Hi
Samwise,
Should I contact spybot before reinstalling it? They owe me about $14 if I can't re-install it. How would I contact them? They already prompted me for my email and were supposed to contact me as part of the de-installation process but they never responded.
I would go ahead and hold off reinstalling Spybot until you can get a hold of them and see what they say about the problems you have encountered. You can go
here and fill out a support ticket. Since I have no affiliation with Spybot, I can't give you any assurances as to how soon they might respond.
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We have a "little housekeeping" to take care of before we get to the
All Clean Speech.
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Clean up with OTL:
- Right-click OTL.exe select "Run as Administrator" to start the program.
- Close all other programs apart from OTL as this step will require a reboot
- On the OTL main screen, press the CLEANUP button
- Say Yes to the prompt and then allow the program to reboot your computer.
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Removing/Uninstalling AdwCleaner:
- Windows XP : Double click on the icon to run it.
- Windows Vista, Windows 7 & 8 : Right click and select "Run as Administrator"
- Click on the Uninstall button.
- Click Yes when asked are you sure you want to uninstall.
- Both AdwCleaner.exe, its folder and all logs will be removed.
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You can now delete any tools and/or logs remaining on your desktop.
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Delete All But the Most Recent Restore Point
- Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button
. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.
- If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.
- In the Disk Cleanup for (drive letter) dialog box, click Clean up system files. Administrator permission required If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
- If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.
- Click the More Options tab, under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click Clean up.
- In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click Delete.
- Click Delete Files, and then click OK.
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With the above items taken care of let's move on to the All Clean part of the process.
The following procedures are recommendations for helping to keep your system running smoothly. If you are currently satisfied with how your system is running some or all of these may not pertain to you. Implement what you need.
This infection appears to have been cleaned, but I can not give you any absolute guarantees. As a precaution, I would go ahead and change all of your passwords as this is especially important after an infection.
Any of the logs that you created for use in the forums or remaining tools that have not yet been removed can be deleted so they aren't cluttering up your desktop.
Here are some tips to reduce the potential for spyware infection in the future:
Make your Internet Explorer more secure - This can be done by following these simple instructions:
- From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
- Click once on the Security tab
- Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
- Click once on the Custom Level button.
- Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
- Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
- Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
- Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
- Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
- Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
- When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
- If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
- Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.
Make your Mozilla Firefox more secure - This can be done by adding these add-ons:
Use and update an anti-virus software - I can not overemphasize the need for you to use and update your anti-virus application on a regular basis. With the ever increasing number of new variants of malware arriving on the scene daily, you become very susceptible to an attack without updated protection.
Free Anti-Virus
Free Firewall
Using a third-party firewall will allow you to give/deny access for applications that want to go online. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible to being hacked and taken over. Simply using a firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly. A tutorial on firewalls can be found
here.
Make sure you keep your Windows OS current.
Windows XP users can visit
Windows update regularly to download and install any critical updates and service packs.
Windows Vista/7 users can open the
Start menu > All Programs > Windows Update > Check for Updates (in left hand task pane) to update these systems. Without these you are leaving the back door open.
Consider a custom hosts file such as MVPS HOSTS. This custom hosts file effectively blocks a wide range of unwanted ads, banners, 3rd party Cookies, 3rd party page counters, web bugs, and many hijackers. For information on how to download and install, please read this tutorial by
WinHelp2002
Note: Be sure to follow the instructions to disable the
DNS Client service
before installing a custom hosts file.
WOT (Web of Trust) As "Googling" is such an integral part of internet life, this free browser add on warns you about risky websites that try to scam visitors, deliver malware or send spam. It is especially helpful when browsing or searching in unfamiliar territory. WOT's color-coded icons show you ratings for 21 million websites, helping you avoid the dangerous sites. WOT has an add-on available for Firefox, Internet Explorer as well as Google Chrome.
Finally, I strongly recommend that you read TonyKlein's good advice
So how did I get infected in the first place?
Please reply to this thread once more if you are satisfied so that we can mark the problem as resolved.
