spyware removal

[Guest]

Can anyone suggest some good freeware that is useful for removing spyware,
malware, etc. from my computer. I apparently had the program "Spyblaster"
which had a security vulnerability leading to a corruption of mys OS
necessitating a reformatting of the hard drive. I'd like to avoid this in the
future. thank you,

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Download Ad-aware SE and scan your PC for the presence of spyware:
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html?part=69274&subj=dlpage&tag=button

Symantec Security Check:
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Can anyone suggest some good freeware that is useful for removing spyware,
| malware, etc. from my computer. I apparently had the program "Spyblaster"
| which had a security vulnerability leading to a corruption of mys OS
| necessitating a reformatting of the hard drive. I'd like to avoid this in the
| future. thank you,

 

[Trip Lane]

I'd also add SpyBot to use in addition to Ad-aware:
http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html

 

[The Prophecy]

Can anyone suggest some good freeware that is useful for removing
spyware, malware, etc. from my computer. I apparently had the program
"Spyblaster" which had a security vulnerability leading to a
corruption of mys OS necessitating a reformatting of the hard drive.
I'd like to avoid this in the future. thank you,

Use the scanners listed below.

--
Download, update and use the following. If you have any of these update them
now:

Spybot Search & Destroy 1.3
http://www.safer-networking.org/

Ad-Aware SE 1.03
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

Spyware Blaster 3.2
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
http://www.net-integration.net/tools/spywareblaster.html

CWShredder (CoolWebSearch remover) 1.59.1
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/cwshredder.zip

Spy Sweeper 3.0.0 Build 129
http://www.webroot.com

 

[Cris]

Hi:

"Someone further down
on this thread recommends "Spyware Blaster", but the name of this program
sounds suspiciously close to the name of the program that the tech person
fixing my computer reported as the source of my problem. Do you know
anything about Spyware Blaster?"

I'm using SpyBlaster (and the rest of the programs they recommend) without
problems.

I never heard of something similar to what you described in your previous
post: (..."Spyblaster"
which had a security vulnerability leading to a corruption of mys OS
necessitating a reformatting of the hard drive.)

Could you give a brief description of the problem you had with your computer
before you get it fixed? Thanks

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

To deal with issues caused by any sort of "adware" and/or
"spyware,"such as Gator, Comet Cursors, Smiley Central, Xupiter,
Bonzai Buddy, or KaZaA, and their remnants, that you've deliberately
(but without understanding the consequences) installed, two products
that are quite effective (at finding and removing this type of
scumware) are Ad-Aware from www.lavasoft.de and SpyBot Search &
Destroy from www.safer-networking.org/. Both have free versions.
It's even possible to use SpyBot Search & Destroy to "immunize" your
system against most future intrusions. I use both and generally
perform manual scans every week or so to clean out cookies, etc.

Additionally, manual removal instructions for the most common
varieties of scumware are available here:

PC Hell Spyware and Adware Removal Help
http://www.pchell.com/support/spyware.shtml

More information and assistance is available at these sites:

Blocking Ads, Parasites, and Hijackers with a Hosts File
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

The Parasite Fight
http://www.aumha.org/a/parasite.htm


Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH

 

[Plato]

Can anyone suggest some good freeware that is useful for removing spyware,
malware, etc. from my computer. I apparently had the program "Spyblaster"

http://www.safer-networking.org/
http://www.lavasoft.de/support/download/
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/index.html

 

[The Prophecy]

Spyware Blaster is a spyware prevention program. Prevention programs like
Spyware Blaster stops spyware before it even gets installed on your
computer. After a quick search on Google, I found that SpyBlaster seems to
be another name given to Spyware Blaster. I not sure why this is, however to
avoid problems I suggest that you download Spyware Blaster using the link
from my previous post. I am also unsure why the Tech support person you
talked to said that Spyware Blaster was the problem. As far as I know there
has never been a case where SWB caused a problem as serious as yours. I
suggest you download and use SWB, and if this problem occurs again, post
back here and I will try and provide a fix for the problem instead of you
having to reformat your hard drive. In the event that you do have this
problem and post here again, the operating system you are using is necessary
to help solve the problem.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Hi, Thanks for your reply...

My system was behaving very erratically and it was running very slow before
I had the hard drive reformatted.

Open program windows were hard to close. I could not connect with the
internet. I was getting several different dll error messages (can't find the
right dll file to make a program run properly) including one on my Norton
Anti Virus software.

I ran a scan using one of the spyware removal programs I had and it found
two "items" pertaining to a registry key change due to some sort of malicious
object (forgot excat term). I tried to "fix" the problem, but was unable and
decided to call a computer repair shop - the final bill was around $225 - I'm
guessing with a little more tinkering and help from you I might have been
able to fix it myself, though these guys said I needed to reformat the hard
drive.

 

[The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad]

probably too late but this is great:

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

 

[Guest]

Hi,

I spoke with the tech person who fixed my computer. He said that he has
found that Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy remove most problems. When I
questioned him on his earlier negative comment about SpyBlaster or Spyware
Blaster, he said that in his experience, he has found problems with this one.
While Spyblaster may not be a malicious piece of spyware itself, he claims it
is a poorly written program and he has found problems associated with it.

 

[Cris]

While Spyblaster may not be a malicious piece of spyware itself, he claims
it

is a poorly written program and he has found problems associated with it.

I never heard that. Spyblaster doesn't eliminate files... It just prevents
you from attacks... It sounds as an excuse. Some tech people give strange
explanations to us. One of them told me at the beginnig of the year that my
machine was "broken" because of the antivirus, which was a VIRUS ITSELF.
Imagine my face. An antivirus-virus??? I had to pay a lot of euros in that
occasion and then I found these forums I never saw that man again.

Luck