Getting Stuck in Spyware Purgatory

By George Agathos
Photo and Technology Editor

Warning: The advice in this article should work, but I'm not going to stand up for it if it doesn't.  If you're running Windows 98 or ME, you should consider upgrading or replacing the computer because these problems will  probably keep occuring as long as you use the internet (though there is probably a little hope for you, somewhere, so it wouldn't hurt to read on).

We've all been there.  Stuck. Marooned. Ready to fling your computer out the window.   You get it. (Unless you own a Mac, of course.)

Spyware is the ultimate nemesis of the PC owner.  It creeps into your machine and gets everywhere and the worst part is that it's ALL YOUR FAULT.  Yes, I understand that your little brother or your mom or your dumb boyfriend might have gone and clicked on some very serious looking "Alert" pop-up- but still, very few spyware programs can get installed without your permission, especially if you keep Windows up to date.

"It's okay," you say, "I can just go and download Ad Aware for free!"  Or any other of the programs on the growing list of anti-spyware software that now includes big companies like Microsoft.

Ah, if only it were that simple.  Ad Aware is a wonderful program, don't get me wrong- but alone, it will seldom fix your spyware troubles.  In fact, it can even make them worse.

The problem doesn't lie within Adaware, but rather the spyware itself.  Many spyware installers practice a sort of "scorched earth" campaign- the kind of thing that screwed the French legions in Russia.  When such an installation is removed, it will leave behind damaged files that may prevent you from using the internet and generally screw things up.  Since your solution so far was downloaded from the internet, this will cut off your virtual supply lines.  The same conditions can also occur if you've caught so many viruses and spyware programs that they've actually broken each other.

Regardless of how it happens, things get pretty desolate at this point.  When it happens to people I know, they usually call me, but in most situations this isn't totally necessary.  To get by this, youre going to need patience.  A lot of patience.  And Windows XP. Especially if you don't feel like wiping out all the stuff on your computer and starting fresh.  So, assuming you want to preserve everything about your computer except for those pesky bugs, you're going to need a few things.

First, you need access to another computer with internet access.  This will allow you to both do the research you need to and get any of the necessary fixes.  With this, you also need a way of moving things between that computer and yours.  This means there has to be either a floppy drive on both ends or a CD burner on the helper computer.  The CD burner is probably the best choice if you have both, because most fixes will not fit on a normal 1.44 megabyte floppy.

So now lets assume you have access to a CD burner and high-speed internet.  The possibilities are endless.  Download everything you can.  Download Ad Aware and a few others while you're at it.  It couldn't hurt. In particular, though, you need the fixes to fix that "scorched earth" damage.  The most common type of damage occurs in your TCP/IP settings.  You don't really need to know what that means; just know that with it broken you can't use any internet or networking.  Conveniently, it can be found here and will actually fit on a floppy diskette.

Another common type of damage is the Layered Service Provider.  Hell if I even know what it does but I've had situations where fixing this fixes things that the Winsock fix above doesn't.  You can find a specific fix here or download this more general program here and look for the Layered Service Provider fix in the program.  Simple enough.

An important thing to remember when you're doing something that you've never done before is that searching the internet can really get results- because someone, somewhere, has had the same problem as you, and there's probably something on the internet about it. 

My last advice to you is that the best offense is a good defense.  Try to avoid getting spyware in the future.  Consider using a less mainstream browser like Firefox.  Most of the bad things out there on the internet are targetted to computers running Windows and using Internet Explorer, because those are the most popular (and therefore the biggest "market").  Most of us can't help but use Windows but switching browsers can do a lot for your cyber health.  Whether you stick with Microsoft or not, it's also important for your programs to stay up to date. This includes Windows. If you have XP, you should have Service Pack 2, as it reinforces a lot of security to make sure you have to try really hard to click something by accident.

This is Bullchip. Over and out.

Note: All programs linked to in this article are available for FREE in some form.  Neither the author nor the Independent take any responsibility for the content of any external websites (linked in blue) should they be objectionable or otherwise unpleasant.