i have installed Adaware on my nephews computer because he I have it and like it. My nephew plays an online game that is installed in his computer all of the time. When he scans with adaware he has a lot of malware and possible.. and data minors. When he deletes them or quarantines them then he loses alot of files that he has downloaded and can not play his game. We can scan right after we delete and the malware is still there. Is there anything we can do to prevent this? or get rid of the malware and possible threats?
thank you

Hi Tammi jo,

It sounds like your nephew is not being careful with files he is downloading. Does he also have a good Antivirus program too?

Many freeware programs, and P2P programs like Grokster, Imesh, Kazaa and others are amongst the most notorious, come with an enormous amount of bundled spyware that will eat system resources, slow down your system, clash with other installed software, or just plain crash your browser or even Windows itself.

Pre-Scan downloaded files for viruses and malware at one of these multi-engine single file scan sites for free! Each one uses a dozen or more well-known AntiMalware scanners in one quick easy scan with a report of results from all.

Virus Total (10mb limit)
http://www.virustotal.com/xhtml/index_en.html

Jotti's Malware Scan (15mb limit)
http://virusscan.jotti.org/

Get the free tool Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to analyze your PC security for prevention purposes. MBSA Version 2.0 will scan for common system misconfigurations on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 systems. This program will identify the system security weaknesses in your browser and operating system and provides easy instructions to correct them. This includes any missing critical Windows security updates, system vulnerabilities, disabling unnecessary services and your IE Browser security settings, among other things.

Get the download here:
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/...s/mbsahome.mspx

For Windows 98 & ME users, there is a free tool that does some of the same things called Belarc Advisor. Get the download here:
Belarc Advisor
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Scan and follow the directions to make the necessary corrections.
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Adjust your security settings for ActiveX

Go to Internet Options/Security/Internet, press 'default level', then OK.

Now press "Custom Level."

In the ActiveX section, set the first two options ("Download signed and unsigned ActiveX controls) to 'prompt', and 'Initialize and Script ActiveX controls not marked as safe" to 'disable'.

Now you will be asked whether you want ActiveX objects to be executed and whether you want software to be installed.
Sites that you know for sure are above suspicion can be moved to the Trusted Zone in Internet Option/security.

So why is activex so dangerous that you have to increase the security for it?
When your browser runs an activex control, it is running an executable program. It's no different from doubleclicking an exe file on your hard drive.
Would you run just any random file downloaded off a web site without knowing what it is and what it does?
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Make sure that you keep your Operating System and IE updated with the latest Critical Security Updates from Microsoft...they usually come out once a month, on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. This is the first step in malware prevention, as many nasties now take advantage of new exploits and if not patched, you are vulnerable!
Windows Update
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/

And see this link for instructions on how to configure the enhanced security features in SP2 for XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/...xp/iesecxp.mspx


Some Security Sites worth reading and bookmarking for reference and to help you get started in your PC Security

Security At Home:protect your computer
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/s...re/default.mspx Security At Home:protect your computer

HomeComputerSecurity
http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity

Home Network Security
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html

National Institue of Standards and Technology
Computer Security Resource Center
http://csrc.nist.gov/

Stay Safe Online
http://www.staysafeonline.info/