Tip O'Tex Computer Club
November 2004 Newsletter
More About Getting Rid of Spyware
Ad-Aware - a GREAT program
There's a new version of Ad-Aware available. If you're already using the program, you should get the newest version, and in installing it, you will be asked if you want to uninstall the old version - say "yes"
Here's a handy place to find the new file: http://connecting-point.net/tools.php
Click on Ad-Aware SE Personal - that will bring up a File Download screen where you can choose Run or Save. Choose Save, in case you need to reinstall it at a later date. You'll then see a Save As screen. If you have a folder named Downloads, that's where it will go, but if you look in the top line of that Save As screen, you'll see Save in: and that will tell you where the file will go. Click Save.
While the file is downloading, check to make sure you DO NOT have an X next to "Close this dialog box when download completes" so that when its done, you just have to click on Run to start the installation. If you're given a Security Warning, just click on Run ( those are scarier than they need to be).
On the next screen click on Next, then a checkmark next to "I accept the license agreement" then click Next. Here is where you may see a warning about a previous version. Click next to Yes, and then click Next. When you see "Uninstall Successful!" click on Next - then in order to let the program go where it thinks it should (and it knows better than we do in most cases) click on Next. If you're asked who is supposed to be able to use it, click next to "Anyone who uses this computer" (that may be an XP thing) and click Next.
You'll have 3 checkmarks set for you, and I'd suggest you leave all of them there, and then click on Finish. Stay connected to the Internet at this point, as there will be an update. You'll see the ReadMe for Ad-Aware and it would be a good idea to at least scan thru it. Any questions you might have will be answered there. The program will update and start to run automatically.
It may take quite a while to run, but when the program has finished running, you'll hear a sound and see a flashing "beetle" icon. Click on Continue. You'll see a list (maybe a LONG list) of adware, spyware and malware that is on your computer. Sometimes this list numbers in the hundreds. To get rid of ALL of them (strongly suggested) RIGHTclick next to any one of them, then click next to "Select All Objects" and click Next to start the cleaning process. When the cleaning is done, click Next and then close the program with the X in the upper corner.
Sometimes there are files or programs that are being used, and you'll be asked permission to run Ad-Aware at the next Start-up. Choose to do so, and then re-start the computer. Before Windows will finish loading, Ad-Aware will come up and run a scan that will get rid of the rest of the items.
This program should be run about once a week, and always be sure to check for updates.
Check for updates on this program every time you run it, and you should run it about once a week. People continually add new problems to our computers and we need to have Ad-Aware and Search & Destroy clean up for us.
I strongly urge you to use BOTH Ad-Aware and Search & Destroy. They don't conflict with each other, and each of them seems to find something the other one doesn't. If you need information on Search & Destroy, check the October 2004 newsletter.
