i have spybot and adaware and the two peices of spyware that remain on my system no matter how many times i scan (they used to remove after i rebooted and it would scan before any programs started so the scan would get it all, but now it still gets none of it removed) are HuntBar and a few ISearchTech ones.

sometimes the isearchtech ones remove after a reboot, but the huntbar has racked up 43 entries so far, and never are affected.

i downloaded a huntbar removal tool from symantec's site and it found no trace of it on my system... but spybot still says 43, and they cant be removed.

anyone had problems with huntbar in the past and removed it?

or post any spyware removal programs you know of that are better than spybot/adaware.

I know /.'ers that have reported success with Microsoft's Anti-Spyware after running SpyBot and Adaware. Try that maybe.

Microsoft AntiSpyware is awesome.

Cazor: I think the spyware that S&D is finding could just be backups/quaratined files that some other program (eg Adaware) has made.

wel the thing is, is that when it finally does remove them after a reboot, filezilla works again. i forgot to mention that if i go too long without scanning my drive (maybe two days) filezilla stops at the final step in connecting to any host.

the microsoft one is on the site i guess? ill check that out, thanks.

Have you tried CWS Shredder? It can get rid of toolbars alot.

Listen up kiddies, cause Im only going to write this once.

The really simple guide to getting rid of Spy|Ad|Mal|ware in Windows XP:

(you will need the Spybot S&D installer and HijackThis burned to a CD for this...)

1) Reboot into Safe mode, Command prompt only. This can be done by repeatedly tapping "F8" while booting.
2) Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, click on "Proccess", check for anything funny. It should be clean, but just make sure.
3) Using the command prompt, run "regedit". This will load the Registry editor.
4) Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run". Any spyware on the system will have a reference in this list.
5) Run through the list one by one and check the executable name/path. If you recognize it as legit, skip it. If you dont recognize it, look up the executable name on Google. If you recognize it as spyware, move on to step 5a.
5a) If the item is spyware, jot down its path. If only the filename is in ithe path, its likely in "C:\windows".
5b) Using the command promt, CD into the path containing the spyware's executable. Run "dir FILENAME" and see if it is listed. If it is, run "delete FILENAME" to remove it. If it isnt, run "attrib -h -s -r FILENAME", then "dir "FILENAME" again. The file should then appear. If the executable is in its own folder in "\program files\", remove the entire folder with "delete *" then "cd ../" and "rmdir FOLDERNAME". If the folder contains subfolders, recursively remove their contents with "delete *", and then the folders themselves with "rmdir FOLDERNAME".
5c) Delete the item from the Registry.
6) In the Registry editor, check for other folders under "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\" that start with "Run". Examples would include "RunOnce" and "RunServices". If such a folder exists, enter it and go back to step 5.
7) Exit the registry editor.
8) Using the command prompt, run "services.msc".
9) Go through the list one by one. Legit services will have realistic-sounding descriptions, illegit ones will either lack a description, or have somthing stupid. If you cant tell, look up the service name on Google.
9a) If you have identified a service as spyware, doubleclick on the entry to load the properties dialog. If the service is running, click on "Stop", then change the "startup type" from "automatic" to "disabled".
9b) Jot down the executable name and path of the service.
9c) Using the command prompt, navigate the path containing the service. Run "dir FILENAME" and see if it is listed. If it is, run "delete FILENAME" to remove it. If it isnt, run "attrib -h -s -r FILENAME", then "dir "FILENAME" again. The file should then appear. If the service is in its own folder in "\program files\", remove the entire folder with "delete *" then "cd ../" and "rmdir FOLDERNAME". If the folder contains subfolders, recursively remove their contents with "delete *", and then the folders themselves with "rmdir FOLDERNAME".
10) Close the Services editor window.
11) Reboot. Do this by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, clicking "Shut down", then "Restart". Windows needs to be shut down normally in order to preserve the changes to the registry youve made.
12) Use "F8" and boot back into Safe mode Command prompt only. Do NOT boot normally.
13) Put your Spybot/Hijackthis CD into the tray.
14) Using the command prompt, run "D:" to switch to the CD. If 'D' is not your CDrom, replace 'D' with the correct drive letter.
15) Run HijackThis.
15a) HT will report a number of false positives, but a clean system will have few or no BHOs, so assuming one is spyware is generally safe.
15b) Using the command prompt, navigate the folder containing the object. Run "delete OBJECTNAME" to remove the object.
16) Close HijackThis.
17) Run the Spybot S&D installer. Enable TeaTimer.
18) Run a spyware scan. Repair any results.
19) Reboot. Let windows boot normally.
20) Run Windows Explorer, then close it. Repeat this twice.
21) Run Internet Explorer, then close it. Repeat this twice.
22) Run Spybot S&D, then run a spyware scan. If there are any results, repair them.
23) STOP USING INTERNET EXPOLORER.

yeah the thing is.. i havent used IE for at least 2 years and never had this problem until recently. well the windows program worked well. its just now every 5 minutes or so i get a wanring saying huntbar is trying to install.