One of the most frequent questions that I am asked is how can I remove spyware or adware from my Windows computer? Windows is susceptible to viruses, spyware and adware so it is important to always have protection in place. One of the first things that I do when ever I am setting up a new computer or when I have just reinstalled windows is to install Anti Virus software. I recommend doing this before you ever connect your computer to the network/internet. (See my article on Anti Virus Software) After you are running some form of AV (Anti Virus Software) I recommend making sure your windows computer is running the latest patches/updates. Click here to check for updates. After you have installed Anti Virus Software and ran the latest Windows updates if you are still being plagued by spyware or adware it is time to look to see if you can use some tools from the net to remove the pesky software.
1. The first step in removal of spyware is to try to identify the culprit software on your machine. Are you getting a lot of pop ups? Do you notice a new icon in your system tray? Do you have a new tool bar in Internet Explorer that you want to go away? Go into your Add/Remove Programs under the Control Panel and see if you can find anything suspicious. If you see something that you are unsure about or that you think may be the culprit click remove to uninstall it. If you are unsure whether the program is good or not just do a simple Google search and Google will tell you what the program is used for.
2. If you are still being plagued it’s time to move on to step 2. If you have identified the type of spyware on your machine and were unable to find it under Add/Remove programs try doing a Google search with some text from the popup or the name of the problem. For example one piece of spyware commonly found today goes by the name Anti Virus 2009. It starts popping up on your computer trying to make your believe your computer is infected and that you need to run their scan and buy their software in order to make your computer work again. In actuality this software just takes over your computer and makes it difficult to use and begins to slow things down. Just do a simple Google search “Remove Anti Virus 2009” and see what suggestions come back to remove the spyware.
3. This step involves trying some of the automated scanners that are out there today that may help in finding and detecting spyware on your machine.
- http://malwarebytes.org/
- http://www.lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
- http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html
- http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis
- http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
- http://www.pandasecurity.com/activescan/index/?track=1&Lang=en-US&IdPais=63
4. Other tips
- http://www.pcworld.com/article/129094/how_to_remove_spyware_from_your_pc.html
- http://www.michaelhorowitz.com/removespyware.html#repair
5. Still have trouble time to reinstall windows.