Ok. I've got my first spyware problems...

What's the best utility to get rid of everything...

[edit_g]

I had some problems yesterday...

I was trying to watch a DVD from Blockbusters on my computer - and because I had just had a system crash - I didn't have the right codec to decode the DVD. So I couldn't play it at all.

Cue shouting from GF (bless her) and feverish googling + downloading. So I solved my problem with a 1.6mb download - but I am now lumbered with a couple of spyware programs. I knew they were coming (I won't name them) when I downloaded the player (they told me, to be fair) but I was impatient and I knew I could get rid of them later. When I tried to uninstall them; it didn't happen. I have ZoneAlarm, so I can stop them from accessing the internet, but I get a 404 pop up window every time they try...

What do you guys use to get rid of them? I need something free and automatic.

[2oddSox]

A couple of freebies in the form of Spybot and Ad-aware normally do the trick for me.

2odd...

[Jenstar]

Spybot: Search & Destroy
Ad-Aware

You can download these for free. Usually what one doesn't catch, the other will. Just be sure to update them both before you run them. These are the two most commonly recommended.

Good luck!

[Shane]

The above two didn't do it for me. I also got a CPU utalization monitor so I could kill any task I wanted. I occasionaly needed to. It also helped id things that still hung around. So, I went into the system utility and deinstalled manual some more 'stuff'. I also got a 'software' firewall. But it sounds like you have that.

Ad aware only destroys the cookies and the problem comes back. The other things helped remove the problem.

..... Shane

[edit_g]

Just got AdAware and it picked up both the problem programs. It also picked up on Alexa.... :) All gone now. Cheers guys.

[mfishy]

Alexa is the KING of all spyware.

[PatrickDeese]

>> What's the best utility to get rid of everything...

A linux install disk? ;)

If you have Windows XP - do a system restore to the day prior to the software installation.

Otherwise, Ad Aware and Spyware Search and Destroy.

Also there's a program I am testing with some public access computers called "spyware guard" which block spyware installation.

http*://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareguard.html

I've only been using it a couple of days, so nothing to report yet.

Good luck.