Thread: Annoying pop-up web pages

Originally Posted by 84RR

I have recently started to have web pages pop up on the laptop whilst on the net.

Most of these pages are for "PCTurbo", WinAntiVirus", "Systemdoctor" ,
"Win a Playstation2", and a few gambling "Casino" sites

I am running Mcafee Security Centre 2007 all updated and scanned

How do I prevent these pages appearing..????

You running XP, ??? if so click on tools, then select pop-up blocker

Originally Posted by 84RR

I have recently started to have web pages pop up on the laptop whilst on the net.

Most of these pages are for "PCTurbo", WinAntiVirus", "Systemdoctor" ,
"Win a Playstation2", and a few gambling "Casino" sites

I am running Mcafee Security Centre 2007 all updated and scanned

How do I prevent these pages appearing..????

You have adware/spyware and/or a trojan, I'm afraid. Classic symptoms.

The best thing to check what's sneaked it's way onto your system is HiJack This, but it's output is a little cryptic. Most of the commercial anti-spyware programs will deal with these, but once you know what you've got, there are freeware ones that will do each infection seperately.

You could be in for a long and drawn out removal process...or you may be lucky.

What AV and/or Spyware stuff do you run, and does it show anything after a scan?

Oh, and to give you an idea, here's a typical thread dealing with removal.

And a good cleaning tutorial here.

Sorry didn't pick up on the question fully

Try spybot

Free to download, seems to work for me

http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html

Originally Posted by ladas

Sorry didn't pick up on the question fully

Try spybot

Free to download, seems to work for me

http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html

I used to use that, but of late I've found it can't keep up, and won't kill some of the nasties (WinAntiVirus being one of them, from memory).

Originally Posted by ladas

Sorry didn't pick up on the question fully

Try spybot

Free to download, seems to work for me

http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html

Spybot very easily cleaned up WinAntiVirus for me the other day when fixing one of the in-laws problems. I have used it for years without any issue and IMHO is a mandatory tool to run every now and then. Not saying any better than Hijack This as I have not used that one.

Use the link above 'cause a google search for spybot may return results that see you installing something that is not the real spybot!!!

Originally Posted by DiscoStew

Spybot very easily cleaned up WinAntiVirus for me the other day when fixing one of the in-laws problems. I have used it for years without any issue and IMHO is a mandatory tool to run every now and then. Not saying any better than Hijack This as I have not used that one.

Use the link above 'cause a google search for spybot may return results that see you installing something that is not the real spybot!!!

Might have been Vundo then - it was one of the two or three that usually get installed when you get those pop-ups. I used to use a combination of Spybot and Ad-Aware for years, but in the last 6 months or so, I just found their detection and removal capabilities lacking - not just on my machine where I'm quite careful, but on other people's where I'd installed them both along with AVG as well. I finally succumbed and put a software firewall on as well as the one in the router, and run a memory resident spyware scanner as well (Currently SpySweeper) now.

HiJack this may not be better, but it's the one all the freebie advice sites want run so they can work out which specific combination of nasties you have, so for that reason alone, it's the one to use before posting for help!

These days, I just run it to work out what's there that shouldn't be, then just Google for "remove + name_of_nasty" which will bring you a thread from one of the sites with the latest removal info.....

If you're running Firefox, and if you're not, why not? There is a great extension called Adblock. It is very good.

If you don't know, extensions are here - go to the Tools menu, Add-ons, bottom right corner click Get extensions.

I use Spybot, Adaware, and Adblock.

Cheers
Simon