# Relevant Knowledge Virus/Adware?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-knowledge-virus-adware/586229>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 21, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-knowledge-virus-adware/586229 "2011-06-21T00:24:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-knowledge-virus-adware/586229/1 "2011-06-21T00:24:09Z")

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In spite of SpyBot, I have picked this thing up and cannot close out of it. I have not clicked on any of the fields, and it’s hanging there on the rightg side of my screen.

What can I do?

Thanks

Q

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-knowledge-virus-adware/586229/2 "2011-06-21T01:07:47Z")

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Never mind.

I trial and error’d it and got rid of it, I hope.

Anyway, it’s no longer hanging on the right side of my screen after I ran it through S&D three times, did a Windows Update, restarted, and am now running MS Essentials.

Thanks anyway

Quasi

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-knowledge-virus-adware/586229/3 "2011-06-21T03:48:06Z")

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Spybot is OK but you also need [Malwarebytes](http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free). Here’s the link to the free edition

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**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-knowledge-virus-adware/586229/4 "2011-06-21T16:07:04Z")

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Run Malwarebytes, full scan; then you can also run the free edition of Trend Housecall.

TO stop someting right away, I like to open task manager; show all processes, and look for ones running under your userid that make no sense. You can kill the process (one at a time) and see what that does. Worst case, you kill the wrong process and you have to pull the plug ansd start over. This is what you can do if the process is smart enough to stop you from opening antivirus programs or sites.

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relevant-knowledge-virus-adware/586229/5 "2011-06-21T23:36:10Z")

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Thanks **md2000** and **Marxxx**

I did download mwb and am now running both again. I had to recently re-install Vista and lost those two and forgot to reinstall mwb. Also I uninstalled RK from my control section.

I am surprised, though, that microsoft essential didn’t catch this.

Thanks

Quasi