Blaster worm because they were not up to date, as an example. If you're not up to date, you're at risk. You can setup automatic updates in your control panel; go to Start, Settings, Control panel.

2: Disable System Restore temporarily (WinXP & WinME only) if you are infected; Any trojans, spyware, etc. you may have picked up could have been saved in System Restore and are waiting to re-infect you. Since System Restore is a protected directory, your tools can not access it to delete files, trapping viruses inside. Heres how to disable it in Windows XP:

1: Right click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and select properties.
2: Click on the system restore tab.
3: Check the box that says "Turn off system restore on all drives". Click OK.
4: Click Yes when you are prompted to restart the computer
5: To re-enable System Restore, follow steps 1-3, but in step 3, click to clear the Disable System Restore check box.

3: Network Security Service (Windows XP); If you have the about:blank or home search hijack you need to check to see if a Windows service name "Network Security Service" is running. To do this, click Start, Run, and enter the following in the Open box: "services.msc" (without the quotes). Then click OK. Now, in the Services window that pops up look for exactly "Network Security Service". If you find
this service, you must stop it by right clicking on it then select stop. Now, disable it by right clicking on it and selecting Properties. Then in the General tab see the area that says "Startup type: " click on the pull down arrow and change it to Disabled. If it does not exist, do not worry and skip this step.

4: OPTIONAL: Enable viewing of hidden files and folders and extensions; Some programs can hide this way by not being visible in Windows. Start Windows Explorer and click on your main hard drive, usually c:\. Then select Tool from the top of Windows Explorer and then Folder Options. Go to the View tab. Scroll down to the folder icon that says Hidden files and folders and check show hidden files and folders. Optionally, right below it, uncheck the hide file extensions for known types. This could hide the most commonly used files for trojans and spyware, for example a file ending in .exe or dll making manually finding it, if needed, difficult to impossible.

5: Downloading Tools; Download the following tools and save in your fovorite download folder or create one, for example C:\Temp or C:\Downloads. Install McAfee Avert Stinger, CCleaner, Ad-Aware, Spybot and SpywareBlaster. The rest will run as is without installation.

McAfee AVERT Stinger
CCleaner
Ad-Aware
Spybot
CWShredder
Kill2me
about:Buster
HSRemove
SpywareBlaster

Your system is now ready to be properly scanned for spyware, trojans and viruses.


Scanning And Cleaning Steps:

1: Boot into safe mode; Best results are achieved in safe mode.
After you restart your computer tap the f8 key (after first black and white screen, but before the Windows splash screen) until you get to a black and white screen asking you what to do. Let it auto boot into safe mode or choose Safe Mode with your up and down arrow keys and hit "enter".

2: Clean Your Hard Drive; Remove temporary internet and other files not needed with CCleaner. Run CCleaner with the default options to clean out temporary files. Optionally, check the clean "Delete Index.dat" checkbox.

3: Virus And Trojan Scanning; Run McAfee AVERT Stinger. This takes some time. OPTIONAL: Visit http://securityresponse.symantec.com/ and look for the "Check For Security Risks" button. It should be to the lower right of that web page. "Choose Virus Detection" and "Start". It will ask you to install software, this is ok.

4: Main Spyware Scan And Removal; Scan your machine with Ad-Aware and Spybot.

5: Secondary Spyware Scan And Removal: Other Removal Tools; You can also run the other programs you downloaded; CWShredder, Kill2me, about:Buster and HSRemove. They are free, standalone and easy to use.

6: Install SpywareBlaster; Install it, update and apply settings. It does a great job of blocking known vulnerabilities as well as known malicious websites.

7: OPTIONAL: If you can not remove the stubborn "Only the Best" aka "HSA" HIJACKER please view this thread by Chaslang, an expert in removing these things, can be found here: http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=38772

8: OPTIONAL: Scan With Hijack This; If you have gotten this far without success, you may need to download Hijack This!. Taking a few minutes to read this tutorial is required before posting a logfile so that you can get the most from it and make it easier to diagnose.

Make sure that you tell us in your post that you've already followed the instructions on this page so we don't waste your and our time by posting a link to it in your thread.