Spyware, Adware, etc

I've never really been able to figure out how to get rid of it all. I know that admuncher works amazing for popups, but since I use firefox all popups are automatically blocked anyway. Basically my computer is starting to run slower and slower, with more and more prompts to install this and that, or "you may be infected". I'm really starting to get pissed!

Is there a free and simple way to stop all these processes running in the background?

 

Which version of Windows are you running? How comfortable are you at looking at your registry?

The first thing I always check is to run msconfig and look at all of the programs that are auto-starting. However, some of the programs are rather vicious and put themselves back so you need to use safe mode.

 

http://www.kaspersky.com/trials

Try out the free trial for now. If you want the full version, PM me. Easily one of the best virus scanner out there. Check it.

 

spynomore + killbox

spynomore finds the spyware, viruses, etc.; killbox helps to delete them all.

 

I'm running windows xp and no I don't know how to check my registry.

I generally use Firefox, but does anyone know how to clear cookies from IE?

 

Tools --> Internet Options --> Delete Browsing History

 

I use Spybot, Ad-Aware, and Windows Defender for spyware, adware, etc.

Use avast! for virus protection.

I also use the McAfee SiteAdvisor add-on for firefox when browsing the web.

I've never had any problems using any of the above. I rarely go to any questionable sites though, so they usually detect nothing (aside from tracking cookies and such). I've downloaded some free trials of other programs (like Kaspersky for example) to make sure they're not missing anything, and nothing's ever turned up.