Hi "mr bass",
This post is probably an overkill, but download and use the first 2 items,
Adaware & Spybot and see how they clean up your system. Once you have downloaded
them don't run them until you have checked each program for updates at their
sites. They are updated regularly and the downloaded programs do not always come
with the latest checking files. The rest of the info you can go through at your
leisure.
Scum/Spyware removal tools/blockers/information (go sic 'em rex)
http://grc.com/optout.htm
"What is Spyware?
Spyware is ANY SOFTWARE which employs a user's Internet connection in the
background (the so-called "backchannel") without their knowledge or explicit
permission."
Once installed, spyware can gather information about which sites you go to, how
often you go to that site, how long you spend looking at each website, what web
page you were previously looking at prior to going to a new site, what ads you
click on, pound you with unwanted ads & pop ups, info about your email
addresses, install keystroke loggers, find your passwords & credit card numbers,
and can even pop up advertisements on your computer-even when you are not
connected to the internet to name a few things!
Great spyware-related information and resources;
http://www.spywareinfo.com
http://www.pchell.com/support/spyware.shtml
Browser Hijacking
http://www.spywareinfo.com/articles/hijacked/
http://www.lavasoftusa.com (Free)
Ad-aware is a free multi spyware removal utility that scans your memory,registry
and hard drives for known spyware and scumware components and lets you remove
them safely. It is updated frequently.
http://www.lurkhere.com/~nicefiles/ (Free)
SPYBOT SEARCH AND DESTROY : Searches your system for so-called spyware, adware
and similar threats to your privacy and security. If such threats are found, it
can give you some information about the interloper and remove it from your
system; creating a backup beforehand.
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html (Free)
SPYWAREBLASTER doesn't scan and clean for spyware - it prevents it from ever
being installed. How? By setting a "kill bit" for the spyware ActiveX controls,
it prevents the installation of any of them from a webpage. You can run Internet
Explorer with Active-X enabled, but you will never even get a "Yes/No" box
popped up, asking you to install a spyware Active-X control
(Internet Explorer will never download or run it!). All other Active-X controls
or plug-ins will work fine. The SpywareBlaster database contains information on
these known spyware Active-X controls. Make sure you run the Check For Updates
feature frequently to get the latest database! (And make sure you check the new
items to protect your system against them!)
A wealth of information on many of the spyware items that SpywareBlaster
protects against can be accessed here:
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/ This
site can also check any scum/spyware you might have acquired (in some cases
unknowingly) in trips around the internet.
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html (Free)
SpywareGuard provides a real-time protection solution against spyware that is a
great addition to SpywareBlaster's protection method.
An anti-virus program scans files before you open them and prevents execution if
a virus is detected - SpywareGuard does the same thing, but for spyware! And you
can easily have an anti-virus program running alongside SpywareGuard.
SpywareGuard now also features Download Protection and Browser Hijacking
Protection!
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/bhblaster.html (Free)
BROWSER HIJACK BLASTER protects your system from browser hijackers and spyware
that alters your Internet Explorer settings. Running silently in the background,
Browser Hijack Blaster only springs into action when an attempt is made. It
watches and protects the following items:
IE Homepage, IE Default Page, IE Search Page, BHOs. Whenever one of the above
items is changed, or a BHO is added, you are immediately provided with
information on the item, along with the option to keep the change, or revert to
your previous settings.
POW! popup stopper (Free)
http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/pow.htm
POW popup blocker is classed as a 'trainable' popup stopper. When a window pops
up you can decide if you want to see those type of popups and if not you can
have it shutdown then and in the future from ever popping up again. It is also
reversible.
http://www.naviscope.com/ (Free)
Application: Naviscope has the ability to stop popups loading, in addition it
can block ads, cookies, backgrounds, blinking text, Javascript, sounds, hide
system information(user agent), last web site visited, traceroute, ping and much
more.
http://www.webwasher.com (Free for private use)
Webwasher consists of three functional modules;
Content Filtering
rivacy Protection:Access Control:
| ok, i was surfing the net and got loads of popups, now
| whenever i search for stuffusing the address bar i get
| taken to Search-About.net. worst thing is, its a rubbsh
| search engine. i could not find any contact for them so i
| just used this forum to see if anyone knows howto get rid
| of this. i also tried to install
|
www.google.com/google.reg to get rid of it but this didnt
| work either. please help if you can.
|
| (e-mail address removed) with any answers you can come up
| with
