Adware GRRRR

C

CathydsRNA

Cathlete
Hi, a question for any IT folks out there. I have had a problem recently with ads popping up. I removed 157 adware BB items from my computer this morning (after having removed dozens a week ago). In addition, I have an adware/spyware zapper that picked up an additional 18 items that Mcaffe missed. These have all entered my computer within the last week. How do these things get there? I don't open up attachments unless they are work related and I only visit a few sites(here, weather.com, amazon, pubMed and a few others). I just put a firewall in. Since it has been in, I have refused access to the internet from a program that is still hiding in my computer, called search assistant. How can I get rid of this and will the firewall solve my problem? What else can I do? Thanks
 
Hi Cathy -

Search Assistant is, in fact, spyware. There are a variety of ways to get rid of it. Do a search onb "180 search assistant" in Google. Following is one solution, along with a warning:

Before You Proceed:

IMPORTANT!
One or more programs you have installed are supported by 180search Assistant. By uninstalling 180search Assistant, you may no longer be able to access these programs.

That includes Easy Messenger, which lets you combine all your buddies from AIM®, MSN®, Yahoo® and ICQ® into one convenient instant messaging program-FREE! If you haven't tried Easy Messenger, it's not too late.

To uninstall 180search Assistant:
. From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
. Choose "Add or Remove Programs".
. Select 180search Assistant and click "Change/Remove Programs".
. Follow onscreen instructions.

Margaret
 
I see Margaret has shown you how to get rid of the problem. I am no techy, but I use a free version of SpywareBlaster http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/ and it does keep spyware from sneaking on your PC. I also do regular checks with Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-aware...as for pop-ups I use a browser called Firefox www.mozilla.org and have no pop-ups at all...:)...Carole
 
Thanks Margaret and Carole. Hopefully now I am adware and spyware free. I can't believe how much junk can find its way into your computer thses days.
 
Definitely download Firefox as Carole recommended! Also, the best antivirus system I have found is PC-cillin by TrendMicro. You can by it at Amazon- very user friendly and seems to protect the PC better than Norton or McAfee. Good luck!
 
Cathy,
I have had a similar problem for the past month. Pop ups galore to the point i would have to shut down and reboot. I loaded adware and also spybot. For several hours one day, i removed my laptop from internet access, and ran those two programs repeatitively.
They just kept removing and removing spyware/adware etc... But every time i would go surfing, there was the pop ups again!!
Anyway, i was recommended by a friend a program called spysweeper.
After i ran it for the very first time, my computer is like new. I don't remember the site i downloaded it from, but you can surely find it if you google it. I unloaded adware and spybot and am going to use this for now. My computer hasn't run this well in a long time.

HTH,
Wendy
 
I have 2 ad-ware removal softwares and I have yahoo pop-up blocker, I have NO trouble with pop-ups......... Rhonda
 
Thanks everyone, I will investigate these other programs, in fact I have downloaded some over the weekend. The ads I was seeing weren't pop ups they were selected ads based on what the computer thought I was interested in presumably based on where I was looking on the internet...I think the problem was search assistant and adware brought into my computer by search assistant. As far as a Mac, I had one and used one for years (best for graphics and used to be best for laboratory software but it had its own glitches including difficulties interfacing with the rest of the world) and so I switched to a PC several years ago. Thanks again.:)
 
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