I have had the same computer for about four years now with no problems. But yesterday it went kinda crazy and when I connect(I'm still on dial-up) two or three popups start loading and flash on the screen.

How can I make this stop? I can type in a site I want to go to and it's like these things just take over.

Another thing, certian words will appear highlighted in green and underlined. I just clicked on this post to edit it and now while editing it the word computer in the first sentence of this post is now green and underlined as I edit my post.

Try some free but very effective spyware removal tools.

1. Ad-Aware www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
2. Spybot - www.safer-networking.org/
3. If you don't trust the swedes or germans above, then try Microsoft's Beta spyware program...www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

I run each of these at least once a week...

And I use Firefox as a browser...

Scott

Additionally, you need to push the "update" button on these programs before you do the scans.

Firefox can be downloaded at: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
Once you try "Tabbed" Browsing, you won't ever go back...not to mention that IE is a giant security bullseye...

If you decide to take the leap to Firefox, then you might as well close the other security hole in your Windows system and switch over to Mozilla's Thunderbird for email http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/

Even if you don't switch browsers, once you clean up your spyware, you will probably notice increased system performance.

Take care,
Scott

Thanks Scott,right now I'd try anything.

Here's a neat little site that'll walk you through the clean-up process. All the links and instructions you'll need are there.
http://securitytango.com/tango.php

But the best advice I can give you is to switch to Mozilla Firefox. Pop-ups are a thing of the past by default with Firefox. And if something IS blocked that you don't want to be blocked, Firefox will ask you if you want to allow the pop-up or window to be displayed once, never or only when you're on that particular web site or page.
:thumbsup:
Plus you'll notice a marked decrease in the number of spyware/adware and other junk infesting your PC.

What is Mozilla Firefox? I'm not up on alot of computer stuff?

Mozilla Firefox is a browser. The interface you use to "view" the internet. Right now you are probably using Internet Explorer. That is only one program that allows you to view the Internet. Mozilla Firefox is another. I put the link in a post up above to download it.
The problem with Internet Explorer is that practically everyone is using it because it is the default with Windows. That makes it a prime target for hackers. As HwyStar stated, it will help prevent the problems you are experiencing.
To clean up though, you should make Anti-Spyware a requirement. I didn't follow HwyStars link, but you could either do it or download the programs I suggested in my first link to get your computer cleaned up and running well again.
Scott

Ok, I looked at the securitytango link that was listed above. It is comprehensive. Depending on the state of your system it might be overkill, but it presents a good guide. Do it, your computer will thank you.
Scott

Sir,

Go to download.com and look up spysweeper. you wont be sorry!

just use WindowsXp firewall and the MS Anti spyware.

They work fine

And stop going to Porn sites

I'll affirm the comments above. Download and install and UPDATE:

1)Spybot
2)Adaware
3)MS Anti spyware beta

I've been fixing client's PC's for years, I usually run spybot and adaware, but I've tried the Microsoft application and it seems to do the job just fine as well.

Oh, and like thedugan said, stop going to porn sites :D (unless your spyware apps AND virus protection software are up to date).

Sir,
Go to download.com and look up spysweeper. you wont be sorry!

Yep.
I own an IT company and have recommended Webroot's SpySweeper to all my customers. The difference between it and many other spyware/adware utilities is that it runs as a shield on your system, keeping the code out of your system in the first place rather than find it and clean it out later.

I highly recommend it.

Heres my 2 cents = I've never had any luck with any of the cleaning tools - they either don't remove it all or do, but slow the down the operation because of the memory they use up to run.
Now, about every other month, I do a system restore. Wipes out everything except files you've created and returns the rest to factory condition. When I do that, I only have to reinstall word / excell, yahoo messenger and the program for my palm pilot. There are two ways to do it on my computer, one leaves programs you've installed intact, the other wipes out everything except the programs installed from the factory (you'd have to have your files burned to a disc or some other media).
Just never had luck with the programs, or the side effects weren't what I wanted, not saying others haven't met w/ great success.

There's a bit of good advice in this thread, but only a few bits from folks that work in the computer industry for a living. Keep that in mind. Everyone has a computer and everyone wants to help, because the folks on this site are just that type of really good people to want to help everyone. Good luck with your issues and remember to take computer advice from car enthusiast site with a grain of salt.

Best of luck and /cheers,

I went to the sites suggested and did all of the scans etc. It helped some problems but I am still having all kinds of pop-up ads. I downloaded the spysweeper free scan and it says it found adware on my computer(so did the other programs I ran). Spy Sweeper won't remove the items unless you subscribe for $ 29.99.

My question is this. Will purchasing this program get this junk off my computer? The free scan and removal systems like adaware,spybot,etc; didn't really help.

I would be more than willing to pay the $30 if this will stop this junk, but the above mentioned free removal systems didn't.

My computer is constantly downloading stuff, even now as I'm typing I can see that it is downloading something on it's own.

If you didn't run the online updates, after installing them, for both spybot or adaware, then, no, they won't help much. I've VERY rarely seen an item that one of those two couldn't remove in many years and hundreds of computers. If you really prefer spysweeper, then yes, you need to purchase it, in order for it to do it's removal.

I have run each a couple of times and checked for updates before running. They always find a bunch of items for removal, but there is always around 3 items that it says they can't remove.

It's not that I prefer spy sweeper, nothing else has worked. I'm just wondering if Spy Sweeper will remove this stuff ?

I don't want to be out $30 for nothing, but if it will fix this I'm all for it. I guess I'm asking is it going to better than these other free systems?

The "free" systems, are actually 2 of the industry's best spyware applications out there. They are "free" for what they consider limited use, but they do charge for full versions of the software. Adaware gives more features with purchase, and I believe Spybot uses a donation system, and they charge fees for licenses for business use. So don't misunderstand the fact that they are "free" as being inferior.

Can you tell me the items that they are not removing? A screenshot would be most excellent. :)

I am going to download spybot again and run it again. Then I will tell you exactly what it says.

I appreciate the help. I am downloading it right now, as soon as I run it I will post what it says.

I didn't want to edit the above post to add this information in case you didn't re-read it. Here's how these programs work, and why updating these types of applications is important. Spyware is very similar to viruses. People create these programs with the intention of getting them on your computers for different reasons, but the fact is that they are created by people that change them constantly, and create new ones. Many new viruses and spyware programs come out everyday.

Virus scan and spyware companies have to monitor the web constantly for these new programs to pop up and then they have to update their applications to look for these. I could write a virus or spyware app. right now that no matter what viruscan or spyware detection application you are using won't catch, simply because they don't know about it yet and haven't updated their apps to look for it. That is the number one reason updating is important...everyday if you're on the web alot.

Some companies call the updates simply updates, while others call them "definitions". When you run one of these applications, and it doesn't detect a peice of spyware, or a virus, it doesn't mean that the program is bad per say, it just means that the company probably doesn't know about that one yet. That's why you can run say Spybot, then immediately run Adaware, Microsoft's spyware tool, or Spysweeper and they'll find things the other one won't; and that's why I run 2 or 3 spyware apps. Each one will detect things the others won't.

I HOPE you ARE running a virusscan program as well, and have it updated and done scans of your PC with it as well.

Okay I ran spybot again and it finds numerous problems so I click to fix problems. It says " some problems could not be fixed, the reason could be that the associated files are still in use".

The file left and unfixed says,

Command Services
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet001/Services/cmdService

Does it not ask you if you want to run the program again after reboot?

It's supposed to. That way it can run a scan and fix/delete files before they get loaded up into memory and become "in use".

Yes it asks and I have said yes numerous times and it reboots then scans again and still says it can't remove these programs.

I am currently running the free spysweeper also and it popped up on my screen that "Command was detected running in memory. Command is an adware program that may display advertisement on your computer".
Then it goes on to tell me to remove it I have to be a subscriber.

Then another one pops up and says Searchforit has also been detected.

Well they are all doing the job of finding the problem, but the problem is you can't delete a file that is in use. None of them can. What OS did you say you were running? Win98/2000/XP?

This would be much easier to help you with in either real-time chat or via a phone call :p

I am running XP home edition.

You'll need to reboot, hit the F8 key RIGHT before you see the Windows logo, and it will bring up a menu. Press the key to boot into Safe Mode. Once you windows loads up completely, start the scan again and it should remove the spyware. Safe Mode is a bare minimum load of Windows, you won't be able to get on the internet or run many things at all while in SM, so just run the scan in SM, then reboot.

To get the menu to come up to choose to boot into Safe Mode, you might just start hitting the F8 key every second after it shuts down and starts coming back up again just to make sure you don't miss when it's supposed to be pressed. The menu will be a black screen with white letters for the choices.

Before Windows loads up you'll get some message windows explaining about safe mode and the restore function, it will ask you if you want to do a restore, make sure you say no to a restore.

I tried reboot and F8 to get to safe mode the other night and could never find the menu for safe mode. I will try again. It would bring up a black and white screen with a menu and I clicked on all of them but could never find it.

I'll try again.

Could you tell me what I need to click on in the menu to find the safe mode option?

Check your private messages.

Your issue might be a little worse than a quick fix. You may have some kind of virus? They suck, when I switched to DSL. Instantly received a ton of virus's. It's a pain. You just have to be careful ware you go and clean your computer everyday.

I tried a lot of different program before I purchased Spysweeper. It is the program that Best Buy's Geek Squad uses and recomends. My son was having problems with his home page being hijacked and sites being added to his favorites without him being aware of it. I witnessed this first hand while I was trying to resolve some issues on his machine, particularly a backdoor virus. I ended up running the restore back to the original settings, but had to do it from Safe Mode because the particular virus wouldn't allow you to run it after the POST.

Since installing Spysweeper on my own machine over a year ago I have not had a single pop-up. It does have a few glitches. Most notibly if you are running multiple accounts on your machine, multiple log-ons for different users in your household, Spy Sweeper can only be installed on one of the administrators accounts, regardless of how many administrators are located on your machine. However it does sweep the entire machine. I've got it on my sons machine also and he has never been hi-jacked since, nor had anything added to his favorites. In fact before it will allow any programs to be changed or added it prompts you to approve it and if you didn't authorize the change it removes and destroys the changes for you. I'd buy the program at a store rather than downloading it if it were me.

Thanks everyone. I have learned alot.