Here are some simple guides that may prove to be useful.
Clean out your temporary internet files and temp files.
Go to "Start" -> "Run" and type in the box: "cleanmgr". Let it scan your system for files to remove. Make sure these 3 are checked and then press "Ok" to remove:
* Temporary Files
* Temporary Internet Files
* Recycle Bin
Scan your computer with Ad-Aware and Spybot - Search and Destroy
Download Ad-aware SE and update it (the Globe icon, then Connect). Then click on Perform Full System Scan. Uncheck Search for negligible risk entries and click on Next. Eliminate all that Ad-aware finds. A more thorough tutorial on use Ad-aware can be found here:
Using Ad-Aware SE to remove Spyware & Hijackers from Your Computer
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Download Ad-Aware SE
Restart your computer after cleaning with Ad-aware and scan again. Repeat the process until no further items are found as bad.
Next,
Download SpyBot - Search and Destroy and install the program. After installing the program, click on Search for Updates and download what the program finds. Click on Search & Destroy and on Check for problems. Delete what it finds.
Using Spybot - Search & Destroy to remove Spyware from Your Computer
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Download Spybot - Search and Destroy
Scan your computer for malware infections
Before posting the log we would like you to attempt to remove most of the malware on your computer using free anti-virus/anti-trojan products. We have provided a list of our recommended online and free/trial software that we would like you to scan your computer with as part of this step. Most of these applications need Microsoft Internet Explorer in order to function, so do not use Firefox or Opera. The only one that is available for use in these two browsers is Housecall AntiVirus
Housecall Anti Virus
Panda Anti Virus
Bit Defender
If you already have an anti-virus program, update it and let it check as well.
Run McAfee Stinger:
Once the computer has been scanned, we would like you to download the following program:
http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
This program will scan your computer for the most common worms, trojans, and viruses that are currently in the wild. Instructions for using this program can be found on the McAfee stinger page.
Be sure and put a check in the box by "Auto Clean" before you do the scan. If it finds anything that it cannot clean have it delete it or make a note of the file location, so you can delete it yourself.
Enable or install a firewall
If you do not run a firewall, download one. This also applies to using Microsoft's built-in firewall with Windows XP SP-2. The problem with the built-in firewall is that it only monitors what tries to get in, anything that is already in your system, can dial out. So if you have a Trojan that steals passwords, the passwords can be sent out... Of course this can also happen to your financial data, or social security number, etc. So a, so called, one-way firewall is not good! Use a good firewall like Sygate Personal Firewall or ZoneLabs Zone Alarm.
Using Windows Update to get the latest Windows security updates.
One thing which is often overlooked in getting you computer secure is updating all the security patches that Microsoft has for Windows and Internet Explorer. There is only one caveat... If you are not running Windows XP SP-2, do NOT update to it!!! The update is known to be faulty when there is malware present on your system. This can render your computer system unstartable! So, in short, get all updates you can apart from SP-2!
This can be accessed by going to
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and following the prompts. You may need to do this more than once.
Download HijackThis and create a log
Download HijackThis from the following download location:
HijackThis Download Link
Start HijackThis, and click on the Do a system scan and save a logfile button.
HijackThis will scan your system, and after it is done, Notepad will open with the log in it. In the Notepad window, click on the Edit menu and then click on the Select All menu option. All the text should now be highlighted.
Click again on the Edit menu but this time click on the Copy menu option.
Now click on the following link to start creating a new topic HijackThis forum:
Finally, Post a HijackThis log here.
