Spyware/malware Information

I don't care how careful you are in your surfing (I think I am) but somehow these little programs install themselves or your installed a "free" software program (aka freeware). The freeware people gotta make money somehow, so they install malware on your computer...it probably asked you, but you hit NEXT without reading the screen just thinking it was part of the program and you needed it to run it...ha.

Here is a good article explaining - http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/10/20/welcome_to_your_worst_malware_nightmare/index.html

Need to block you kids from bad sites - http://www.opendns.com/

Sections - (click on link below to goto a section on this page)

• Clean it NOW
• I got pop-up problems
• Tips from someone else
• Top 25 Spyware and Adware - http://www.pcpitstop.com/spycheck/top25.asp

Quick Links

• crap cleaner - http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
• malwarebytes - www.malwarebytes.org
• spybot program - http://www.spybot.info/en/mirrors/index.html - direct link off my site spybotsd14.exe
• spybot updates - http://www.spybotupdates.com/updates/files/spybotsd_includes.exe
• hijackthis - http://216.180.233.162/~merijn/files/HijackThis.exe (be careful with this one, use MSCONFIG (startup list) first)
• Symantec download defs - http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/defs.download.html
• Google toolbar (good for blocking pop-ups and not full of crap-ola) - http://toolbar.google.com/

Clean it NOW and keep it clean

Do these steps frequently.

1. CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/ - get it, run it. It will delete all temporary files that are spread all over your system. Do this before running a malware removal, that way it doesn't take that long to scan through all those files. If you are scared to run it, then make sure you clean these 3 places:
   1. Temporary Interenet files - either though "Internet Explorer, Tools, Options" or through "Windows" explorer "C:\Documents and Setting\YOURPROFILE\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files" (you will have to make sure you can see hidden files by doing "Tools", "Folder Options", "View", "Show Hidden..."
   2. Temp install files and such - located in "C:\Documents and Setting\YOURPROFILE\Local Settings\Temp"
   3. Temp install files - located in "C:\Windows\temp" or "C:\WINNT\temp"
2. Scan for malware - use Malwarebytes.org - www.malwarebytes.org
3. One malware scanner cannot find everything, use a secondary. Spybot www.spybot.info - get it, update it (spybot updates above download file and run the spybotsd_includes.exe file), do "immunize", then "check for problems" and fix all. The immunize option is the function you want to get out of this one, but do a scan also, between this one and Adaware they will find all of them. Both of these won't find everything, but newer versions of Norton Anti-Virus will... 
4. Spybot should take care of most everything but if not - Adaware http://www.lavasoft.de/ - get it, update it, scan it (change setting to "Perform full system scan"). OR use
5. Still got some kind of problem? refer to my main pc page at bottom Need Help removing stuff
6. If you have kids run Spybot at least once a week, keeping it updated everytime.
7. As always, make sure your Anti-Virus software virus definitions are up to date. see Virus page
8. If pc is still slow, defrag the hard drive with Windows Defrag or use  www.defraggler.com
9. still slow - defrag your page file with PageDefrag from sysinternals (now Micro$oft) http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897426.aspx
10. still slow - check your page file size,
    1. goto: "Start, Settings, Control Panel, System"
    2. look at how much memory you have under Computer on General tab...example: 1gig of RAM
    3. goto: Advance tab, Performance button, Advance tab, Virtual memory, Change
    4. Initial size should be 1.5 times how much memory you have...example from above if i have 1gig of RAM (1024mb), then initial size should be 1536mb
    5. Max size should be 3 times how much memory you have...example of 1gig is 3072mb

To run these automatically from command line (or through psexec)

cleaner

 cd "\program files\ccleaner"
 ccleaner /auto

spybot - remember to update the defs either by copying the good "\includes" directory or /autoupdate option

 cd "\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy"
 spybotsd.exe /taskbarhide /autoclose /autoimmunize /autocheck /autofix

Beware not all cleaners are good http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm, so be careful.

Pop-Ups

Pop-Up stoppers - I do not use these because they are "treatments" to the problem...I like to solve the problem. Think about it, most pop-ups aren't really a problem while your surfing, you kinda expect a one little advertisement pop. But when you are not surfing (you don't have a browser open) and all of a sudden a window pops up...that is a program running poping those little windows every 30 seconds or so.

 

XP with service pack 2 installed has a stopper built in...thanks Bill.

 

Refer to Keep It Clean section to get rid of them.

 

If you must have one click here ...this one is from Google, it has no junk with it like others (ie:Yahoo)

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