Cleanup Spyware, Popup's and the Nasties

Revised on 08/21/04

This is how I remove Spyware and the like from my clients PCs

Step 2: All right. Now that the hosts file is squeaky clean lets move on...

Open up Internet Explorer. If you don't use Internet Explorer this still applies to you.

Click Start / Run and type in inetcpl.cpl. This is just a quick way of doing Start / Settings / Control Panel / Internet Settings...

Now click on Settings...

Now click on View Objects...

You are presented with the Download Program Files folder. Here's where you may have some nasties. Look down the list (if you have a list) and delete anything that doesn't have "Installed" in the status column. Most of the time these are just bad or corrupted downloads from websites using special apps so you can access the site. Colleges and Universities, Banks, etc use these downloads to help you manage or access something on that site. Don't worry... if you delete something that you needed the website will prompt you again when you return to it and give you the opportunity to re-download this tiny program again.

When you're done close this down and then click OK on all the other dialog boxes you opened...

On to step 3

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