Manually Removing Spyware | Best Resources for Getting Rid of Spyware on your PC

The main freeware tools that I will be using in this lens are Process Explorer and Autoruns from Microsoft.com (Programs were previously owned by Sysinternals until Microsoft bought them out). There is also another program called HijackThis, but can be very technical, so I will talk about it in a different topic.

Process Explorer is a more descriptive task manager which displays more information about the invisible and visible processes running in the background. You will be using this tool to find out what suspected processes are running.

Autoruns is used to see all the startup items that run when your computer is initially turned on. A lot of spyware programs tend to insert entries here so that they are ran as soon as you load Windows.

Download here:
Process Explorer - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.mspx
Autoruns - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Autoruns.mspx

Process Explorer


Autoruns

I will outline the steps needed to remove spyware on your PC.
**Note: This is highly simplified to make it easier for users to apply.

Remove Suspicious Installed Programs
These range from things like games, search assistants, toolbars, etc.

Steps:
1. Click "Start" then "Run..."
2. Type "appwiz.cpl" and click "OK"
3. You should be in the "Add/Remove Programs" Box. Scroll to the list of programs that seem like games, toolbars, search assistants
4. If you are unsure, type the name of the program in Google.
5. Click "Remove" for each instance.
6. Repeat for each program that may be suspicious.
7. Close the program when finished.

Look for Suspicious Running Processes

Steps:
1. Run "Process Explorer" (Remember where you downloaded it?)
2. A lot spyware and adware tend not to have a "Description" and a "Company Name" or a strange name. You should see most of the processes that are by the Microsoft Corporation.
3. If you see a suspicious process, type the name in google to see if is a known spyware.
4. If it is, right-click and click on "Kill Process".
5. Repeat for any other suspicious programs.
6. Close Process Explorer when you are finished.

Remove Suspicious Startup Items
These range from things like games, search assistants, toolbars, etc.

Steps:
1. Run "Autoruns" from where you downloaded the file.
2. Click on the "Logon" tab
3. Look for the names of the programs that were suspicious from the previous procedures.
4. Generally, spyware and adware tend not to have "Description" or "Publisher" information
5. If you are unsure, type the name in Google to see if it is a known spyware.
6. Uncheck those that you do not want running when you startup the computer.
7. Repeat for other entries.
8. Reboot the computer.

The next steps are for cleaning the files from your PC as well as for preventative maintenance.

The next steps are to clean the rest of your system with these tools. I highly recommend these scanners to use to manually clean the rest of your system.

After you use the free scan, it is important to maintain proactive care and maintenance to prevent any spyware. Make sure you use one of these continually so you can prevent future infections.

XoftSpySE

Highly Recommended! This has a clean looking interface and effective adword/spyware remover. Does a good job of cleaning spyware and is updated frequently.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE SCAN

Noadware.net - Spyware/Adware Remover

Another excellent alternative! This is also recommended as an excellent choice for cleaning out suspicious spyware.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE SCAN

AdawareAlert.com

This is also a recommended alternative. Intuitive interface and easy to use. Very effective and a very decent database of spyware definitions.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE SCAN