Adware & Spyware are the biggest problem our computers face today. These programs slow down the computer, cause popups even when you don’t have the Internet browser open, and some even log your keystrokes and send them to the writers.

There are many ways that these programs can infect your system. 

1 -  Not keeping your computer up to date.

I don’t care if you have Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP if you don’t have the latest security patches installed your computer is at risk.  Un-patched computers can get infected with nasty malware just by visiting a rouge website.  Visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com now to make sure you have the latest patches.

2 -  Installing FREE software from the Internet. 

A lot of the FREE software available on the Internet today has adware bundled into the software.  Many of them don’t even tell you in the fine print that they are going to invade your system with adware.  So be very careful with any FREE software available on the Internet.  Read the reviews and do a google search to see if it has adware associated with it.  When in doubt don’t install.
3 - Don’t trust the makers of Spyware Removal Software.  Some of these people are no better then the spyware they claim to remove.

No SINGLE PROGRAM Can Protect Your Computer.Your Antivirus software doesn’t recognize adware and spyware.  Your firewall software only limits Internet traffic based on pre-defined rules.  And no single antispyware program can detect and remove everything.

I have cleaned computers with over 20,000 instances of malware infecting them.  Some of these programs are so nasty they detect when you try and remove them and reinstall themselves.  Below is a list of FREE tools and resources that I use in the field to clean peoples computers of nasty adware/spyware programs.  Be careful as some of these tools are very powerful and can break your system if you don’t know what you are doing.

PROGRAM LIST

ADAWARE SE v1.05

This is an easy to use program with little to no risk of corrupting your computer system.

Spybot Search & Destory

This is another great program.  It has a user-friendly interface to keep you from doing damage to your PC.  It also has advanced options for those who want to roll up their sleeves and tweak settings.  This program also has some features to help keep you from being infected.

Spyware Blaster

Free software that blocks all known spyware/adware from being installed on your computer.  Works in conjunction with Spybot S&D’s immunize function. HijackTHISVery Powerful.  Be careful!

HijackTHIS

HijackTHIS displays a list of Browser Helper Objects (Internet Explorer add-on programs) and programs set to run at system startup.  You can then click the check box next to an offending program and have it uninstalled.  Be careful, as many of the things it lists are needed for your computer to run.  Do a google search on each item you are not sure about to see what it does.

Killbox

For those really nasty programs that are running in the background and cannot be deleted Killbox will do the trick.  It can mark a program, dll file, or directory for deletion on reboot and get rid of the program before it has a chance to run.  Only one program have I found was smart enough to not be deleted by killbox.  That was mad.dll from TV MEDIA.  I will write an article soon on how to kill that if you get it.

Startup List

Simple program that will display everything that gets loaded when your system starts up.

CWShredder

CoolWebSearch and its variants can be missed by many of the free and commercial scanners.  CWShredder takes care of them.  There is a variant of the Coolwebsearch trojan spreading that closes several anti-spyware apps when you try to open them.  If this happens to you get the Smart Killer Removal Tool and run it first.  Then your other anti-spyware programs should work.