Killing spyware

anybody got any suggestion for some spyware killer stuff?

I generally use Adaware AND Spybot. They seem to compliment each other. One can get rid of some things, and the other can get rid of other things... check at

cool, thanks man. im currently using spybot: S&D.

I generally use Adaware AND Spybot. They seem to compliment each other. One can get rid of some things, and the other can get rid of other things... check at

I'll second that, those are the only good ones out there, keep 'em up to date, and scan often, once a week at least for the time it takes... and you should have NO problems.

you also have to be careful trying new ones, because some anti-spyware apps actually install spyware

ok people, new problem. after trying these 'spy ware killers', my computer does something weird... it'll be in the middle of scanning, and my computer will crash. (and it wasnt just a one timer, i have tried it time and time again). can some one please help

That could be either...
A: A spyware program preventing it's own deletion.
B: The anti-spyware program locking up.

I'll just assume it's A. Try running the programs in safe mode by hitting F6 while booting up (or was it F8? i dunno, hit both and see if the system sounds attack). That should fix that. If you're running a legit (or semi-legit) copy of Windows XP you can use their spyware scanner, it did quite well for me.

Just a question, been running Kazaa Lite Resurrection lately?

I'll second the AdAware/Spybot combo as well, but keep in mind these programs are more preventative medicine than system recovery tools. If your computer is THAT messed up, a couple spyware scanners aren't going to save it. You need to keep that stuff under control AS it happens before it gets out of hand. Good luck.

ok. i ran spy bot in safe mode. and it DID NOT CRASH! i dont know if i fixed the problem yet, time will tell.
but i did get rid of a bunch of spyware. so i have to say thanks to everyone in here that helped me out. i owe you all big time

Sorry, you did NOT "reformat your computer" whatever you meant by that, it was most certainly not format...

if you format your computer (actually your hard drive, but people don't know the difference anymore) all of your data is gone. Any software issues you may have had are gone. if you formatted your computer it did something, and everything works perfectly. If it did nothing, you didn't format anything.

if you don't mind, please explain exactly how you formatted you computer.

all of my data WAS gone. and it was working perfectly. then after about a month, it started working like crap again. but i went and got the internet and some of the stuff i had before (but not all of it)

Then it did something, you just didn't take preventative measures to be sure it continued to run that way. you should run a firewall, Anti-Virus software, and the two recommended spyware solutions

Firewall: if you're using XP, install SerVice Pack 2, and use the built in one. If not, use Kerio Personal Firewall:

NOT ZONE ALARM!!!

Anti-Virus: use AVG Free edition from here:

people will yap that it sucks, but those people are morons. it works better than ANY commercial $300 AV you'll find.

enjoy.

thanks NES-Luke

I don't use it anymore, but when I used my old computer, I used Zone Alarm. I didn't have any problems with it when I had it... is there something that they added (or took away) to make it a lesser product?

You've heard it before but...

USE FIREFOX!

i still havent got around to using AVG. but i tried the firewall and it crashed my damn computer. i want to just take an axe to this thing... bye bye old computer.

You should do what Nes-Luke said. Save all the stuff you want on a disk, and reformat it again, then get the firewalls the spywares and all the preventitive stuff.

get the installers for all of that stuff BEFORE you format it, then unplug your net connection, install your OS, setup all of your security, then plug the net connection back in. I've had installs go bad during the AV/firewall install step in the past, now this is the way I do things.

crashed it how? as in you lost internet traffic? that would be because it needs to be set up for your machine so it can block bad traffic and allow good. Just take your time, read the help files and you should be OK.

if it really did CRASH the machine, then you need to do a fresh install. Some will tell you the Windows OS can be repaired, but all of the problems will come back without a clean install

i'll have to just put it into safe mode to do all that stuff. i dont know exactly how to get into safe mode on my windows 98.
damn you bill gates... DAMN YOOOOOUUU!

i'll have to just put it into safe mode to do all that stuff. i dont know exactly how to get into safe mode on my windows 98.
damn you bill gates... DAMN YOOOOOUUU!

I have 98 installed in my sons' room, but it doesn't have a monitor right now. I believe entering into safe mode is the same way, using a function key.

....and yes, Bill Gates is the devil.

i use Ad-aware se personal and its great i got it at downloads.com as well

there is a reason i dont use ad-aware. i got a download of it off of download.com, and my computer was going as slow as ever. so i did a norton antivirus scan, and ad-aware showed up as a virus. so i'd rather use different virus scanners. (im currently using spybot search and destroy)

Hmmm... that's strange. I run the same virus program, and it's never had any "ill-feelings" towards either of my spyware programs.

i may have got a bad download file, but i just dont want to risk it again. spybots working pretty good for me

well as long as its working thats all that matters

if your talking about spybot, then ya. thats working.

Ad-Aware is not a virus, that is exactly why I hate Norton, and all Symantec products (other than Ghost, it rocks) download AVG from the link I gave you, use the add/remove programs application in the control panel to remove norton, and install AVG (you may want to disconnect your net connection before uninstalling)

basically, do this:

1) download AVG

2) disconnect net connection

3) uninstall garbage app err, I mean Norton Anti-Virus

4) reboot (Norton should prompt for this, if not, do it anyway)

5) run AVG installer

6) reconnect net connection

7) update AVG (double click the icon it made on the desktop, and then click "update", the rest is dead easy, just follow the prompts)

enjoy your new AV that doesn't eat small children to sustain itself.

I'm going with adaware (downloaded from the official homepage) and Free AV ().
I have never had any problems with that combination.

Perhaps Norton found something in Ad-aware's quarrantine files that made it look as though Ad-aware is the virus (it's not).

I don't seem to be having any trouble with that combination (unless Norton AV is jealous of Ad-aware and prefers you not to have it installed on your system, but it's unlikely).

yah. i may download it again. but i probably have to have some guy come look at either the memory or the mother board. because i've done just about everything i can think of or anything that was suggested on here and it is still acting shitty. this will cost me a good $150.

Did you reformat it again? That should work. If anything if your willing to spend $150.00, just get a new computer. You can get something decent for a couple hundred more, and seems worth it in the long run. That way you wont keep having to pay to get your current one fixed.

yes, i did reformat it again. but im just gonna get this fixed. no new computer. im saving up for a laptop.

I can't BELIEVE the built-in firewall in SP2 was just recommended over ZoneAlarm. First of all, SP2 is complete and total BLOATWARE, plus the built in firewall effectively breaks your connectivity for you. ZoneAlarm is an excellent firewall, the best I've worked with, and is free.

He IS right about those AV programs, though. They love to hog system resources and are generally instrusive and obnoxious. I personally use PC Cillin on my computers, small footprint, stays out of my face, but AVG is great for a free product.

Windows is comple and total bloatware, so it really doesn't hurt too much to add a little more on

the firewall doesn't break anything when you set it up properly

it was suggested over ZoneAlarm because ZoneAlarm DOES break things, you unblock a port, it keeps it blocked, you close the program, you lose all traffic.

also for simplicity, the SP2 firewall is the best there is. disagree if you like, but you're not changing my opinion...

the stuff i got that was recommended is working fine. the AVG found 3 trojan horse viruses.(2 blackdoor, and 1 other...)
the firewall though, i dont see what it is really doing...

but my computer still doesnt work good. like i said before, this is just gonna cost me a lot of money to get it fixed.

but i have to buy Resident Evil 4 first.

the firewall doesn't break anything when you set it up properly

it was suggested over ZoneAlarm because ZoneAlarm DOES break things, you unblock a port, it keeps it blocked, you close the program, you lose all traffic.

ZoneAlarm is infinitely more configurable than the SP2 firewall. Here's an interesting article from last month's CPU from Alex St. John:

SP2 and Security

I don't know what to make of the mess Microsoft has made of Windows security. It appears that its strategy for making people safe from the Wild West world of the Internet is to simply wall it off. The recently released SP2 freely blocks downloads of all online ActiveX plug-ins and downloads without regard to source or legitimacy. Flash, RealPlayer, QuickTime, and Acrobat are all blocked. Of course, while blocking all easy access to legitimate online software, Microsoft gives itself free access to your PC via the Windows Update serVice, which it uses with increasing frequency to modify your Microsoft applications, browser, and OS environment, thus breaking other working applications, generating support calls for other software companies while denying those software products access to the same self-patching technologies Microsoft relies on to support its own products. That was a mouthful, but there's more.

In addition to unilaterally breaking the Internet, Microsoft freely breaks a vast array of applications with little consideration for the confusion that it causes consumers. When the Windows update serVice installs the WinXP SP2 update to Windows, it turns on its firewall automatically and blocks multiplayer games from communicating with the Internet. These games are in full-screen graphic modes when they try to communicate with the Internet so the user can't see the warning dialog SP2 pops on the Desktop to tell users the game is blocked.

If you were to engage in the extremely risky online behavior of visiting a Macromedia Flash-based Web site, you would get a warning dialog that reads; "While files from the Internet can be useful, this file type can potentially harm your computer. Only install software from publishers you trust. What's the risk?" So Microsoft, who I must trust with my computer because I use their OS is warning me that Flash can "potentially" harm my computer. So let's click the "What's The Risk?" link and see what it has to say about Macromedia's hazardous software.

"Should you install ActiveX controls?

Maybe. You should be cautious about installing ActiveX controls on your computer, even if they have a valid digital signature. While ActiveX controls can enhance Web browsing, they can also be a security risk, and it's best to avoid using them if the Web page will work without them. However, some Web sites or tasks might require them, and if the content or task is important to you, you will have to decide whether to install the ActiveX control."

So for example, if I choose to visit any Web site that contains QuickTime- or RealPlayer-based media content, I will get this stern warning and have to evaluate the risks of using these apparently dangerous software products to view videos based on my extensive technical knowledge about their internal operation in the Windows environment and make an informed decision about whether the video I want to watch is worth the risk of "harming" my computer with this software. Conveniently, Windows Media Player-based content is not plagued with any of these pesky warnings.

I feel much safer online now that I know Microsoft, the company that has used the back door they installed for themselves on my computer 11 times in the past five months to patch security holes in their own software, is protecting me from Adobe Acrobat by warning me that Adobe's software MAY be harmful and preventing me from installing it. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer (the most prevalent spyware and adware product on the Internet, not to mention the greatest source of security vulnerabilities) does not bother to warn you about itself.

The fact is Microsoft can't actually fix Windows security at this point. The Windows OS was fundamentally not designed with the threats of the Internet in mind. The modern Windows OS was created for corporate environments where everyone has skilled IT departments that carefully control all online access and software on user machines. In the home it just doesn't work and frankly probably can't be fixed. Microsoft's solution will be to add layer after layer of bloated obstructive security garbage to the OS because that's cheaper and more expedient than solving the problem in a way that works for software not published by Microsoft.

Just some food for thought.

woah.......

but has anyone heard of spyware nuker or anything along those lines?

woah.......

but has anyone heard of spyware nuker or anything along those lines?

Yes, I've heard of Spyware Nuker, my cousin swears by it, I hated it... and it costs money...

woah.......

but has anyone heard of spyware nuker or anything along those lines?
Yup. basically they make it worse with the free demo until you buy it. Its a peice of crap.

NES-Luke: avoid profanity please.