Best program to remove Spyware ?

[VR46]

Daughter managed to download some from omegasearch.com, right pain in the ass, it added 10 sites to my favourites and has an annoying pop up at the bottom of the screen.
What's the best program to remove it basically.

Thanks.

[marcus]

Download Ad-aware

rgds

[Crispin]

And the free Spybot Search and Destroy as well. I use them both. What one catches the other doesn't etc. And incidentally, we really ought to sticky a topic like this Marcus.
Also Spybot allows you to easily check startup processes and host files without having to fiddle around in drivers > etc or the registry.

[VR46]

thanks chaps.

[Inertia_]

Does anyone know a prog that will successfully prevent spyware getting on your comp in the first place? Every time I run adaware I end up discovering about 10-20 items of spyware, which means they've been residing on their for a few days causing their mischief. I was recommended Spyware Blaster by a mate of mine, but it isn't doing the job.

[Ciaran]

Use a firewall (I use Outpost 2.1) that will stop alot of the spyware and virus's getting on to you computer. It will also stop the spyware connecting to the internet if it does get onto your computer.

Spwareblaster is also reccomended by Spybot to to block alot of the spyware.

[Crispin]

Does anyone know a prog that will successfully prevent spyware getting on your comp in the first place? Every time I run adaware I end up discovering about 10-20 items of spyware, which means they've been residing on their for a few days causing their mischief. I was recommended Spyware Blaster by a mate of mine, but it isn't doing the job.

Surely they're just usually data miners that adaware detects on your computer? Spybot can occasionally block things from downloading spware, and if you let it access the host file, it can prevent you from visiting the worst sites accidentally.

As ciaran says get a firewall. I believe you can get a personal edition of sygate (sic) for free. I've dabbled with it and it seems ok, but I don't have a real need for it, so don't consider that an endorsement from me. People also mention zonealarm. Or get one in a Norton package or something.

Also, typing netstat -a at the command prompt from time to time after the computer has been connected to the net for a while can throw up some interesting things. You can then always look up an ip address or name. For example you might see you're connected to Akaima technologies, which is nothing to worried about since both Norton and MSN use it to determine the nearest server or something.

[Dache]

Or you could skip the ****, stop using Internet Explorer and use Firefox, which is just a plain better browser aside from having popup blockers and 99% of spyware not being compatable with it.

[Crispin]

Not all sites are Firefox compatable. For example Dabs.com will mess up completely in firefox. With others the layout gets messed up or won't display at all correctly. Using Internet Explorer is still necessary. Having access to Internet Explorer is still vital. Only a very silly fellow would put his complete trust in a preview product that hadn't even reached the all important 1.0 yet.

[VR46]

Ad-aware found 86 items, no bad for a laptop only 9 months old
Works a treat though.

[Dache]

Not all sites are Firefox compatable. For example Dabs.com will mess up completely in firefox. With others the layout gets messed up or won't display at all correctly. Using Internet Explorer is still necessary. Having access to Internet Explorer is still vital. Only a very silly fellow would put his complete trust in a preview product that hadn't even reached the all important 1.0 yet.

Admittedly, one or two sites I've been to don't work, but when IE is lacking lacking support for so many things and is so prone to spyware, I think using Firefox 99.9% of the time is without a doubt the best idea.

davidholliss: Download and run Spybot too. Each program finds and misses different things. Spoybot'll probably find a couple more bits here and there.

[Oh! My Car!]

bah, I got about 170 spyware removed yesterday by Adaware

[Inertia_]

Having read the responses here, I think I'm just going to have to accept the current modest level of spyware I endure.

Firstly, I use Avant Browser which I find infinitely preferable to every other alternative (that includes Firefox). This has a very effective popup / ad filter and isn't adversely affected by spyware to my knowledge.

Secondly, I'm already running Outpost Firewall so there's very little danger of the spyware actually doing anything that awkward.

I guess this is one cancer I'm just going to have to live with.

[Ciaran]

Avant is built from Internet Explorer 6, so has all the same security leaks and spyware problems. It even says it in the faq:

"Is Avant Browser a secure browser?

Yes, Avant Browser is secure. Since it's based on Internet Explorer, Avant Browser is as secure as Internet Explorer."

[fifty?ballz]

Not all sites are Firefox compatible. For example Dabs.com will mess up completely in firefox. With others the layout gets messed up or won't display at all correctly. Using Internet Explorer is still necessary. Having access to Internet Explorer is still vital. Only a very silly fellow would put his complete trust in a preview product that hadn't even reached the all important 1.0 yet.

Last time I checked Dabs, it worked perfectly.

As the majority of browser hacking seems to revolve around Microsoft
Products, conversely isn't the fool the one who decides thats the one
for them.

It's only a browser though, if you want to stop spyware that's inside
lots of so called "free" programs, you have to have a firewall such as
Zone Alarm.