How to Clean Up a Windows Spyware Infestation from Coding Horror
I recently upgraded my dedicated racing simulation PC, so I was forced to re-install Windows XP SP2, along with all the games. As I was downloading the no-cd patches for the various racing sims I own, I was suddenly and inexplicably deluged with popups, icons, and unwanted software installations. I got that sinking feeling: I had become the unfortunate victim of a spyware infestation.
Of course, this is completely my own fault for browsing the web using the 2004-era web browser included with a default install of Windows XP Service Pack 2. If I was thinking rationally, I would have downloaded Firefox first, or at least connected to Windows Update to get the latest patches, before venturing on to the open internet. But I figured I’d save myself that work, and just pop into a few specific web sites for a few quick downloads. Couldn’t hurt, right? Let my mistake be a lesson to everyone reading this: never browse the web without the very latest version of your preferred web browser. Intentionally choosing to browse the web with a three year old browser, as I did, is an incredibly dangerous thing to do.
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This is how a professional would clean up a machine. Some of this may be unintelligible, but you might pick up one or two tricks to help yourself work on your own computer without paying the Geek Squad.