Program Removal

[IceAxe]

I downloaded a program form Limewire, and along with it came around 250 other programs.

None of them work, ive deleted them and emptied the recycle bin but they show up the next day and i've tried useing the Add/Remove program thing to get these off my computer but they don't show up there.

if you know how i could get the programs off permenantly, please tell me

[aiden669]

whats the name of the program/s??

[Lil Pimp Tell 'Em]

My Computer -> The drive there stored on -> programs, then delete the folders

[IceAxe]

the 200+ extra programs: random PC games

the one I intentionaly downloaded: Fruityloops version 5

[aiden669]

argh sounds like u will have 2 format...

[herecomesme1990]

the other extra programs that keep poping up are most likely sypware.. or malware.. u need to reformat or wipe out ur hard drive

[SDeeperKyo]

Re formating should never be your first option. It will take some time, but you should be able to clear you system. (Average time depending on how infected your system is, is about 2-5 hours)

Get the following programs (these are all free):

Anti-Spyware Programs

Ad-aware from Lavasoft http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Per ... l&tag=top5

Spybot Search and Destroy:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

CW Shredder
http://www.trendmicro.com/ftp/products/ ... redder.exe

AVG Anti-Spyware
http://free.grisoft.com/softw/70free/se ... 5.0.50.exe

Anti-Virus

AVG Free Anti-Virus
http://free.grisoft.com/softw/70free/se ... 32a861.exe

Firewall

Zone Alarm
http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/1 ... 000_en.exe

Internet Browsers

Note: If you use Internet Explorer (IE), please stop and use one of these alternatives. IMO Firefox is the easiest to use to ween yourself off IE, but Opera is the best one. Doing this one thing will eliminate 99% of pop-ups and viruses you might get from the net (plus not going to unscrupulous sites).

Firefox
http://www.mozilla.com/products/downloa ... lang=en-US

Opera
http://www.opera.com/download/get.pl?id ... e&sub=true

Better File Sharing

Bittorent(BT)

Tutorial
http://wiki.theppn.org/index.php/BitTorrent_Tutorial

Original Bittorent Client
http://www.bittorrent.com/download.html

The best Bittorent Client (I would use this one.)
http://download.utorrent.com/1.6/uTorre ... nstall.exe

The best BT sites:

http://www.mininova.org
http://www.torrentspy.com
http://thepiratebay.org/

Okay, now that you've got all these programs what do you do with 'em.

First, you want to, if possible in the normal windows mode, install all of the Anti-Spyware Programs, the Anti-Virus Program, and the Firewall Program. Next, you need to disable system restore. (Windows protects this folder and Viruses and Spyware like to hide in it.) Right Click on My Computer > Left Click Properties > Click the System Restore Tab > Check in the box "Turn off System Restore on all drives" > Click Apply > Click OK. We'll save the rest for later.

Once you have those installed you'll want to boot into safe mode. Restart your computer. When the initial screen come up, start tapping F8 on you keyboard. If done correctly you should get a black screen with white text with safe mode boot options. Note: If you see the Windows Logo, you've gone too far and will need to restart the computer and try again. If you get the black screen, select "Boot in Safe Mode with Networking". When you select this option you will see a wall of white text scroll up from the bottom of the screen.

Next, you will get to the log in screen. You need to choose the Administrator account. Once logged in, Windows will ask you if you are sure you want to boot into safe mode, choose yes and windows will finish booting.

Run the programs in this order and choose the default options for scanning.

1. CWShredder: Choose "Fix" (Make sure to Check For Updates(CFU))

2. Ad-aware(CFU): Choose "Perform Smart System Scan". Once the scan is completed, right click and select "choose all" to choose all the problems it finds.

3. Spybot Search and Destroy(CFU): With this program there are some extra options. Update first and you will also want to immunize your computer. It's all detailed in the wizard. It will ask you if want to make a registry backup, if you wish, you can ignore this option.

4. AVG Anti-Spyware(CFU): Choose "Fast Scan". It should set you up for automatic updates.

5. AVG Anti-Virus(CFU): The wizard will set you up for automatic updates and daily scanning.

Now Log off of Administrator (Start > "Log off Administrator") and repeat the same scans for your account.
After you've completed the scans for your account reboot into normal mode.
If you're still having problems you might want to run these scans in normal mode as well.

Note: The firewall, Zone Alarm, blocks default ports that are commonly used by trojans, hackers, and viruses. If you want a program to access the net you will have to configure Zone Alarm to allow the program to pass and open any ports needed by the program to access the net. Use the help option from the program for more information.

By now, most of the crap should be off you system. Now on to the browsers.

As noted earlier you will want to stop using IE. You may not know it, but Windows, and IE, is run on 90% of the worlds computers, therefore it's an easy target for hackers, viruses and spyware. Most of this shit comes through IE and crappy P2P programs (Kazaa, Limewire, Ares, etc.). Sidenote: If you must use the crappy P2P programs don't download .exe files or files smaller than 1000 KB.

Switching to Firefox and Opera will save you a world of hurt from the net.

Now on to Bittorent.

Bittorent is a client that emerged in 2003 and is a whole lot better than the traditional P2P programs. Read the tutorial to find out more. I've included links to the original client, created by Bram Cohen, and an improved client based on the orig. utorrent. I've also included the best sites to get .torrent files from.

Good Luck!! Post back if you have any questions.