Hijackthis

If this is the case, then there are forums and bulletin boards you can visit where people will help you analyze your hijackthis log files.  So we want to drive home this fact, that you should never just go into your log and start deleting your hijackthis files.

Usually you can use a hijackthis after you have ran other anti spyware and anti virus programs and are still having a problem.

The first thing you will need to do is download hijackthis.  You can get it at download.com for free.  Next you will need to install the program.  It goes pretty quick because it is a small file.  So your installation will be done in seconds.

Below is what you will see when you start the hijackthis program in.  As you can see from the picture you can do a system scan and save a log file or a system scan only.  If you choose the save a log file option then a text box will appear after you perform a system scan with hijackthis.

If you need help with the hijackthis program then you can choose the open online hijackthis quickstart near the bottom.  This will pop up a web page from trend micro teaching you about the hijackthis program.  You can see the page by clicking the link below.

http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis/qsg

Ok, so to get started with hijackthis, click the do a system scan only option.  Wait for the scan to finish and then look at what hijackthis has brought up in front of you. 

Now lets take a look at this hijackthis example I have ran on my computer.  If you look you will see things are numbered and they go right down the list.  It also tells you what it is.  If you look at the hijackthis picture, you can see there are toolbars installed like the aol toolbar and the google toolbar.

Above the toolbars you will see browser helper objects section.  Many times spyware or viruses can install themselves as a browser helper object and hijackthis will help you find it and get rid of it.

What to notice in hijackthis

One of the key things you will want to look for in hijackthis is entries with no names associated with its particular key or number.  This can be a dead giveaway that spyware has embedded itself into a registry key, your browser or some other place on your hard drive.

This is just a rough estimate though.  Usually any good legitimate company will list itself next to whatever it is installed.  Just be careful though, do not delete anything from hijackthis, you are not sure about.

Of course there are many other things that someone who is experienced at spyware removal will notice.  And going through hijackthis logs can be a very tedious task.

Below is a list of some places to get help with hijackthis.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/security-center/hijackthis-log-help/

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=31715

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