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My computer keeps asking if I want to activate anti-spyware!
So i was the computer yesterday and then all of sudden it started scanning for viruses and kicked me off the internet. Now it wont let me do anything and it keeps popping up asking to i want to activate antispyware and when i click activate it goes to its internet page but it wont even open that page. what should i do? i was thinking about setting back to the factory setting see if i can atleast go to the internet without that thing popping up. Its really fustrating me.
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Maybe give some free advice about: Computers?
Hi there,
Your computer has been infected by one of several variants of a fake anti-virus / anti-spyware program.
Usually how this happens is that a website will pop up what looks like an VERY real "scan" of your system, then ask you if you want to remove "127 infections" or something like that. When you click YES what you are actually doing is giving the program permission to install itself.
There were no infections. The only infection is the stupid thing that lied to you about finding infections! :-(
Don't feel bad. The screen that gets you to click looks incredibly real, and many MANY people have done this.
So now what? Well, you will need REAL anti-spyware tools to get rid of it.
I suggest MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
On the second link, click the download free version button.
The fake program you have on your computer may not allow you to install or run these programs. If that is the case, you are going to have to get some skilled help. A knowledgeable friend should be able to handle this, or a local computer tech may be the answer depending on if you have any friends that know much about computers.
If the person says something about removing the hard drive from your computer... don't PANIC. :-) That is normal. You remove the hard drive from the computer it lives in, and hook it up as a secondary drive on a clean computer with all the right tools already installed. Then you clean the drive with the tools on the clean machine, and return it to to original machine.
Now the actual program files of the bad software are gone, so it can't keep the good software from running anymore. Now you can run the good software and clean up all the leftovers from the bad program.
If they tell you that they are going to format your hard drive and re-install windows... find another computer person. That isn't necessary in most cases. They do it because they are lazy, and it is easier... or they don't know how to do it correctly.
Good luck!
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