reply to post by XPLodER
Purchase a comprehensive security suite like CA Internet Security
LINK
Before that, you'll want to download the FREE antivirus/spyware programs available like AVAST
(link)
And AVG
(Link)
Once you've downloaded the free tools, make sure to UPDATE the definition sets immediately.
After you've updated your definitions, SHUT DOWN your computer.
Next, Start your computer in SAFE MODE.
How to get into Safe
Mode
Once in Safe Mode, run full system scans with every single option available checked for maximum full effect.
This will take a VERY long time.
Run one full scan with Avast, and One full scan with AVG.
After that, before restarting your computer back to normal mode, you'll need to go to the registry.
To do this, clcik on your start menu button, usually located in the lower left hand corner of your screen, then in the blank RUN area, type in
regedit.
this will open up the registry editor.
Once open, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SOFTWARE, then Microsoft, then Windows, then CurrentVersion, then finally down to Run.
When you click on Run, off to the right hand side you'll probably see a number of different things listed.
For the sake of simplicity, I recommend deleting all of them if you're not tech savvy, and don't know enough to know what to keep and toss.
These are just preferences for programs to start up immediately when your computer starts, so, you're not deleting anything.
Lots of Malware likes to drop pointers in this spot, so, by wiping out everything, you prevent some nasty stuff that may not have been detected and
removed by the free antivirus software from starting up.
Once done, restart your system, and once back up to regular mode, ensure you are disconnected from the internet, and RUN ANOTHER FULL SYSTEM VIRUS
SCAN.
Running another scan checks to see if any nastiness was missed in an archived file somehwere when you scanned in SAFE MODE, but hase now hatched in
regular mode.
If more nasty stuff is found, you'll have to go back to safe mode, and try manually digging around in Temp folders, to find the culprit while doing
more scans in safe mode.
It helps to go check the registry again. If anything new has popped up in the RUN section, then, look at the file path, and track that sucker down.
G'Luck.
Most hacker-like activity on home PCs is the result of trojans, spyware, and other nasty stuff by getting rid of the nasty software, you essentially
get rid of the 'hacker' activity.
There's other alternatives to cleaning your system up, like physically removing your harddrives, plugging them into another other computer via a USB
enclosure, and scanning them that way from a clean system.
This is particularly effective for scanning your C: drive, where the OS lives.
Other alternatives involve booting to a CD OS, usually some flavor of Linux like Ubuntu, and solving the problem from an OS that's not going to get
any bugs.
Another solution is to migrate over to using a Mac, or Switch to Linux on your PC.
I prefer using Windows myself, but, to each his/her own.
Edit: Seems Consensus pointed you to take the cheap way out. I'd have avoided the nonsense of wiping the machine, but, eh, that's what people that
don't know what they're doing recommend every time.
Sad.
edit on 28-2-2012 by nineix because: (no reason given)