MasterIce's Spyware Guide
While I'm surfing the internet, at work and at home, I get all these pop-up installation windows saying that I need to install this program to view this webpage, to keep my computer up to date, and even to prevent viruses. When really these programs track what I am doing on my computer, see what websites I go to and slow my computer down to the pace of a snail with a depression problem. These programs can give you random pop-ups (even when not connected to your internet), add icons on your system tray, and store files on your computer that can take up a lot of needed space on your hard drive.
Removal Options
Some of these programs try to hide themselves in discreet locations so you have a low probability of removing them, while some can be found in the Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel in Windows. If you see any of the programs listed below, goto the Add/Remove Programs wizard and unistall them. After you have done that check your Program Files folder for these programs and see if you can find an uninstall icon in the folder. For more advanced users, double-check the Registry Editor for left over pieces of these programs, because there will be some (if you don't know what or how to get to the registry editor, it's probably best not to worry about it).
For most people, novice and advanced, the easiest thing to do would be to download the free Ad-Aware 6.0 from Download.com. Ad-Aware, produced by Lavasoft, is a nifty programs that searches your machine for all spyware components and wipes them from your hard drive. I use this program on my own personal machines at home, and recommend it to the owners of the computers that I find spyware on. Lavasoft puts out regular updates to the spyware list and are also available for download for free.
Removal of spyware can be tricky and potentially dangerous, and should only be attempted by someone who is comfortable dealing with computers, and familiar with the uninstallation of these programs.
A Warning to KaZaA users...
All versions of KaZaA require the file cd_dll.dll which is required to run the file sharing program, and removal of this file will require you to re-install KaZaA. If you want a fixed version of KaZaA with the spyware already removed, please take a look at KaZaA Lite and K++, the newest version of KaZaA Lite.
Spyware List
Gator Services
Gator Password
Gator eWallet
Percision Time
DateManager
Save Now
Cydoor
N-Case
New.net
My Search bar
Xanadu
Hotbar
Common Name
If you know of any more, please email me @ DJMasterIce@yahoo.com.