I installed Limewire a while back, and I suspect that I got some spyware, or adware from some connected source. I wasn't worried because I have up to date Virus protection from Norton, AVG and something called pest patrol. I even have a paid copy or adawre on this machine !

Here's the rub:

I keep getting a windows "system alert" from the tool bar, down by the clock, saying that spyware has been found, please click to remove, yada, yada, yada.

When I click - it opens an ad for "anti-vermin" software (at a co$t, or course). Can anyone tell me how to get RID of that advertisement? I can't seem to do it in msconfig. I even scrapped Limewire to see if it goes away. Nada.

The System Alert icon is a red universal "no no" circle, flashing alternately with a blue and white question mark.

Is this a Microsoft feature, or smam in itself? Nothing I do gets rid of the alert.
I've cleaned, scanned, removed everything I can think of. The only thing new or unusual was Limewire, and that's been taken off.

Any suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated. It's a snow day here in chilly Philly, so I have ALL day to futz with the pc ! Thanx people !

Its spyware and providing you have the latest spyware updates for your Ad Aware or Windows Defender program it should remove it, if it does not then type anti vermin into Google and you will find a lot of options on how to remove it. (It’s also detailed on the Lavasoft (AdAware) forums.
Hope this helps

Bill

Found this...gave it a read...seems to apply.

Give this article a read

Good luck!

-mike

[This message has been edited by msutliff (edited 02-14-2007).]

Thanx, Mike - I'm doing it right now !

DONE !
FIXED !
HAPPY !!!!!!!!!!!

If you are using the full version of Ad Aware, have you made sure that the Ad Watch part of the program loads when Windows Starts, as this should prevent Spyware from getting inside your computer?
Combine the above with Windows Defender and very little if anything will get through. (Make sure you update Ad Aware regularly)

Bill

Mikey is DA MAN

Man - those pesky Anit-Vermin spammers are slick! They put that little icon right in my toolbar and made it look like asystem alert. BUGGARS !
Don't be fooled folks ! be extra careful b4 you click on ANYThing these days.
That's THREE bullits I've managed to dodge now ! Whew!

Anti-vermin? Simple. It's what you have to spray on that old junk piano from Kentucky to keep from spreading "critters".

(Good to hear from you today, bud!).

"Redneck"

UD ... had a similar problem a few months back ... ran all the instructions I could find and still was not getting rid of it ... it wasn't damaging my PC, but was annoying as anything ... fortunately my niece's husband is a PC techie, and he got rid of it for me ... he said it was imbedded in a number of the start-up programs ...
t.