Halley said:
Dell Dimension 4600C. OS: Win XP VER: 5.1.2600 Service
Pack: 1.0 When the internet explorer icon is clicked on,
it is very slow to open if at all. If lucky enough to
have it open, it then just continually pops up all these
ads. I have sat and waited until it stops but then blank
pages appear. I then go through the process of closing
them one by one so I can install Adware, Spybot or similar
program to get rid of the critters!! I then lock up,
reboot and it starts all over again!! Any tricks to get
to a browser to download a program??
Try booting up into Safe Mode. After the DELL logo disappears, start
tapping your F8 key until the boot menu comes up. You may have to hit F8
once more to get the menu that offers the choice to boot into Safe Mode with
Networking.
Before doing anything, go to My Computer and enable it to show hidden files
and folders. View, Folder Options, View Tab. Check the box to show hidden
files and folders. Next browse to c:\windows\temp and empty the folder. It
may be listed as c:\winnt\ instead of c:\windows. Next browse to
c:\documents and settings\<username>\local settings\temp and empty that
folder. If you have multiple users on your machine, do this in each users
temp folder. Finally, empty your Recycle Bin.
Go to
www.lavasoftusa.com and download a free copy of Ad-Aware. After the
program is installed and at the main menu, be sure and click on Check for
Updates before scanning your system. After the scan completes and you are
at the results screen, right-click on any checkbox and choose Select all
objects. Hit Finish to quarantine the spyware. Repeat the scan over and
over until you get to a point where all spyware is deleted. It is important
that you repeat the scans as a computer in your condition is rarely ever
cleaned on the first or even second scan. Also, if you have multiple user
accounts, repeat this process while logged into each user account.
If you get to a point where not all of the spyware will delete, you can post
a message at
www.lavasoftsupport.com and someone will gladly help you get
rid of the rest. Be sure and indicate in your post if you have multiple
user accounts. If you don't get rid of these remaining tough ones, they
will likely multiply at a rapid pace.
Good Luck
