Addware and Spyware Removal

Home	Print	Back

• Free programs such as games, screensavers, utilities and file sharing programs are commonly packaged with adware and spyware.
  
• Adware and spyware is any software that uses your Internet connection and computer resources, and can even track and transmit personal information without your knowledge or consent.
  
• They can be in the form of advertising software that constantly reports your browsing and file sharing habits back to a tracking company, or they can send you popups and ads based on where you browse. In some cases, adware/spyware will make your computer unable to connect to certain websites, or unable to connect to the Internet at all.
  
• If you have any of these listed programs on your computer (or variations of them), you need to remove them.

After uninstalling you will want to also install and use Ad-aware and Spybot Search and Destroy, both free removal utilities that scan your memory, registry and hard drive for known adware/spyware components and lets you remove them safely. Download Ad-aware and Spybot at http://www.download.com . Be sure to download these applications to get the most up-to-date version of the software! (Webroot SpySweeper, a pay program, is also a good program to try - there is a trial version available http://www.webroot.com/ .)

Install both applications, then reboot your computer in Safe Mode. Restart your computer, then after the "logo start" screen, tap the F8 key. This will bring up a menu to choose "Safe Mode with Networking". Then, open one scan at a time, and remember to update them immediately before running a scan. Scanning your computer can take anywhere from 2-15 minutes, depending on how many files you have on your computer. Don't run both scans at the same time, run them one at a time, and let them finish completely before running the next scan. If you have questions or problems dealing with adware and spyware, call CompOp at (414) 229-4606.