WHAT TO DO?
If your computer is infected in any way the best option is to call a professional to sort out the problem, removing spyware and viruses can have unexpected side-effects and in many cases can lead to data-loss, the nerd shop can safely remove all forms of malware whilst keeping your data secure !The best remedy to files entering the computer through downloaded software may be an AntiSpyware program. The program can return your browser to its default settings—the settings present before malicious drive-by-downloads altered them. Even better, it can help prevent “piggybacked” spyware from entering your hard drive.
Don’t seek or browse disreputable Internet sites or sites that rely heavily on pop-up ads for revenue. Common sites that fall into this category include free file sharing, bootleg game, bootleg video, and porn sites. If whatever a site is offering seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
There is little, if any, use for pop-ups. So if you don’t need them, why look at them? Beginning with Windows XP Service Pack 2 Internet Explorer offered a pop-up blocker. Because many drive-by-downloads are driven through pop-ups, we suggest that you use Internet Explorer’s pop-up blocker.
Read emails in plain text not HTML Make sure you have a security check list for all the family to understand the do’s and don’t of internet usage – stick to the safety points. Keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware definitions up to date – at minimum weekly! Reading the fine print is the first step toward avoiding many types of spyware. Never click Yes to a 'Do you want to download and install?' prompt unless you're 100 per cent sure the people who made it are trustworthy.
It's not in the spyware company's interest to have its software removed, so it's unlikely that you'll find an entry for the app in Add/Remove Programs. Indeed, you might not even find a folder within Program Files on your hard disk.
If the software is already on your hard drive then your best defence is to run a program that scans your hard disk for known spyware files, folders, Registry entries and tracking cookies.
The software will then give you the option to remove unwanted spyware. Several anti-spyware utilities scan your PC's memory in real time to keep unwanted programs from installing and running in the first place.
Spyware is still a relatively recent phenomenon and, as yet, there is no single product available to combat all spyware. In general, anti-spyware packages can be crude.
Spyware program can only lessen the chance of malicious software entering your computer while browsing. It does not prevent entry through your e-mail, although it can scan your hard drive and remove the spyware after entry
Spybot Search and Destroy, for example, may have a clumsy interface but it excels at scanning disks and removing the benign spyware products that are attached to fileswapping networks. Your best bet is to combine at least three leading products – Spybot Search and Destroy, Microsoft Anti-Spyware and Ad-aware, together with your Norton Anti-Virus.