Attacked by the ads

Weazel

Weazel

New Member
So I was innocently using my computer when some strange things started happening. Random popups come and random browser windows get opened (Ads). I normally use Opera but occasionally use Firefox or IE, but neither works for me now.

I fear my computer has been overrun with spyware, or even worse, some virus. The problem is, I've tried Norton and Ad-aware, and even manually removing some offenders but nothing seems to work. For those wondering what I was doing when it started happening, I was using Ebay. Any help would be apprieciated.
 
Reformatting sounds like the only option..

(crosses his fingers and hopes there's another way..)
 
Lifted from a post found on a similar thread on a forum far, far away:
There's a very good chance that the system is damaged beyond repair. If the computer has a CD-R/W (CD burner) or DVD-R/W (DVD burner) installed, I suggest backing up critical documents and media and preparing for a reformat.

Once all critical documents and media are backed up, I suggest the following steps:

1. Download and install Spybot - Search & Destroy from http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/

2. Download and install Ad-Aware SE Personal from http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

3. Run Spybot - Search & Destroy, click the "Update" button on the left-hand menu, install the latest updates, click the "Search & Destroy" button on the left-hand menu, then click "Check for problems."

4. Reboot the computer.

5. Run Ad-Aware SE Personal, download updates if/when prompted, click "Finish," click "Start," select "Perform full system scan," and click "Next." After the search finishes, remove all detected threats.

6. Reboot.

7. Repeat Step 3 until Spybot - Search & Destroy detects no threats.

8. Repeat Step 5 until Ad-Aware SE Personal detects no threats.

9. Download and install AVG Anti-virus from http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5

10. Run a complete scan using AVG Anti-virus. Delete or heal any infected files.

11. Download and install Firefox 1.5 from http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

12. Download and install Spywareblaster from http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

13. Run Spywareblaster, check for updates, and enable all protection.

14. Install the following Firefox extensions:
NoScript: https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=722&application=firefox
Adblock: https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=10&application=firefox
Adblock Filterset.G Updater: https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=1136&application=firefox

15. Set the default browser to Firefox and emphasize the importance of your father not using Internet Explorer for web browsing.

16. Run Spybot - Search & Destroy, click the "Immunize" button on the left-hand menu, and click "Immunize" in the main panel.

If the machine is still inoperable after this process, then it's time to format the computer, re-install the operating system, and install the programs listed in the above instructions.
Click to expand...
 
Just an update... I began looking into all the spyware on my comp and it's a lot worse than I thought. I have not one, but maybe as many as 10 or 15 on my computer. Apparently how some of them work is that they come in groups... so when one got in, a whole bunch did. I have been trying to manually delete a few, as well as install a few Symantec programs that get rid of them but thus far it hasn't been doing much. I could possibly be spending days to get rid of them all, and it might not even work.

I think I may have to resort to reformatting my computer.
 
Sometimes when you get a lot of spyware like that, you just have to use multiple anti-spyware apps to get rid of everything. There's one that I use that's not on Tek's quoted list and that's *surprise* Microsoft's Antispyware Beta. It works really well.

I suggest you take some of the advice in that list that Tek quoted. It's all good advice. And it's all free. I've had a similar problem or two in the past and using multiple apps to get rid of it is your best bet. And please, whatever you do, STOP using Internet Explorer. I've never EVER had any spyware since I started using Firefox about a year ago.
 
astrod00d said:
There's one that I use that's not on Tek's quoted list and that's *surprise* Microsoft's Antispyware Beta. It works really well.
Click to expand...
It's a sad, sad world when a Microsoft product is the solution to a system problem.
 
astrod00d said:
Sometimes when you get a lot of spyware like that, you just have to use multiple anti-spyware apps to get rid of everything. There's one that I use that's not on Tek's quoted list and that's *surprise* Microsoft's Antispyware Beta. It works really well.

I suggest you take some of the advice in that list that Tek quoted. It's all good advice. And it's all free. I've had a similar problem or two in the past and using multiple apps to get rid of it is your best bet. And please, whatever you do, STOP using Internet Explorer. I've never EVER had any spyware since I started using Firefox about a year ago.
Click to expand...
Well, I use Opera about 75% of the time and Firefox about 20% of the time. IE about 5% of the time. I don't know who would attack Opera since I'm like their only user.
 
I would heartily recommend AdAware as a FREE solution to most of your spyware problems. Like Tek said, it won't pick up everything, but it combined with a couple of others should take care of it all.
 
Tek7 said:
It's a sad, sad world when a Microsoft product is the solution to a system problem.
Click to expand...

Well, ya know, it's still in beta. I'm sure when they 'finish' it, it'll stop working so well. :D
 
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