Ever get multiple windows just open like crazy?

Question

A few times now I have seen this happen. This last time i caught something interesting. in the address bar on the bottom it said a bunch of stuff and the word 'adopt'. Is this a spyware thing?

Answer 1

More likely it's adware -- spyware's cousin.  Spyware tends to watch what you do and report on it to its master; adware tries to get you to go to certain websites and/or buy software you probably don't need or want.

In either case, here's what I would do:

Assuming you already have, maintain and regularly use an anti-virus (ahem!), I suggest you download Ad-Aware 2008 and Spybot S&D (they’re free), install them, update them and run them. If any of the above (or any anti-malware, for that matter) doesn’t seem to be able to run properly or get rid of everything it reports finding, try running it again in Safe Mode.

Also, turn off System Restore to evict any copies of bad stuff that might be lurking there.  

To get into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking:

1. Log out and reboot your machine.

2. When the machine starts the reboot sequence, press the F8 key repeatedly.

3. Select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking from the resulting menu.

4. When the login screen comes up, log in as Administrator.  By default, Administrator has no password.

5. The machine will continue booting, but the Windows desktop will look different.  

6. When you're finished doing what you need to do, log out and reboot back into normal mode.

Note that even if the anti-malware programs get rid of the malware, they may not be able to reverse the effects.  Search the Web for possible fixes.

Update and run everything regularly, not just when you think you already have malware.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Random popups is an immediate red flag for spyware. you should try Sypybot for free virus protection. If you want a more professional virus protection suite, go for MacAfee