Spybot vs. spy Sweeper and other COMPUTER QUESTIONS

[underpants]

I downloaded Spy Sweeper and Ad Aware 6 over the weekend but our IT guy told me I should use Spybot. Is it better?

We just got a new home computer a few months ago and last week I was looking up lyrics to a song and BAM! we got hit. For some reason lyrics sites have a lot of pop-ups (to pay for song royalties?) so that was nothing new but all of a sudden we couldn't log OFF of the internet and anytime we turned the computer on it automatically tried to fire up the internet.

So I ran Spy Audit and it said the computer was at high risk.

Here is the weird part. Spy Sweeper found a trojan horse (2nd Thought) as well as InternetOptimizer and vx2 and some other things I can't remember. I found all the associated files and tried to delete them but a message box came up saying either that they were running or (I can't remember what it said) that the file could not be accessed. Our IT guy says that Spybot will stop them from starting so then I can erase them. Is that true?

The REALLY weird part is that our background is gone and there is a full screen image alerting us that our computer is in danger and to click HERE or HERE or click on "Removal Instructions" but we haven't-that smells like a set up. I right clicked on the screen and hit properties but when I searched for the file nothing came up. There is no mention of it in the Control Panel - Appearance and Themes either.

God I would hate to loose this computer (HP) so soon it really was working great.

Any suggestions?

[Sannum]

1. I use all three.

They seem to pick up different things at times. I dealt with this paticular bug last week and ended up having to restore it to the settings of the week before. It worked, and then I just did a sweep with Spybot, Adaware, and SpySweeper to make sure it was all gone.

Good Luck!

:hi:

[underpants]

7. Let me pick you brain on that

I am kinda computer savvy but how do you reset to a previous date again?

[Sannum]

15. I hope this helps...

Go to the "Start" Menu

Select "All Programs"

Click on "Accessories" and then "System Tools"

Click on "System Restore" and select a date that was before you started to have this problem. The dates to restore will be in Bold text. It worked for me, and I hope it will work for you. It will do the work for you, and restart itself when it is done.

Good Luck!:D

[Sannum]

16. Also:

Run Spybot, Sweeper, and Ad-Aware after you are done to get all of the little nasty bits off of your computer that might still be hanging around.

[leftyandproud]

10. ditto...keep them updated and use all three. *NT*

[Metatron]

2. I love Spybot.

I highly recommend it. Your IT guy is right about Spybot stopping the malware from starting.

[underpants]

8. Okay then I will download it tonight

Thanks.

[trotsky]

3. I don't know about Spy Sweeper, but I would be suspicious.

Definitely get Spybot, and reboot into Safe Mode to run it. (After you've run it in normal mode & gotten the latest update files, of course.)

Also ditch IE and download Firefox from http://www.mozilla.org. With a built-in popup blocker and immunity to virtually every kind of adware, you'll be glad you did.

[underpants]

6. It is free?

not to sound cheap (though I am).

[trotsky]

9. Yes, totally free and much better than IE.

n/t

[underpants]

18. Does it get rid if IE or do I have to do that?

I am just ramdomly asking here so forgive me-will my Internet provider (MSN) recognize it or is that done in the set up stage?

[Metatron]

22. Your ISP won't notice any difference no matter what browser

you use. I still keep IE for those occasions when I run into web sites that require IE (especially using online forms for ordering or whatever). I think there are extensions for Firefox to emulate IE, but I have been too lazy to check 'em out.

After installing Firefox, be sure to download the Tabbrowser Extension and Toolbar Enhancement Extension. The first will allow you to use the tab browser features Firefox is known for. The second one will allow you to manipulate your toolbars like you are used to in IE.

[magdalena]

28. wont get rid of ie but

it doesnt really matter. I just uninstalled IE completely, too much adware,spyware, malware exploits it, even if you use the Firefox exclusively.

[billyskank]

29. Microsoft claimed that couldn't be done!

"I just uninstalled IE completely"

[Metatron]

30. I believe you can remove IE in Add/Remove Programs n/t

[billyskank]

4. Use all of them

and thereafter always browse using Mozilla, if you can.

[smiley_glad_hands]

5. I use spybot & adaware.

Use them all. Spybot is pretty good though. Sounds like you've been spammed. I also use firefox---gave up on internet explorer months ago. Firefox is much more secure.

[leftyandproud]

11. ad-aware + spybot + any updated antivirus program + firefox = ROCK SOLID

doesn't get much more secure than that..

make sure you have a firewall too.

http://smb.sygate.com/

[pk_du]

12. Will likely mean deleting files and registry entries for each

of these.

Here's what i do when shit like this happens.

1. Write down each filename/virus/error that any of your tools detect.

2. Let the tools remove what they can BUT also need to Google - for example " remove VX2 " comes up with many sites that have advice on how to remove this stuff .

Note : many of these removal processes need you to;

a. Reboot in safe mode so you can delete files otherwise "in use"
b. Delete Registry entries

Both of which are a little technical but you need to learn how to do them.

[City of Mills]

13. Your background

If you're running Windows XP, try this -

Right click the background, and select Properties. This should bring up your display properties.

Select the Desktop tab, you should see a Customize Desktop... button. Press it.

Now you should have two tabs, General and Web. Click the Web tab. If there are any items under Web Pages:, click them and then click the Delete button to the right.


As far as Ad-Aware/Spy Sweeper, I like both. The most thorough way to run those programs is to boot your PC in safe mode - some spyware installs itself as a system service, and a lot of times the services cannot be stopped and removed unless you boot into Safe Mode (press F8 just before your PC shows the Windows XP logo).

Good luck!

[underpants]

17. Excellent

Thanks

I am going to print out this thread to use when I get home.

[hnsez]

14. register spysweeper

[denverbill]

19. I think Adaware 6.0 is an older version.

If you download Adaware SE personal edition (also free) it'll probably find a bunch of stuff. It did for me anyway.

Personally, I think Adaware is better than Spybot, but I run both and update both periodically.

[underpants]

20. Actually that is what I downloaded

I was thinking of what I have here at work. It was the SE version that I downloaded.

[denverbill]

26. OK good.

I was talking about this a couple weeks ago with someone here on DU. He liked Spybot, and I hadn't upgraded that in a while so I did and ran it. It didn't find anything. Then, I upgraded Adaware and it found about 70 things.

Someone else said use Firefox too, and I'd agree with that too. I got sick of IE a few months ago after we had gotten some ungodly browser hijacker infection that took about a week to get rid of.

[damntexdem]

21. My experience is that Spy Sweeper catches stuff that ...

Ad Aware doesn't.

[underpants]

23. And vice versa

At least that has been my experience.

[dkofos]

24. Use firefox

Spybot is great and has Teatimer which which pops up whenever something is being written to the registry. Nothing should be written to the registry while you are on the "Internets" (unless you are on the net and installing a new program).
There is also a program called "Hijack This"
Running this program will show you what is being run when you start your computer. Allows you to mark entries for removal and creates a backup. If you remove something vital you can always put it back.

[underpants]

25. Cool thanks

:thumbsup:

[r_u_stuck2]

27. Follow these steps.

Run two online virus scanners.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

Get adaware SE which is newer than the 6 version, after you download and start it, use the update button to get the latest updates, then scan with that, let it fix anything it marks.

Reboot your computer

Get Spybot search and destroy. Do the same update scan before using.

Reboot your computer

Download Hijack this:

http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/

Follow the instructions and post a log on the TomCoyote forum

Install Spyware blaster:

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Do the update thing, then enable all protection:

Install ie-spyad

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource.htm