how to remove adware?

Question

how do u remove adware from ur pc? i have it i dont know what kind but its driving me crazy plz help thank you

Answer 1

Don't panic!!

First, you will need to get some software programs to help you. The following programs are what I use personally. Not only do I trust them, but they are also free for personal use. The companies that provide the free software, also provide software that they sell for use in a commercial environment. Usually, the free versions are just as good but simply don't have as many of the extra features which make the commercial versions even more attractive to use.

Anti-Spyware Software

• CWShredder - You can find it at [www.trendmicro.com]
• Lavasoft's Ad-Aware - You can find it at [www.lavasoftusa.com]
• Spybot S&D - You can find it at [www.spybot.info]

• AVG AntiSpyware - You can find it at [free.grisoft.com] / [www.ewido.net]
Anti-Virus Software


First you will want to download each of the above programs and then install them. After you install them, you MUST update them so you will have the latest protection. There is one small exception: CWShredder is a stand-alone program that doesn't need to be installed, but you do need to have it check for an update to ensure that you have the latest version. If you don't update these programs and you are infected with the latest parasites, you will not be able to effectively detect and clean them from your computer, so remember to update, update, update.

Since spyware is a bigger problem today than viruses, and spyware is typically harder to find and get rid of, I suggest to start looking for spyware first. I also use the different AS software packages in a specific order so that I go after the tougher problems first and the easiest ones last. What follows is fairly lengthy, but it will take care of just about anything.

1) Turn off System Restore

• WinXP has a cool feature called System Restore. It is used to restore your computer to an earlier configuration in case of a problem. The only problem is that it wasn't made with parasites in mind, and often it can't tell the difference between an infected file and a good file, so it might automatically restore an infected file also if it had been in a protected area, effectively re-infecting your computer. Because of this, it is recommended to turn off System Restore before you test, and when you're done, turn it back on so you are still protected from standard computer problems.


Click Start.
Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all drives."
Click Apply.
When turning off System Restore, the existing restore points will be deleted. Click Yes to do this.
Click OK.

2) Carefully Look at Windows Add/Remove programs for suspicious programs

• Many of the spyware threats actually install into your system like a program. Many appear to be utilities that you may think are helpful but in reality aren't. Look for add-an toolbars, while toolbars like those provided by Google, MSN, Yahoo and other are great utils, there are many more that aren't and if in doubt check it out to see if ones you have are parasitic. Another common exploit are the Search helpers, WinTools, Gator products, IE Helper, Comet Cursor and many others just to name a very few. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) programs are another common source for these and even the ones that doen't come with spyware themselves are a security risk that may lead to your system being infected or to spread infections like these. Remove all suspicious programs, if you are wrong, you may always re-install them later.

3) Run Disk Clean-Up

• This actually comes with Windows and has been installed by default since Windows 98. You can find it by clicking the Start Button and then going to Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Clean-up. I recommend selecting all of its options except the ones for Office Setup Files and Compress Old Files if you have them. While you may select those if you wish, they aren't as important. This will clean up all of the temporary files so your testing will go faster, and may also delete any spyware that may hiding there if the spyware isn't already running. To clear systems that have System Restore you will need to select the second tab and click the button for clearing this.

4) Empty your Internet Explorer cache

• Open Internet Explorer and go to Tools..Internet Options… and under the General tab, in the Browsing History section, click Delete… and then select Temporary Internet Files. This probably won’t eliminate any viruses but will make the scanning go faster.

5) Run CWShredder

• This is made for detecting and cleaning of the infamous CoolWebSearch exploits. Currently there are about 40 types of these, each with up to 4 variants and growing. These are some of the toughest ones to get rid of.

6) Run Ad-Aware next

• This handles the next toughest types the best. When it finally presents you with the list of parasites it has found, put a check mark in the box next to the ones you want to get rid of, I suggest checking them all. If you want to select all, just right-click your mouse on the boxes to get the options menu, and left-click on Select All. If it says it can't get rid of a problem right now, it will ask if you want to run it again after you restart your computer, answer yes and restart your computer so it may test again.

7) Run Spybot next

• When you run it, it will automatically select all the spyware that it finds, if there is something you don't want to get rid of for some reason, deselect it and then let Spybot fix all of the rest of the problems that it finds. This program also will ask to restart your computer so it can test again if it has problems removing something, so let it.

If you had Windows 2000 or Windows XP ( not the 64bit version ) you also have this option...


8) Now Run The AVG Program

• Run the “Complete system scan” option. AVG will scan all of the files when you scan your computer; it will likely take . a long time to complete.

• If you found any parasites, you need to restart your computer so you can test everything again. There are times that after cleaning certain parasites you will need to test again because something may have been hidden earlier by the infection. So repeat this process of testing and restarting until you find no more parasites.

• Run the scans again in Safe Mode. This will keep many of the parasites from loading and being able to hide from your protection software. To access Safe Mode on most versions of Windows, start tapping the [F8] key after you first start or restart your system, start tapping it before you ever see a Windows Splash Screen and continue until you get the Menu where you may select it from the list. On WinNT, this is called VGA mode and on Win2k you actually start tapping just after the first splash screen shows. For Detailed instructions see Restarting Your Computer in Safe Mode

These procedures should have cleaned most cases of infection that you will find. Yes I said MOST because there are some infections that are very hard to detect and remove. Generally, if you have one of these, you will need the assistance of an expert to help you get rid of it.

When you believe you are finished, remember to turn System Restore back on if you had turned it off.

I recommend testing for parasites as often as you can, probably at least once a month if not more. The sooner you catch them, the less damage they can do to your computer, and the less chance of a hacker finding your sensitive information such as checking account info, passwords, etc.


9) Reboot your computer normally.
• If you're still having problems, continue with the following:

10) Go to
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/progr...
• and download HiJackThis. Run the program, which will create a log file. Go to

http://forums.spywareinfo.com/

• and post your HiJackThis log. You will get an extremely rapid, very precise answer as to whether or not you still have any infections and, if so, exactly what to do.

11) After everything is all cleaned up
• I recommend installing

SpywareTerminator (free):

http://www.spywareterminator.com/
Good luck!

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

You can search resolve PC problems browse pulse to see a blog about adware removal instruction.
Such an adware should be removed in right orders to prevent its coming back

Answer 4

Both of these are free. Install and update.


Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free.
http://www.spybot.info/

http://superantispyware.com/
SUPERAntiSpyware is the most thorough scanner on the market. Our Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology will detect spyware that other products miss! SUPERAntiSpyware will remove ALL the Spyware, NOT just the easy ones!
Easily remove over 100,000 pests such as SmitFraud, Vundo, WinFixer, SpyAxe, SpyFalcon, WinAntiVirus, AntiVermins and thousands more!

Answer 5

Both advert-mindful and spybot seek and break are well. I additionally hold a "junkmail" e mail deal with that I use whilst I need to sign up for matters. That means much less junk will get into my inbox. Then as soon as a month or so I go surfing to the unsolicited mail e mail deal with and delete what I do not desire/want.

Answer 6

Adaware and AVG Anti-spyware is good as well.

AVG AntiSpyware
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5

Adaware from Lavasoft (free version requires automatic updating)
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php