Posted by Starlionblue (339 days ago)
Hate it when that happens.
There are many free (for personal use) programs you can use, for example Ad-Aware. http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php.
For free antivirus, Avast Home is quite good. All you need to do is register every 2 months. http://avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html.
Before reading on, note that I take no responsibility if anything is lost or broken.
If none of the programs work (but you should keep the antivirus and anti adware), right click on the taskbar and open "task manager". Go to the "Processes" tab and check the "Show processes from all users" box. This will show you everything running on the machine. If you see anything that looks suspicious, google it. Most processes are quoted on online report sites that list whether they are potentially dangerous. If you find a definite candidate, select it and "End process". Then search (windows button + f) for the executable (same name as the process) to find where it is. Do not delete the file (in case it's not the right one). Simply rename it and tack on .bak at the end. Then reboot. If you're lucky, you are ok now. If you're unlucky, the program will reload itself. At which point there is more you can do, but not stuff I can easily explain here. You should get a savvy friend to help you.
BTW I stopped using Internet Explorer quite a while ago. Firefox does a better job at blocking stuff, especially if you load the add-on "Adblock Plus". www.getfirefox.com for the browser.
(I am based in Hong Kong)
