WinFixer?

[ddh33]

Looking for a little help. On a lot of webpages I click on, an advertisement for this "Winfixer" pops up. Of course, I never say yes to anything out of fear that it's something I don't want. My question is, do I need to avoid it? And if so, is there anything I can do to help myself avoid it?

Thanks in advance.

[u2sarajevo]

Spybot
Ad-aware

Those are two of the free options to rid you of your spyware headaches. There are better, more thorough options available that cost money. The best is Giant Software's utility. However Microsoft purchased it from Giant and has repackaged it which is available in beta format here. I don't know what Microsofts plan is in terms of charges for the product. But it is widely rated higher than any other option. If you are uneasy running beta software, the two options at the top are viable alternatives (I run both). Just make sure you regularly update them, and regularly scan.

[jthig32]

I highly recommend the Microsoft beta. Been using it for several weeks now. Very nice.

[u2sarajevo]

Also, as an aside... I would use Firefox as a web browser. It is not security proof, but it certainly has less holes than IE. And it is patched quicker also.

You can download it here. Install that and control which sites can add cookies and you will be fairly well protected from things like that happening again (at least for the time being....).

[ddh33]

I guess I'm going to have to try the Firefox. I have Ad Aware, Spyware Blaster, and Spybot. I keep them all updated, and I scan often. Still, I can't get rid of some of this junk. What's worse if that I never had real problems before.

[OzMavs]

Originally posted by: ddh33
I guess I'm going to have to try the Firefox. I have Ad Aware, Spyware Blaster, and Spybot. I keep them all updated, and I scan often. Still, I can't get rid of some of this junk. What's worse if that I never had real problems before.

I had the same problem. After my hard drive crashed 2 weeks ago, I decided to some testing with it and went to every dodgy download site I could click on, then tested all the spyware programs, because I am embarking on further study and wanted to make sure I had the best spyware available. The most effective ones I found were:
AVG (Free)
Here

EWIDO (note: only get 14 day free trial)
Ewido
Spywareblaster (Free)

Spywareblaster


Please note: It is best to boot your computer in safe mode and run these programs. The spyware (or malware) tends to start when the computer is booted in normal mode and safe mode makes it inactive.

I found Ewido the most effective. It solved my pop-up windows problems. If you have some sort of infection, it is best to run 2-3 of these programs to make sure that you have cleaned it up.

Then run a Panda online scan. (Note: Takes up to 15 minutes and works only with Internet Explorer).

Panda


When I was sure the drive was clean, I then installed a personal firewall (free).
Zone Alarm
Zone Alarm
Hope this helps. Let me know if doesn't.

[alby]

firefox is definitely the way to go