How to Get Rid of Adware & Malware

According to Adam Baratz of Ars Technica, malware "can hijack your browser, redirect your search attempts, serve up nasty pop-up ads, track what web sites you visit, and generally screw things up." Adware, another type of malware, is responsible for the annoying Internet advertisements or computer alerts that pop up on your screen and can slow down your computer's performance. Several programs can remove adware and malware, as well as prevent future infections from malicious software.

Instructions

1. Download Ad-Aware Free (see Resources 1). Click the "Download Now" link to save the program to your system. If prompted, click "Save."

2. After the file downloads, double click the file name in your browser's download menu. If your browser does not have a download menu, find and double click the icon for "Ad-AwareInstaller.exe" to begin installation.

3. Follow the installation wizard. Click "Restart Now and Start Ad-Aware" to restart your computer. Save your documents and close any open programs before restarting.

4. Open your "Start" Menu and click Ad-Aware under "Programs" (in the Lavasoft directory) to open it. This is necessary only Ad-Aware it does not open upon restart.

5. Click the "Scan" button to open the scan menu. From this screen, choose a "Smart" or "Full" scan. A smart scan will check critical segments of your computer, while a full scan will cover every file.

6. Click "Done" after Ad-Aware finishes.

Spybot: Search & Destory

1. Download Spybot from Fileforum (see Resources 2). Click the blue "Download Spybot" link on the right side of the page. If asked, scroll down the page and instruct your browser to "Save" the file to your computer.

2. Double click the executable Spybot file from your download menu or select "Open" when your browser prompts. Confirm you want to open the file and follow the prompts in the Setup Wizard. Choose whether you wish to install additional components such as TeaTimer--which monitors changes to the Windows registry-- and SDHelper, which blocks malware from infecting Internet Explorer. Check "Run Spybot" and the program will begin once installation is complete.

3. Select "Create Registry Backup" from the alert screen to make a copy of your registry files before allowing Spybot to make any changes to your system. This process may take a few minutes. When the backup is complete, click "Next."

4. Click "Search for updates" from the pop up screen to update your adware definitions. Select the mirror (alternate download site) closest to your location--for the fastest download speed--and click "Continue."

   Click to check off files in the "Important" list and select "Download." Spybot will open in a full window behind the "Download" pop up. Close this pop up when downloads have finished.

5. Select "Check for problems" to allow Spybot to scan your system. Click "Yes" when Spybot prompts to clean your temporary files.

6. Select "Fix any problems" if Spybot happens to find any spyware infections.

7. Click the "Immunize" button on the navigation bar on the left to protect your computer against future attacks. Close any open browser windows to ensure full protection and allow Spybot to perform immunization.

Microsoft Scanner

1. Surf to the Windows Live One Care scanner page (see Resources 3). If you are running Windows Vista or 7, click the link to "Windows Vista and Windows 7 edition." Click the blue "Full Service Scan" button to begin your safety scan.

   If using Firefox, click the "Special Instructions" link and follow the instructions to use the safety scanner in your browser.

2. Click "Accept" to bypass the service agreement. When prompted, choose "Install Now." Follow your browser's prompts to install the scanner.

3. Click "Launch Scanner" when installation finishes. Choose a "Complete Scan" or "Quick Scan," then click "Next." Allow the scanner to check your system. According to Microsoft, this may take up to a "few hours."

4. Click "Next" when the scanner finishes. You can choose whether or not to check the box to share your information with Microsoft.

5. Follow any prompts to clean the infections. When finished, click "Done."

References

• Ars Technica:Malware: what it is and how to prevent it
• Microsoft Security:What is spyware?
• Lavasoft: Ad-aWare User Manual

Resources

• Cnet Download:Click Here Ad-Aware Free Anti-Malware 8.2
• Fileforum:Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2.46
• Microsoft OneCare:Safety scanner