• Is your PC running slower than it used to?
• Are you getting lots of annoying popups?
• Does your computer shut off or restart by it’s self, for no apparent reason?
• Has your desktop background changed all by it’s self?
• When surfing the web, does your browser seem to have a mind of it’s own and take you to strange sites?

If you answered yes to even 1 of those your PC could be infected with malware.

The internet can be a dangerous place, there is always some new virus hiding around the corner. Your PC can become infected with all sorts of malware just by simply connecting to the internet. You don't even have to view any web pages or open any emails. Have questions about Malware? Look here for an answer. There are several FREE programs to help protect your PC from malware and to assist in removing malware if your computer has become infected. Be careful, some malware will actually try to fool you into thinking that it is anti-malware software (WinAntivirus, Security Center, & Antivirus 20xx are some of the more common fakes).

I recommend downloading and installing these. They are all free and, in my professional opinion, they are the best.

• AVG
• A-Squared
• Spybot Search & Destroy
• HijackThis

AVG is a fee anti-virus program offered by Grisoft. It works better than the 2 big name anit-virus providers (Norton and McAfee). AVG wont slam you with a bunch of unnecessary popups and it uses less recourses on your PC so you won’t notice a decrease in performance. If you switch to AVG from Kaspersky, Norton, or Mcafee, you will most likely notice an increase in performance. As long as you are connected to the internet you will receive virus definition updates automatically. By default, AVG is configured to run a daily full system scan for viruses so you don’t have to worry about it once it is installed.

A-Squared is free malware removing software provided by EMSI. It requires manual updates and scans. I recommend running a "deep" scan at least once a week. Be sure to check for updates prior to all scans. If the scan is clean then you can reduce the frequency of scans.

Spybot Search & Destroy is free spyware/adware removing program. It requires manual updates and scans. I recommend that you DO NOT install "tea timer" since it will overwhelm you with Norton-like popups. I also recommend that you check for updates, “immunize”, and “check for problems” at least once a week. On older computers you may see a decrease in performance while Spybot S&D is scanning.

HijackThis is a free general homepage hijackers detector and remover provided by TrenMicro. It requires a manual scan. HijackThis does not automatically remove bad things, you need to decide for yourself what is good or bad in the scan results.

Initially based on the article Hijacked!, but expanded with a lot of other checks against hijacker tricks. It is continually updated to detect and remove new hijacks. It does not target specific programs/URLs, just the methods used by hijackers to force you onto their sites. As a result, false positives are imminent, and unless you are sure what you're doing, you should always consult with knowledgable folks before deleting anything.

Here is a good HijackThis QuickStart.