The 30 second guide to dealing with malware.

So, you’re surfing around on the Internet and suddenly you notice that your system is being overrun with pop-ups and advertisements.  Out of the corner of your eye you see that the program spywarefixer.exe (hypothetical name) is downloading to your system and is about to run.  Knowing that something bad is about to happen and that you’ll be held responsible, you need a quick way to stop and fix the problem.  Luckily for you, if you can manage to take a deep breath and follow a few simple steps, you can subdue the malware before it begins tearing apart your system. 

1. If possible, disconnect your computer from any and all networks, including the Internet.  One of the quickest ways that spyware and other malware spread is over a network.  These programs will also use the Internet to download more malicious material to your machine!
2. Close everything that you see on the screen!  If you notice any programs trying to install themselves, STOP THEM.  If you cant find a cancel or exit button, press CTRL + ALT + DEL and stop them that way.
3. Save anything that is of importance and shut down ASAP!
4. Reboot your computer into safe mode.  This can normally be accomplished by pressing F8 during POST (while your system is booting, before it gets to the Windows loading screen).  Safe mode will allow your computer to start using ONLY necessary processes.  This means most virus and malware apps won’t be started and they can be removed easier.
5. Once in safe mode, run any anti-spyware and anti-virus software that you may have in order to clean the system.  If you do not have any anti-virus/anti-spyware software, I would recommend downloading AVG Anti-Virus  and Lavasoft Adaware both of which are FREE!
6. If the system appears to be clean in safe mode, reboot into regular Windows.  Keep your eye open for suspicious activity such as consistent pop-ups or ads.  If you notice this, run the anti-virus and anti-spyware software again from within Windows.
7. If all else fails, BACK UP any recently saved or changed data and do a system restore to one day before the infection was noticed.

Helpful piece of advice: if you get to know what processes are normally running on your system, it is a lot easier to find ones that don’t belong!

NOTE:  I can not guarantee that this will completely remove your problems, however it is a good place to start.  Please consult a tech support technician if you believe you are still having problems with malware.