Help! What is this?

[Pangolin]

Every time I use the internet, this thing keeps appearing on the screen. It isn't a virus (I've had the computer certified 'clean'). It began appearing when Freeserve became Wanadoo. I've tried the Wanadoo helpline, but they don't understand it. It is easy to get rid of, by clicking on the X, top right: it then tells me the program is not responding, and I have to click on 'end now'. It can happen four or five times to me per internet visit, and it's driving me mad. In desperation, I've photographed 'the thing' on my screen!

[Newt]

Can't make out the name for sure. What is the letter/number after SURF and before -1?

 

At a guess and since you came up virus free, spyware. Google for ad-aware and spybot downloads. Get both. Install, immidiately update, and then run.

 

Ad-aware - remove all it finds.

Spybot (and the new version probably doesn't have an update yet) - just remove the items it flags in red.

 

Part of the spybot setup routine will ask about letting it immunize your PC against a shed load of known spyware. Let it. About 1800 of the things will be blocked from ever bothering you again.

 

Since this is running from a temp folder, dump all of them including your temporary internet files.

 

If your operating system has a system restore feature, turn it off and back on to empty the system restore cache. Then force creation of a restore point since you will have dumped all the existing ones.

[bushwacker]

Just a thought, but have you done a search to see if it's surfairy thats coming up. I had trouble last year with that one and it took me ages to find it. That was by the way before I installed and ran ad-aware or spy-bot. Just a thought.

[Pangolin]

I think it is 'surfairy': I just did a search, and the computer told me surfairy is already installed and operating. Is this something I want and, if not, how do I get rid of it (step by step for a PC novice, ta)?

[Newt]

Newt:

...  Google search for ad-aware and spybot downloads.  Get both.  Install, immidiately update, and then run.

 

Ad-aware - remove all it finds.

Spybot (and the new version probably doesn't have an update yet) - just remove the items it flags in red.

 

Part of the spybot setup routine will ask about letting it immunize your PC against a shed load of known spyware.  Let it.  About 1800 of the things will be blocked from ever bothering you again.

 

Since this is running from a temp folder, dump all of them including your temporary internet files.

 

If your operating system has a system restore feature, turn it off and back on to empty the system restore cache.  Then force creation of a restore point since you will have dumped all the existing ones.

[Pangolin]

Just a quick 'thanks' to Newt. Spybot has got rid of it, and 86 other problems I didn't even know I had!