my brother + porn = ....
polycounter lvl 18
my PC plagued by spyware! 
!
Can someone please recomend me some good anti spyware apps? I tried AdAware but i still get a spyware pop-up.
!Can someone please recomend me some good anti spyware apps? I tried AdAware but i still get a spyware pop-up.
Replies
don't ever let anyone touch your computer without these.
It doesn't remove the spycrap but it prevents it by being a not-integrated-into-the-OS browser!
I'll try those out, ElysiumGX.
IERADICATOR!
Considering if you don't do win2k/xp tho
I thought you were offering public downloads of your brother, on porn.
oh well.
too bad for rooster.
Otherwise, you can use Spybot and Ad-Aware to clean up the spyware and Firefox to prevent most kinds of spyware that is browser-integrated. It works well on all my other PC's at home as well as for the users that mentioned them.
For those of you in the know, then never mind this thread.
For those of you who arent too familiar with Adware/Spyware/Malware in general or are familiar with them but dont necessarily know how to deal with them, continue on and look into what I have to say that may possibly help you out.
Disclaimer
<font color="pink">First off, before we move any further, this little write up will lead and point you to specific programs that will potentially remove problems on your computer and in a very remote extent may affect some legitimate programs you may have or wish to run. Usually this isnt the case, but there have been known instances of problems occurring that result in something that was important to have or vital to a specific program function and was removed from the system and required reinstallation of that program. Just a forewarning as no one is monitoring your actions while following some of the steps that may be found in this guide, you may run into problems that only an actively monitoring I.T. Tech can get you out of. If you are not comfortable with dealing with computer issues on your own or have a general lack of understanding dealing with problems that affect your computer I suggest you only treat this article as a guideline and take it as just that. Having a second (and more importantly, informed) opinion on your side to help deal with computer problems is always strongly recommended as I cannot be held responsible for any problems that may come forth by following parts of this guide.</font>
/Disclaimer
Alright then, with that out of the way I want to start off by saying that the reason Im writing this is to help anyone who may need it. I basically want to give you the run down on what you as a person can do to help yourself out of an annoying problem so you dont have to sit on hold for anywhere between ½ hour to 3 hours waiting for a Microsoft Tech to walk you through the same steps that Im going to tell you right here and now. Isnt that awesome? Although I have never run into the ever dreaded issue of having a system killing virus, tracker, dialer, agobot, gaobot, worm, Trojan, etc on my personal computer (which I deeply cherish) I have run across countless people who have.
Moreover, for a short time I was trained specifically how to deal with and remove (for the most part) these problems. If you are wondering if I was trained professionally by Microsoft, then I can say with all honesty, yes I was. This does not mean, however, that I am a Microsoft Certified Engineer and no, I cannot answer every little question about the nooks and crannies of the various Windows OSs. What I was trained on is the first defense line of how to deal with virus and malware detection, elimination, and protection. If you come across any questions along the way or have a question that relates to this subject that I seemed to have not touched on it, please post it and Ill try and answer you with the most informed answer I can give.
Please note I do not work for Microsoft anymore and I have not had any training on the new Microsoft AntiSpyware software coming out and that is in Beta right now, all I can tell you is that it will become a full version release on February 11th.
To keep this Thread simple, I will be mostly giving out the Microsoft answers I have been trained to give out (which for the most part are pretty helpful), but I may also give you an alternate option that may seem more down to earth for you to follow. So dont go blaming any problem this guide gives you on Microsoft. Trust me; they get enough complaints as it is.
All right, first thing is first: Computer setup.
Questions you should ask yourself about your computer system:
1.) Do you have a firewall?
2.) Do you have an Antivirus Software?
3.) Do I keep my Antivirus and Windows patches up to date?
Those are the steps pretty much taken from Microsofts own prevention measures protocol and honestly, if you can answer yes to all three questions, then your in really good shape and about 95% of all the problems that can happen to your computer while on the internet are already taken care of whether youre aware of it or not.
Microsofts PYPC (Protect Your PC) information is at www.microsoft.com/protect
About Firewalls:
Firewall are wonderful monitoring devices that are generally broken up into 2 groups; Active and non-active. Most all firewalls these days are actively monitoring ones. Now, there are 2 different kinds of firewalls; software and hardware.
Good examples of both are a Linksys Router as a hardware firewall, and ISS Black ICE as a software firewall.
Ok, so what do they do?
To keep this simple, I find it easy to look at a firewall like this: a monitoring station (of your communication ports) that watches the amount of requested information sent out and received in that checks to match the amount of packet information coming in, and if it is from the correct source.
Excess information such as junk viruses, obvious spyware and other malware sent out in random packets are simply ignored and never enter your system. <font color="pink">Yes, you can receive malware on your computer just by being connected to the internet.</font> Your browser does not have to be open for it to happen and this can happen to any type of connection, dial-up or high-speed.
Windows XP actually comes with a firewall that initially does not come turned on. Its called the <font color="pink">ICF</font> also known as the Internet Connection Firewall. If you were able to upgrade to the Service Pack 2 or your computer came pre-installed with it on it, then you now have something called the <font color="pink">Windows Firewall</font>. No other version of Windows (for the home consumer) has a firewall built into it.
So now, say that you have the ICF turned on, or have the Windows Firewall with another Firewall on your computer like Black ICE or a Router; does this mean you have double the protection, or do you just have two firewalls doing the same thing? The real answer is a little bit of both. Each Firewall is a little bit different and may monitor a little bit differently or may monitor specific ports that others do not.
Usually only having one firewall is enough, but if you happen to have two or more and can still seem to go about your business on the internet just fine, I dont recommend you turn one off. If it isnt broke, dont fix it. Now, if you are having issues connecting to the internet (especially you AOL users) then I do suggest you talk to your 3rd party firewall manufactures for their advice and see about opening certain ports or lightening the restrictions on them. If you must turn off a firewall, try to keep at least the Windows firewall up and going as that is the most capable firewall for protecting the Windows System (according to Microsoft).
Certain firewalls such as AOL and Norton Firewall have the ability to overtake the ICF or Windows Firewall and either restrict it or turn it off without your option. Usually this is necessary for their versions of their firewall to work. As long as you have a firewall though, youre still in good shape.
Anti-Virus Software
As obvious as this may sound, Anti-Virus software is the software on your computer that disinfects, or cleans your system of known viruses. Many new Anti-virus software packages are starting to come with many Adware and Spyware removal definitions, but for the most part, Anti-Virus Softwares main role is to prevent viruses from spreading and keeping your system cleaned of viruses, not malware. There is no standard Anti-Virus Software that comes with the Windows OS. There are however, several 3rd party Name Brand Anti-virus Softwares that Microsoft does recommend for its users. A list of those name brands can be found here at: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/downloads/default.mspx.
Now, just to clear up any confusion, Antivirus software is not the same as Anti-spyware/adware removal tools such as the popular Ad-Aware SE and Spybot Search & Destroy which are also recommended at the same web address. Removal tools are not a constantly monitoring process and are not specifically meant to deal with viruses, even though there are a few virus definitions they can handle. These tools are not a substitute for an Antivirus package. Sorry, you are going to have to bite the bullet and get a subscription service.
Now, which one do I recommend? The Microsoft answer is Any of the listed products on the aforementioned hyperlink are all recommended by Microsoft for your choosing.
My choice would probably be McAfee Antivirus. If you really want to go with Norton, then please do yourself a favor and make sure you get a later version of the software package such as the 2005 version, which isnt so troublesome with Windows XP; it will save you some headaches. I hear anything past 2004 for Norton is actually quite decent. I also find Computer Associates excellent, but good luck getting a hold of any kind of support as their IT Support line cost sky-high rates. F-Secure is a solid program as well. Panda software is a great spyware remover, but Im not too keen on their viral protection. I do not have any experience with Trend Micro AV, so it may be very good or just average; Im not sure.
Windows Updates - or in general keeping all your protection software up to date.
Long Story Short: 17 year old boy once made a virus that really crippled A LOT of peoples computers and corporations computers by simply exploiting a problem found in the Windows OS. If you are tuned into knowing these kinds of things, you would know the name of this little situation is called the <font color="pink">MSBlaster Worm</font>. Its a disgusting little thing that can cause your computer to randomly restart and is trying to constantly attack other computer around it (such as on a network.)
Another great disaster that will shut down your computer after trying to launch your internet browser is called the <font color="pink">Sassar Exploit</font>. The good thing is, you no longer have to deal with these worries if youre up to date on your Windows Updates; specifically Service Pack 2, which resolves these problems. The sad thing is that these fixes were available for download (the patches, not SP2) before these problems hit the internet. Trust me, you may not think it important for you to take a long download on your computer to just protect against one or two problems, but remember; it only takes one virus to wipe/crash/corrupt you computer for good, and thats one too many for me.
While were on the subject of updating, if youve already spent the money for a virus definition subscription service, go ahead and use it. If you know youre an average internet user who is on for a good amount, try updating your virus definitions at least once a week. New viruses and virus definitions actually do come out everyday, there is a whole industry being supported by it. People have jobs because of this now. They go to work and research how to fix these problems on a daily basis. I also recommend that if you use Ad-Aware and Spybot, to update their definitions as well on a regular basis.
If you would like to know more or hear all this from a direct source, I recommend going to www.microsoft.com/protect and giving it a read.
Tools of the trade
This is a list of basic but effective tools/steps that I recommend to people to help solve most general malware problems.
Go to http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/downloads/default.mspx and in the lower right section, follow the link to download Ad-Aware SE and Spybot.
Update them as well as your Antivirus software with the latest definitions.
Run these tools in Windows Safe Mode.
If many problems are found/fixed, run scans again. There are viruses that actually spawn after a scan of the system is preformed.
Doing this right here will usually solve all malware related problems. There are some stubborn issues though that are tough to get around. Ill jump on those as you report them here. There are just too many issues and problems that can affect Windows and so many of them can be similar in symptoms but different in removal processes that trying to write them all in here is too time consuming.
Why Safe Mode?
Safe is a Windows diagnostic utility that helps in the troubleshooting process to resolve issues. Its basically Diet Windows as it runs primarily off of the core drivers that run the system. This allows your scans to do a more through job as most of the malware/viruses like to hide in common running processes that are found in Windows Normal mode. With these process not running, a scan done in Safe Mode has a much higher chance of finding a problem and correcting it.
Windows XP has the ability to be in Safe Mode with networking. Take note that you must have a high speed connection or intranet to be able to use the networking side of this feature. Being in Safe mode can allow you access to the internet without the hassle of hijackers and malware being so active, though it isnt guaranteed.
If your computer cannot get the internet, then that really leaves you SOL if you cant get online in Windows Safe Mode with networking and you dont have these scanners. If this is the case, find another computer or a friends computer to download those programs to on a CD/memory stick and then install them on your comp. Public libraries usually have access to the internet; see if you can get some help there if you have no friends with internet.
If you feel that you have a serious virus and need a quick solution, I can suggest 2 things off the top of my head.
Go to http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger and download STINGER.
This is a very powerful antivirus scan that scans and removes 47 of the most destructive Windows Viruses known. It is not a substitute for anti-virus and it is limited to the 47 viruses and its variants (about 300 definitions total) which isnt even .001% of the mass number of viruses out there. It is the only scanning tool that you can download on to a floppy disk and it runs very slow. It does do a great job though if it happens to find one of the 47 viruses on your computer.
-OR-
Run an online antivirus scan.
I recommend going to www.pandasoftware.com and running their scan or go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com and running a scan there.
<font color="pink">If you happen to know for a fact that you have either MSBlaster or Sassar, then go to www.microsoft.com/downloads and look up these files:
Blaster:
The Patch KB-835732
Removal Tool KB-841720
Sassar:
The Patch KB-823980
Removal Tool KB-833330</font>
Once you have removed the problems, do a through scan in Safe mode to remove any other attached problems and then update Windows to the latest security/critical/recommended updates to prevent the problems from happening again.
Hijackers
If youre running into issues of having your browser being redirected without you doing anything, then you have what is known as a Hijacker. Running Ad-aware and Spybot in safe mode usually can take care of these problems. If the problems still persist then you may have something you have to manually change in your Windows hosts file.
(Do not attempt this if you are not comfortable with change system files.)
The hosts file can be found at: <font color="pink">C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts</font>
You can open this file up with notepad. I suggest you make a backup of this file incase you accidentally mess something up. What youre looking for are obvious web addresses that you know shouldnt be there. You can delete them, but make sure you keep the line that says Local or Local Host followed by 127.0.0.1. Keep that in there. Another easy way to test to see if there is an address in there youre not sure about is to simply put # in front of it. This will write the address out as a note. You can simply delete the # later if you decided that the address is non-malicious.
If you are getting an about:blank or about.blank or something of that extent in your browser window and you cannot go anywhere else, then I seriously suggest you get a hold of Stinger, Ad-aware, and Spybot from another computer and pray that they work. The about:blank problem is a serious headache to deal with. Call in to Microsoft for this one if the scans and hosts file situation dont fix the issue. It will more likely than not end up with you working in your registry with the tech.
Pretty much anything beyond this point requires a little bit of knowledge of the Windows Registry and maybe some special tools that can be used to help modify it to find problems in it. I wont get into that here, but if you have problems, post em up here and Ill try to look into them for you.
Again, this is all just a guide, not a definite problem-solving manual. Dont be afraid to ask for help or call up your computer manufacturer or Microsoft if you need to. I just wanted to make these basic steps available so you dont have to be on hold forever to do these simple things. I hope this helps, and post any questions you may have.
-jeff
lol
I thought you were offering public downloads of your brother, on porn.
oh well.
too bad for rooster.
[/ QUOTE ]
yeah yeah, suppose I deserve that for poking fun in the drugs thread.. Sound a bit
go to the category in forums called Hijackthis logs/malware removal.
http://www.security-forums.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=48
first read the sticky thread called Announcement: Read This Before You Post Your Log
Download Hijackthis and all the other programs they ask you to get and run them as instructed.
Then post your hijackthis log and someone will look it over and tell you what to remove.
I have gone through this once on my home computer and several times on diffeent pc's at work and they have never failed to clear up the problem