How to Use Hijack This to Clean Spyware From Your System

Contributor Icon Contributed by davak Date Icon October 29, 2004  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows spyware

Hijack This is a powerful tool against spyware. Here’s some hints for using it.

    You will see Hijack This used in many forums (including ours) for fixing spyware.

    Most systems infected with spyware DO NOT NEED Hijack This. Most systems infected can be cleaned with the common powerful spyware removal tools such as adaware, spybot, and others. Hijack This should only be used when multiple antispyware tools have not been successful.

    Therefore, before thinking about using Hijack This, you should download, install, update, and execute several of the common antispyware tools that exist. You may find links to them here:
    http://www.tech-recipes.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=33

    When you post your log, you should tell what problems you are having and which antispyware and antivirus programs that you have already tried.

    When somebody asks you to delete a file after reading your Hijack This log, you’ll probably have to boot into safe mode and view hidden files in order to delete these files.

    Boot into safe mode:

If you have questions about this process, please ask away. Please remember to post Hijack logs in the forums as directed above.

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  • scallus
    I used Hijack This and now I can't use programs to connect to the internet. I am connected using a ping, but explorer, email, another browser I tried, none will connect to the internet. Can someone please please help me.
  • MickeyMouse
    <ul id="quote"><h6>scallus wrote:</h6>I used Hijack This and now I can't use programs to connect to the internet. I am connected using a ping, but explorer, email, another browser I tried, none will connect to the internet. Can someone please please help me.</ul>

    You somehow killed your nameserver or buggered your TCP stack.

    Try this:
    http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_tips449.html
  • davak
    <ul id="quote"><h6>scallus wrote:</h6>Thanks for your reply.
    I tried that to no avail. Here are the copies of Hijack log. The first one is as follows.
    </ul>
    Editor:
    Please do not post hijack this logs in the comments of recipes.

    Log moved to...
    http://www.tech-recipes.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1831#1831
  • AlexTheBeast
    I completely agree with this recipe... especially after the system I just cleaned last night.

    Laptop that took 25 minutes to boot... and 30 seconds to respond to something as simple as a left click.

    HJ showed two to three spyware players and I used HJ to repair 4-6 entries as a whole. I booted to safe mode and deleted the parts that I could find.

    With the computer running much better, I downloaded and ran adaware and spybot. 20-30 files and reg changes were found and removed by each of these programs. All of these were files and reg changes that I would have missed with HJ alone.

    If I would have just used hijack to clean the system, the system would have likely reinfected itself in just a few minutes.
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