BleepingComputer.com: Spyware & Adware! Which Is The Best Software/method Of Removal?.

System properties

Intel Pentium 4
CPU 2.4GHz
1.5 DDR RAM
Microoft Windows XP Pro
Service Pack 2


hi all,

im curious to know what would be the perfect way to get rid of spyware and adware for good! I am here to hear about peoples personal views on the topic, and the best methods of getting rid of these very annoying internet parasites!!. personally i think its impossible to permanently get rid of spyware, and have your computer the way it was from the beggining. lets face it, none of these "adware removers" or "spy doctors", or any type of spyware remover, never actually seem to be the final and upmost preferred option for removal. not to mention the fact that 90% of them are spyware themselves. my best and most successful approach would probably have to be formatting the computer. works well, only problem is it gets rid of everything on your pc. i am quite sick of having to always format the computer. i was hoping to discover some newer, more professional and ofcourse more successful methods of ridding them. i would very much like to compare other peoples programs and softwares which they recommend will actually do the job perfectly.
please share your ideas and methods of spyware and adware removal. cheers

Moderator Edit: Moved topic to the more appropriate forum. ~ Animal

This post has been edited by Animal: 26 August 2007 - 08:35 PM

Well, there are many methods. The main thing is to not let the malware get on your system in the first place. SpywareBlaster and Spybot do help (along with anti-viruses). However, if your system is heavily infected with malware, you need more sophisticated methods of removal that only experts can provide.

Mozilla Firefox is a very safe web browser, considering that you use the NoScript add-on. However, Firefox is a definite memory hog.

Some anti-malware programs ARE themselves malware, but this is not the case for all of them.

Just be smart. Its better to have a smart user and no protection than a dumb user with lots of protection. Protection doesn't matter if you go and manually download a piece of malware.

ZoneAlarm and other firewalls help as well. The main thing is to not have more than one anti-virus or firewall running at one time. This can cause complications with your computer.

HijackThis is a good program for experts to use to find malware on your system. However, you shouldn't really use it if you're not a professional. The best thing to do is to post the log in the HiJackThis forum and have an expert give you advice and guide you. Make sure you use the basic programs first, like online scanners, anti-viruses, anti-adware, and anti-spyware programs first. Here's a link: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic34773.html

This post has been edited by sharpe95: 26 August 2007 - 01:08 PM

Hello striiderz69, first welcome to bleeping computer
New malware is written everyday and thus it is hard to have something that works 100%.
I find that Superantispyware is an excellent program for detection and removal.
There is a link here for it Freeware Replacements try this version,Free Home User. . Install ,update it and run .

It should also be noted that the most effective way to run these scans is in the safe mode.

Sharpe95's point about prevention is certainly the key. I think too many people rely on software applications instead of exercising care and extreme caution about where they browse and what they download.
Having a good software firewall, an Anti-virus that offers real time protection, and several well-known Anti-spyware applications, then keeping them current (as well as Microsoft patches) and running them regularly can certainly prevent the unhappy and lengthy task of saving all your important files and applications and then reformatting your hard drive.
Fortunately, there are places like BC where you can get experienced and professional help when and if you find malware that cannot be removed even by the best of applications.
Regards,
John