Spyware Removal

I've been all over Southern Maine, Portland, Saco, Brunswick, Auburn ect... removing spyware from peoples computers and networks from all different industries. Lawyers to Mechanics, Doctors to Construction Workers, Retail to Manufacturing. Everyone is at risk and even the safest web users can still become infected. I've found a fairly useful set of tools to help with the removal of malware and would like to share the easiest to use and most successful with you here. Good Luck!

Sorry, but I must start with a disclaimer. Anytime you attempt to remove spyware, viruses or malware you run the risk of fixing your system into oblivion. This quick tutorial is presented as is with no warranty expressed or implied. Use the tools I discuss here at your own risk. It is entirely possible that if you attempt to remove these nasty little programs that you my make your system unusable and/or experience data loss. Of course if you don't remove the little buggers the same might also happen. With that being said, if you would still like to attempt removal on your own I invite you to read on.

I'm not going to go into what malware, spyware, adware is or how they are different from viruses. A quick search on Google will provide you with all the information you might require. Also the steps listed here will not guarantee that your system is clean but it will remove the vast majority of infections.

Note: these directions are for Windows XP. Vista and Windows 7 users may have mixed results.

The first thing to do is to boot into "Safe Mode with Networking". This is accomplished by pressing the F8 key at the top of your keyboard while the system is booting until a menu appears listing the different boot options. "Safe Mode with Networking" should be the second option listed. After you've logged onto your system we need to disable "System Restore" otherwise you'll probably just re-infect yourself after the cleanup. Do not forget to re-enable System Restore after you're done cleaning out your system. To do this right-click on your My Computer icon and left click on Properties, Click on the System Restore tab and place a checkmark in the box next to Turn Off System Restore on All Drives.

Next we need to download a couple of pieces of software.

Download and save the following files to your computer someplace where you can find them again. ( your Desktop or My Documents Folders)

Download the "Winsock Repair Utility" http://winsockxpfix.clickhereformoreinfo.com/

And download Combofix http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/sUBs/ComboFix.exe

Open and save or print the following article on using combofix if you would like. For the most part you can just run the program and say yes to everything that appears.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix

Next download and install Malware Bytes. http://www.malwarebytes.org/ make sure the definitions are up to date, then run a full system scan. Do not reboot at this point.

Now run the ComboFix program. Let it download and install the recovery console then run a scan on your machine. When ComboFix is done, reboot your computer and see how things work. If you have lost Internet connectivity try running the WinsockXPFix program you downloaded earlier.

If at this point your system is still infected you can try Prevx 3.0 which I have had a fair amount of luck using but it is not a free program like the others. Here is where Prevx can be downloaded from http://www.prevx.com/

Please re-enable System Restore once your computer is clean!

Hopefully the above steps have successfully resolved your issues. If not, call your favorite geek and see if they can help you out or give us a call and schedule an appointment. 207-318-7609

Good Luck and Safe Surfing,

Mike Estes

Partner

Ion Networking, LLC

www.ionnetworking.com

207-318-7609

info@ionnetworking.com