Technical Reinforcements Guide - Using Spybot to remove spyware

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Using Spybot to remove spyware


Spybot and Ad-Aware are two invaluable (and free) tools for keeping your computer fee of spyware, adware, and other malicious software. While running a spyware cleaning tool may seem intimidating at first, it really is very simple. This is a guide that will help you use Spybot to keep your computer clean. If you find the directions confusing, you may want to follow along while you use Spybot for the first time, and it will become much clearer.

Table of contents



Getting Spybot

Getting Spybot is easy. Simply go to the Spybot download page and click the "download" link. Pay attention to where you save the file. When the download is complete, double-click on the file and follow the on-screen instructions. Basically, just click "ok" or "next" until the installation is complete.

When you first install spybot, and after a major update, Spybot may give you a harsh sounding warning, indicating essentially that using Spybot may break some programs that rely on showing you Avertisements. They have to put this warning in to cover thier legal bases, but in reality, the only programs that Spybot will interfere with are programs that you really do not want running on your computer under any circumstances. Just check "Don't show this message again" and click "Ok".


Starting Spybot

  Look for this icon  

Double-click the Spybot icon on your desktop. If it is not on your desktop, find it in your program menu by clicking the start button, selecting "Programs", then the "Spybot, Search & Destroy" folder and clicking on the "Spybot, Search & Destroy" icon.


Updating Spybot

Much like your Anti-Virus software, Anti-Spyware software needs to know about all of the latest "nasties" so it can find and remove them. Spybot may occasionally prompt you, asking you if you want to search for updates. You should always say yes to this. If you want to be as safe as possible, you should manually ask Spybot to search for updates every week or so, whether it asks you to or not, by clicking on the "Update" button (pictured) on the left site the window.



Update Buttons

The update window will require you to click the button marked "Search For Updates". If Spybot finds any updates it will list them for you. Make sure the checkboxes next to each update are checked, and click on "Download Updates". Once Spybot has downloaded all of the updates, you are ready to scan your system.


Immunizing your system

Click this


In addition to helping you remove malicious software, Spybot includes the ounce of prevention that is worth a pound of cure. This comes in the form of the "immunize" feature. Without getting into too much detail, the "Immunize" feature blocks security holes that unwanted software can use to sneak onto your system, or do more damage once it is there. After every time that you load new updates, you want to immunize.

Then this


Click on the "Immunize" icon on the left side of the screen. Spybot will run a quick check of your system to see if it knows of any new ways that your system can be protected. If it does, a window will pop up, informing you of how many "bad products" are blocked, and how many are not yet blocked. Just click "Ok" and then click the "Immunize" button near the top of the screen. If no warning comes up, then you are already immunized sufficiently.


Scanning your system

Then this


Click this


To start a scan, click on the "Search & Destroy" icon on the left side of the Spybot window. Click on "Check For Problems", and the scan will begin. The scan may take a few minutes, and you don't need to be there while it scans, so if you have any other things that you need to get done, now is a good time to do them.


Finishing


Once the scan finishes, click the "Fix selected problems" button. Spybot will ask for confirmation, so just click "OK" and wait a bit while Spybot cleans your system. Congratulations, you are done with Spybot!


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