DWTIPS

Are you getting unexplained pop-ups or advertising?
Are you ready to call your favourite technically inclined family member?
Do you just want to learn more about fixing your own computer?

There are 3 simple steps to protecting and repairing your computer from virii and spyware.

Step 1: Uninstall ad-serving programs with Add/Remove

Many programs such as Kazaa or other freeware are ad-supported. That means they display ads in order to support their program and the designers earn when you click them. To avoid being listed in anti-spyware and anti-virus software, ad-supported programs will sometimes install additional advertising programs in a “legitimate” fashion. That is, they won’t TELL you the programs are installed but they can be removed with the standard Add/Remove method so they aren’t considered “spyware”.

1. Browse to your Windows® Control Panel.
2. Click Add/Remove Programs
3. Go through your list of installed programs one-by-one. If you do not recognize a program try a Google search for the program name to determine if it is ad-ware.
4. If you find a pop-up or other advertising serving program, click Remove or Uninstall to remove it. Note that this can break your ad-supported program and you should probably find a better, non ad-ware solution.

Step 2: Install and run anti-spyware programs regularly

I use two FREE anti-spyware programs. Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot - Search & Destroy.

• To download Ad-Aware Personal, Click Here
• To download Spybot - Search & Destroy, Click Here

Once the programs are installed your chore is to scan about once a month or whenever you notice problems. I like to scan with BOTH programs, just in case.

To scan for and remove spyware with Ad-Aware:

1. Install the program.
2. Load Ad-Aware from the desktop or Start -> Programs -> LavaSoft -> Ad-Aware. If when loading Ad-Aware you see messages such as “Check for Updates” or “Install new build #012345″ click “Yes” or “OK”.
3. If you were not prompted to check for or install new updates, do it manually. It is VERY important for you to update before each and EVERY scan of your computer. On the Ad-Aware main program page, at bottom right above the “Start” button, you will see a link for “Check for updates”. Click it then click “Connect” to download and install updates until you can click “Finish”.
4. Scan your computer, click “Start”. Leave the scan mode on the default “Perform smart system scan” and click “Next”. The program will start an exhaustive search of your system for known spyware.
5. When scanning if you see entries coming up under any of the “Critical” sections, Ad-Aware has found some spyware to remove!
6. When the scan is complete, click “Next” to view the results.
7. To remove found spyware you must check the box next to it. “Tracking Cookies” are not generally dangerous, but it’s up to you… If you have a large number of “critical” results, you may simply want to Right-Click -> Select All Objects. When you’ve selected the entries to remove, click “Next”, then “OK” to remove the selections.
8. Your scan and removal with Ad-Aware is complete! You can scan again if you want to double-check that critical objects were removed. Otherwise, go ahead and close the program.

To scan for and remove spyware with Spybot - Search & Destroy:

1. Install the program.
2. Load Spybot - Search & Destroy from the desktop or Start -> Programs>/i> -> Spybot- Search & Destroy -> Spybot - Search & Destroy. The first time you load Spybot - Search & Destroy you will be prompted to make a backup of your registry. Do so. You will also be asked to “Search for Updates”. Click “Download All Updates.
3. If you were not prompted to check for or install new updates, do it manually. It is VERY important for you to update before each and EVERY scan of your computer. On the Spybot - Search & Destroy main program page click “Search for updates”. If any updates are found, check the box next to them and then click “Download Updates” to install them.
4. Scan your computer. If you are still in the “Update” tab, click “Search & Destroy” on the left menu, then click “Check for problems”. The program will start an exhaustive search of your system for known spyware.
5. Spybot - Search & Destroy will automatically flag problems. Simply click “Fix Selected Problems” to remove found spyware.
6. Your scan and removal with Spybot - Search & Destroy is complete! You can scan again if you want to double-check that critical objects were removed. Otherwise, go ahead and close the program.

Step 3: Install and run an anti-virus program regularly

An excellent FREE antivirus package is AVG Antivirus. To download it Click Here

To scan for and remove virii with AVG Antivirus:

1. Install the program.
2. Make sure the “Resident Shield” feature is enabled. To do this, open the AVG “Control Center”. Click on “Resident Shield”. At the bottom right of the window click “Properties”. Make sure the feature is enabled and set the options as you like. I use “Scan infectable files” and “Use heuristic analysis”. The “Resident Shield” feature is very useful, as it scans files on-the-fly, as you open them. Just before any .EXE (program) executes it is scanned by AVG antivirus automatically for your protection.
3. Schedule regular updates and/or a routine system scan. In the Control Center click “Scheduler”, then “Scheduled Tasks” near the bottom of the window. Choose the task “Update plan in Basic mode” and click “Edit Schedule”. Enable the feature and set the time you would like automatic updates to be downloaded and applied. These updates will allow you to be protected from the latest virii.

There you have it! You have the programs and step-by-step instructions you need to clean yourself of any unwanted bugs! Send this to your family, friends or anyone else who is constantly bugging you about spyware.

Best regards!

DW