Genealogy Chat

Another one of those pesky little NECESSARY evil maintenance jobs to keep your computer running smoothly. Accumulated spyware on your computer can cause all kinds of problems....sometimes incompacitating your computer. Removing spyware will also get rid of those annoying pop ups.

ADAWARE Spy-ware Removal 1. Go to http://www.majorgeeks(.)com/download.php?det=506 - Remember to remove the ( ) from the address. 2. Download the free version of Adware….scroll to bottom of page to DOWNLOAD HERE and choose PLANET MIRROR. 3. Install onto your computer. 4. After installation, an icon will appear on your desktop. Click it to open. 5. Click on CHECK FOR UPDATES NOW. Follow the NEXT prompts. (This updates any definitions to the program since the download was posted on the internet. Do this right before scanning your computer each time you use it to be sure the software is always up to date.) 6. After definitions are updated click on SCAN NOW. 7. Click NOW to start the scan. 8. When the computer is done scanning it will display all the spyware it’s found. Click on NEXT (or if you want to view what it found you can click on SHOW LOGFILE first. After viewing logfile click on close and it will return you to where you can click on NEXT.) 9. You’ll now be looking at SCANNING RESULTS and here, too, you will see what spyware has been found. Using your mouse, click the small empty box, in the first column, in front of each item found, so that a check mark appears in front of it. (For some reason sometimes the check marks are there automatically, sometimes you have to put them there manually.) 10. After everything is checked off click on QUARANTINE. 11. A small box appears and asks you to name the file….I use the day’s date. Then hit OK (or whatever the prompt is.) 12. Click on NEXT and you’ll be advised or asked if it’s OK to remove….click OK and the spyware found is “quarantined.” The reason for quarantining over deleting is because if by some freak of nature, something on your computer needs is removed by accident by the program, you can go back and “restore” what was removed. In a day or two, you can open the adaware program if you want and completely delete the quarantined items if all is well….and it should be. This is just a safe guard for you….. To delete quarantined items: 1. Click open the Adaware icon on your desktop. 2. Click on OPEN QUARANTINE LIST 3. All quarantined items will show. Simply right click on it and choose the option DELETE ARCHIVE. You will note here, this is where you would also choose RESTORE if you needed to.

Thanks for repeating your tips Judy, as new members won't have seen them before. Can I suggest that everyone either copies these to a file, or prints them out for future use? If you don't you'll wish you had, because you won't be able to find the thread again when you need it! Janet

I've just done this after printing the instructions off! The majority of the 19 things found on my computer are from Microsoft is this right. Are these things safe to delete

Thank you Judy for your e mail and the copy and paste instructions, you make everything easy with such clear instructions what would we do without you! yours gratefully Linda

We've just done a similar download from a programme called Spybot. It was amazing how much was there that we didn't have any idea about. Needless to say it's all been turfed out now. Gripping you have to go to such lengths to protect yourself - Virus checker, Firewall, Spam Killer, etc, and it all seems to take up so much time to get the updates. Worth it though as we updated everything yesterday, and lo and behold a nasty virus was caught and deleted! Wouldn't want to be without the Internet though. It's an absolute godsend doing research like this, especially when you work full time, and can't get to record offices etc. Thanks to all the kind people on this site who are able to go, and put themselves out for others. Pauline

Pauline: Although Spybot does remove spyware, it's notorious for adding it's own spyware to your computer. Try running Adaware and Spybot at the same time.....Adaware will find the spyware that Spybot has added so you can see for yourself what it's added. Judy

Judy Thanks for all your tips have just put 151 in to quarantine after downloading this Thankyou again Jan xx

Thanks, Judy Have just quarantined 404 little nasties! David

Yes not everything should be removed. I had to take my pc to pc world for a healthcheck. I asked the technician if it was safe to delete all the things it had picked up and when he went through the list there was quite a few things that shouldn't be. I just leave them in quarantine to be safe.

Hi Judy thanks for all you're doing. I've tried downloading the Adaware file - I go to majorgeeks.com etc, go to planet mirror , click to download it goes throught eh motion of downlaoding then it goes to another page with several lists on - but it does not give me any change to save or open to my computer . PLEASE PLEASE what am I doing wrong??? Janet xxx

Hi Judy Helppppppppppp! I have downloaded the Adaware program, and everything is fine, I think, butttt, I get to the quarantine bit, click everything I'm supposed to, name the file etc etc, the box fills up, and then nothing!!! Can't get it to quarentine them, and it found 8! I desperately want to remove them, but it just sticks. I have done it several times now, to see what I was doing wrong, but everytime it sticks, and I can't see what else I am supposed to do. I waited 15 minutes, and still nothing! So I shut it off in desperation. I'm pulling my hair out with this thing, please please help! Is anyone else having this problem????? Lisa

Lisa....rather than quarantine, just click to delete or remove.....that'll do the trick. Once in awhile I have the same problem. Judy :-)

Judy Thanks, I'll try that Lisa

Hi Janet I had exactly the same problem. Solved this by downloading from the link immediately below Planet Mirror (BTN if I remember correctly). David

Judy Just to let you know, that I have finally managed to quarentine the spyware on my registry file after several attempts. Just updated it again today, and it worked!!!!! Thank goodness Thanks for your help Lisa

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