Member Avatar for makavelli
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Phaelax

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The links and brief tool recommendations posted by , , and are a useful start. Those replies concentrate on hosts-file hardening and on-demand scanners; persistent or stealthy infections are best handled with a short, repeatable cleanup workflow plus a couple of inspection utilities to verify results.

  1. Isolate the system from the network (unplug Ethernet / disable Wi‑Fi) to stop data leaks or further downloads.
  2. Make a forensic backup or disk image of the system before changes; copy only personal documents to external media and scan those on a known-clean machine.
  3. Use Safe Mode for simple cases; when a rootkit or very persistent threat is suspected, boot a bootable rescue environment before the OS loads.
  4. Update signatures and run a full on-demand scan (use a second-opinion scanner if detections differ).
  5. Inspect startup and running code with dedicated tools, and remove or disable only entries that are clearly malicious.
  6. If infections have persisted for a while, remove old restore points so malware cannot be reintroduced, then create a fresh restore point.
  7. After cleaning, change all passwords from a different, clean device and monitor accounts for suspicious activity.

For targeted inspection and confirmation, use Microsoft's Sysinternals utilities: Autoruns to find startup entries, Process Explorer to inspect running processes and handles, and TCPView to view active network connections. Submit unfamiliar binaries to VirusTotal before deletion; consider a reputable offline rescue disk or a second-opinion remover (for example, commonly used scanners listed by trusted vendors).

Cautions: research filenames and hashes before removing system files; keep a disk image so changes can be rolled back; if unsure, escalate to a specialist. Combining the thread’s suggestions with an inspection-first workflow closes gaps that single scanners can miss.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for Catweazle

AdAware

Between them, up to date copies of AdAware and Spybot Searchh & Destroy will keep any system clean, so long as they're actually used.

Member Avatar for alc6379

Spybot: Search & Destroy

I've had better results with this than with Ad Aware. But, of course, YMMV.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

I'd advocate using both in tandem. No single utility will detect everything, but I believe AdAware and Spybot between them keep abreast of any new Malware that crops up.

Member Avatar for Phaelax

spy sweeper finds tons of stuff that ad-aware doesn't. Such as key loggers.

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