Have Spyware/Popups? Read me first!

[HN]

Winfixer pop-up fix:
http://www.spyware-removal-guideline...nfixer-removal

This looks to be the most consistent and successful method of removing the winfixer infestation.

[warswift]

i need some help. for some reason everytime i click on control panel my screen turns white for couple seconds and it turns back on without control panel.
anyone know why its doing this?

[ANDREMIKE]

HELP!!!!! I can't seem to get rid of some spyware on my PC. It keeps wanting to install SPYAXE... I also have the microsoft symbol blinking with a red X in it. When I click on it it takes me to SPYAX. How do I get it to stop that?

I installed some things recommended here and ran CCclean and its not working. I installed the microsoft beta version for sypware.. I removed some things but it not working.

Everytime I open IE it takes me to this website "systemwarning.com" I can't get it to stop

I also just opened IE and a warning cam up about spyware. it was called stealth114.dll


Here is what comes up on that systemwarning.com website.....
Attention! Your system is under control of remote computer with IP address 227.4.167.118. The remote computer has access to the following folders on your PC:
- \WINDOWS\System32
- \Program Files\Internet Explorer
- \My Documents
- Drive C:\ files
Click here to download official anti-spyware software
Your private info is collected by W32.Sinnaka.A@mm
Your IP address:
Your Country: US, United States
They know you're using: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; Q312461; YPC 3.0.0; SV1)
Operation System: OS Windows
Risk status for futher investigation: VERY HIGH RISK
Time of investigation:

[Mr. Music]

That website will put spyware on your system - I typed it in and that is what it says for me, because that is what it always says.

It is a fake website, apparently owned by someone in another country.

If you have run Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware that should get rid of most of them.

[Mr. Music]

LOL... also if you do a search for stealth114.dll - nothing comes up, but if you search for stealth114 - you get a bunch of sites about penile enhancement...

[Mr. Music]

I should have done this first, but kinda passed right over the beginning.

I did a search for SpyAxe - which you should do as well and here is one site with some ways to uninstall it.

Remove SpyAxe

Here is another with a lot of good info Spyware Forum

I recently had an infection on a friend's PC which I could not detect or repair with Spybot S&D, Ad-Aware, MS's Anti-Spyware beta, SpyBouncer, or AVG. It is from Spyaxe, a bogus anti-spyware product that hijacks your taskbar, pops-up an annoying message ("Windows has detected spyware", etc.), spawns and redirects IE to the Spyaxe homepage (I won't link to it for fear of spyware), and disables the Taskbar and Start Menu control panel. It infects the System32 folder. Looks like the guys at spywareinfo.com have discovered the details:

[68ShelbyGT500KR]

Originally Posted by Swipetek

My comuter is infested like crazy right now, I couldn't get adaware, spybot or, hijackthis to work =/ Guess it's time to re-install.

Try to run the programs in Safe Mode.

[Vel]

There's an old program called 'Cleanup' - it essentially erases any and all temporary files on your computer - very powerful little tool if you can find it somewhere. It's saved me a few gigs over the years

[Duh Vuh Duh]

Will try spybot, adaware tonight and if those don't work, is there any way to re-install the OS without a disc? Checked my original box and doesn't seem to be a OS reinstall disc.

[Duh Vuh Duh]

Tried downloading those and once I try to launch them the damn virus blocks me from opening them to start to run them. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated? Is reinstalling the OS my only option?

[kd5]

The tools mentioned in Post #1 of this thread are SERIOUSLY outdated.

CWShredder hasn't been used or updated for several years. Spybot's GUI is so antiquated, the application does not work well in conjunction with Internet Explorer 7 or 8 (don't even know about 9), they've been working on v2.0 for 2 years now, no end to the beta testing in sight. Ad-aware hasn't been SE in several years, and as far as I'm concerned they turned their effective, sleek, and speedy little application into error-inducing bloatware, not to mention that the link to it doesn't even go anywhere anymore. The links to RAV Virus Scanner, Symantec Security Check, Sygate Trojan Scan, HiJack This!, Microsoft Antispyware are dead, other links don't go where they're supposed to. Avast 4.0 is now Avast! v7, AVG 7.0 Free Edition is now AVG Anti-Virus FREE 2012, Bit Defender Free isn't free anymore although they do have a Rescue CD (.ISO) you can burn to a disc and scan your PC with.

There is a whole new breed of Antivirus and Antispyware tools out there, very few of which are recommended in this thread. -kd5-

[Trout]

How about some new Antivirus/spyware tool recommendations. What is everyone currently using now and what should be avoided?

[Nifty03]

Microsoft Security Essentials
and
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
for me.

[X]

Originally Posted by Nifty03

Microsoft Security Essentials
and
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
for me.

I'm using both of those myself. I even bought Malwarebytes for realtime protection and it's prevented some iffy websites from coming up.

[kd5]

These are the tools I've used:

Avast! Free Antivirus (version changes regularly):
http://filehippo.com/download_avast_antivirus/

SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition:
http://www.superantispyware.com/

(JavaCool Software's) SpywareBlaster:
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

Windows Defender:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17

MalwareByte's AntiMalware has already been mentioned.


For junk file cleanup:

CCleaner:
http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner (Freeware)

(Windows XP) Cleanup! v3.1.2:
http://www.stevengould.org/index.php...d=31&Itemid=74 (Freeware)

(I've used this on Vista/7) Cleanup! v4.5.2:
http://www.stevengould.org/index.php...d=29&Itemid=72 (Freeware)


And for Defrag:

Auslogics Disk Defrag Free:
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software...frag/download/

I've also used an older version of O&O Defrag Free but just learned there's a newer version of it. I need to test it out on multiple systems before I can recommend it.

I typically go into the Options/Preferences menus of every application I use and set up the preferences to what I term "Industrial Strength". You may find tutorials here (enter app name in search box):

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/


I've never trusted suites that purport to do it all. -kd5-

[kd5]

For badly infected unbootable computers:

Bit Defender Rescue CD:
http://www.bitdefender.com/support/H...ue-CD-627.html

Kaspersky Rescue Disk:
http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208282173 -kd5-

[dtcarson]

Is this where we can ask about spyware/popups? If not please let me know.

I've been having some weird browser activity. Popups (not obscene, they seem to be commercial) and occasionally my default search in the Firefox search box goes to 'i-gosearch.com' instead of the one I have selected.

Many of the pops seem to be sourced from a site like cd-adsrv or something.

I have run Trend Micro Housecall, Spybot, Adaware, Microsoft Security Essentials, Bazooka, Bitdefender, Avast, and AVG, and nothing has found it. Bazooka did say I had issues with Systemdir.explorer and Systemdir.regedit, but I could not replicate what they said the issue is.

I'm thinking that "at least" this is just annoying popups and not anything truly evil or malicious, but I'm not sure. And of course I still want to get rid of it. I did find a couple 'how to remove' things on the net but they were all incredibly poorly written and did not instill confidence in me.

Anyone have any help/suggestions? Thanks.

[Bald]

MS Anti-Spyware and Lavasoft Personal apps are OUTdated.

[Bald]

@HN


I clicked the Winfixer removal webpage and it says "This Account Has Been Suspended" What's up with that?

[Mr. Music]

Either you are confused, or you are just trying to get your post count up... look at the date of the posts....

[Bald]

Originally Posted by Mr. Music

Either you are confused, or you are just trying to get your post count up... look at the date of the posts....

^That's not answer.


Oh, another question. Does anyone know what is the best FREE-ware software for cleaning up with just one-click? I just want my 3 years old DELL laptop to run as like if it was brand new. No trial-ware please.


Merry X-Mas everyone.

Cheers

[kd5]

Originally Posted by Bald

Does anyone know what is the best FREE-ware software for cleaning up with just one-click?

Scroll up a half dozen posts.