How to Run Ad-Aware
Ad-Aware is a utility that removes spyware from your computer. Spyware is what is most likely causing popups to appear randomly on your computer. Click on the following link to download Ad-Aware (save the file on your desktop)
Double click on the installer file and it will install automatically (you may have to click Next a few times).
To start Ad-Aware, double click on the Ad-Aware icon now on your desktop
.
On the window that appears, click on the "Check for updates now" link near the lower right hand corner to update Ad-Aware. Remember, just like viruses, new Spyware programs are created every day. Updating Ad-Aware will download files to tell the program what new Spyware to look for.
Click Connect in the next window...
...followed by Okay...
...when it is done downloading, click the Finish button.
Running Ad-Aware
In the lower right corner of the main window, click Start.
Click Next and the scan will begin. It will first go through the registry of your computer, followed by the actual files. You can see a readout as it goes of how many files it has found in several categories. When the scan is done, it will alert you. Click on Next to continue.
The next page will list out all that the scan has found. Some will be registry keys, others will be files or folders found on your hard drive. Each is a potential security risk to your computer, and each can disrupt the normal functioning of your computer.
To remove the files, make sure all the boxes are checked (they may already be checked). To quickly select them all, right click on the first box and click Select all objects. This will select all the objects on the list.
When all the objects are selected, click the Next bottom at the lower right corner to remove all the found Spyware. Click Okay to remove.
Congratulations, you have successfully cleaned your computer of Spyware. We recommend, just like virus scans, to run Ad-Aware regularly to insure your computer is secure.
