Genealogy Chat

I'm still getting lots of requests for this necessary, routine computer job, so for the benefit of anyone interested, below are instructions to get the program, install and run it. Any questions, feel free to ask... Judy :) ADAWARE Spy-ware Removal 1. Go to http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=506 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…..In all the computers I’ve worked on I’ve never had a problem with this program. I also use it on all 5 of my own computers. 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.

Many thanks Judy for all the different advice/help you have given on these boards. I have certainly learned a lot and am more confident in using my computer knowing you are 'looking over my shoulder' to offer help should I or anyone need it. We would be lost without you. Thanks again. Juliexx

Hi Judy. We have spoken before,and you were very helpfull then, this information I shall print off and add it to my problem solver file. Very many thanks to you once again , much appreciated. As the saying goes, YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY. What a star. thanks trish

Only too glad to help in anyway I can. Just a note, when I posted the instructions above, they were posted in an orderly fashion....GC squished everything together and won't let me correct it! LOL

Hi Judy Really easy instructions to follow. Now completed download and run the first scan. Thabk you very much. Gail

judy i would like to say a big THANK YOU for all the help you have given me with seek seek over the last few days tracey

Tracey....I was just thinking of you! LOL! If seek seek is only being found in your registry, and no where else, it is probably no longer on your computer. Spyware Hunter may be just picking up the fact that the item was there at some point. Your registry keeps track of everything that is placed on your computer....it doesn't necessarily mean the item is still on your hard drive and active. With all that Colin and I have had you do, I can't imagine that it's still there. It appeared to be spyware and all indications are that the piece has been removed. Is there something going on with the computer that you think seek seek is doing, or is it just the fact the Spyware Hunter is finding it? Judy

hi judy colin has it as well tracey

Hi Judy - it's me again! Guess what! After all my problems and finally getting them sorted with spybot, Ad-aware and AVG, I decided to uninstall spybot as it seemed it wasn't needed with the other two, but.... it has totaly mucked up my system! Everything it found and destroyed seems to have been dumped back on the computer. The AVG won't work and I am now ready to go back to old fashioned means of work and communication using pen, paper and books! I am going to remove all my files over the weekend and unistall everything that I have have ever put on the computer and start again. Thanks for all your help anyway - watch this space... I may be back. Jacky :-)

Jackie: I e-mailed you direct.

Hi Judy, In deep depression here. you probably saw my message on the thread between Colin and Tracy on Guest book a couple of days back. Mind you the board was running fast so might not have seen it. My computer completely refused to start up last Monday - I looked at my emails on the Saturday and there was nothing unusual, except that Norton said it had been unable to check one e mail. I then shut the computer down and was away for the weekend. Monday, switched on and nothing except a message which said (I think) we needed a file of three letters, can't remember - may be AV-. Anyway took it in and 'my man' said it was a hacker type virus may be a dialer or something, he wouldn't know, obviously, until he looked at it. Phoned him yesterday and he can't get to all the files - I had it upgraded from 95 to 98 2 years back and he thinks they must have loaded 98 on top of 95. He now has to wipe the disc. (Can you see why I am depressed?) Most of my stuff is backed up so that is not a problem but the thought of having to reload all the problems is horific. (Well to me anyway), And most of my work is done in Word and Excell and of course we don't have that programme now.... And so it goes on. Nothing anyone can do but what a good job most of my docs are backed up off the computer and in hard copies. If they hadn't been I would have lost hundreds of photos. For anyone reading this who is worried because they have received e mails from me, the man said it was not the sort of virus you get through e mails. By the way, I have Norton and Adaware. Not a world disaster by any means but -Just want sympathy. Ann Glos

Hi He doesnt have to wipe the disk - just reinstall Windows. If space is an issue he can reinstall it over the previous windows directory. Yes you will have to reinstall the programs like Word and Excel but you lose any files you have created like documents or photos - unless they are stored in the Windows directory...

Thanks, I am only repeating what he said. I didn't speak to him my husband did. He is a professional computer specialist so he didn't like to argue. difficult to install word and excell when you don't have the programme. We got it before when my husband was working from home and his employer had the programme for him to install. He is long retired now (that was ten years ago. He says I will have to swop to works which I don't want to do. By the way, space was not an issue on the disc so I am not sure what the problem was. As he had not cured the original problem I think it was probably that he couldn't get into the system to reinstall windows. Ann Glos

I am a little puzzled as to where the data miners are coming from. Out of the ground apparently? I scan with ad-aware each day and every day it picks up half a dozen of the little blighters which I dutifully delete. I generally only go into this site, BBC news and LLoydsTSB. Is one of these guilty or does it not need to be related to a site?

I did wonder the same thing, Brian. Sometimes I run Adaware twice a day and it's always the same ones tho' I do tend to visit the same sites.

Virtually every site you go to (including the three you mention) puts a cookie on your computer. They say it's to help you??? 90% of them are quite harmless and only take up a little space. It's the accumulation of them that cause problems. The time to be careful is when you go surfing around lots of sites or when anyone else (especially kids) has been using your computer. See my thread on Cookies and Spyware for more info Bob

Hi All My son has installed SPybot -S&D for me is that a similar spyware remover?? Pc dinosaur but at least I know more now then when I first started!! Ann,Darlington

Ann Spybot seems to work okay but it was reported recently that it may cause problems if you try to uninstall. Any one not using either would be better of sticking with Ad-Aware I think. Do not use spyware nuker. Bob