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Double click on any of objects and you’ll get details about spyware. You can click on “Show TAC page” and see an extended description of problem from Lavasoft website.
That object looks like one we should get rid of, and most of files found should be gotten rid of. Be careful though, because on this computer, there was one potential spyware object that made me stop and think.
Well this doesn’t look very good. “Possible Browser Hijack attempt”is generally spyware that should be cleaned out. But look at “location” line, and you can see that this is a pyramid solitaire game. I checked link by opening internet explorer and finding it as one of my “Favorites”, and sure enough, this is a legitimate solitaire game and not spyware.
Why did Ad-Aware think it was spyware? Most likely solitaire game is programmed poorly and contains some abnormal redirections. In any case we need to tell Ad-Aware to leave this file alone.
To do this, close details window, and check small box to left of questionable object. Then right click object and select “Add Selected to Ignore List.” The object will be removed from list, and will not be found in future scans. If you need to, you can always take items off your ignore list in future.
All of other spyware on this machine should be deleted. To do this, select all objects by right clicking on one, and choosing to “Select All Objects.”
When objects are selected, simply click “Next” in lower right, spyware will be removed, and you will return to program’s main screen.
That’s all there is to cleaning your PC of most spyware. If you had a serious and noticeable spyware problem, you may be able to see difference immediately. Even if you didn’t have a major problem, your computer should run better now overall, especially on internet, and will certainly be more private.
Ad-Aware is widely regarded as a great program that catches a very high percentage of possible spyware. It may not catch everything, and while other programs probably won’t catch more, there is a chance they could find something Ad-Aware missed. My recommendation is, for a general cleaning of spyware, Ad-Aware is all you need. If you have a major problem that Ad-Aware did not catch, try another FREE tool, like Spybot Search and Destroy http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html , to see if that program can fix it.
In my opinion spyware cleaning tools you purchase are no better than Ad-Aware, and in many cases are worse. That said, if you like Ad-Aware, you might consider buying paid version from Lavasoft website, as you get a few more features. Generally though, regularly checking your computer with free versions from Ad-Aware or Spybot will be enough to eliminate most spyware.
After exhausting all your free options, if you still have a major spyware problem (for example a homepage that is clearly an advertisers page but will not change), ask for help in aworldofhelp.com forums. Describe your problem clearly, because almost certainly someone else has had same or a similar problem and can help.
Spyware can be a terrible nuisance, or it can be a crippling problem. Thankfully, Ad-Aware is an excellent and free tool for cleaning your personal computer.
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