TrendMicro HijackThis is a free utility which quickly scans your Windows computer to find settings that may have been changed by spyware, malware or other unwanted programs. Hijack This creates a report, or log file, with the results of the scan.
IMPORTANT: HijackThis does not determine what is good or bad. Do not make any changes to your computer settings unless you are an expert computer user.
Advanced users can use HijackThis to remove unwanted settings or files.
Not an expert? Just save the HijackThis report and let a friend with more troubleshooting experience take a look. A large community of users participates in online forums, where experts help interpret HijackThis scan results to clean up infected computers.
To analyze your computer, start HijackThis and run a scan. HijackThis will display a list of areas on your computer that might have been changed by spyware. Do not change any settings if you are unsure of what to do. There are many popular support forums on the web that provide free technical assistance by using HijackThis log files to diagnose an infected computer.
Common log file uses
Once you have generated a log you can analyze the results to identify what settings have been made by malware. The web offers a wealth of resources outside of TrendSecure that can help you interpret your log file results and help you manually clean your system of malware.
A common practice for novice users is to generate a HijackThis log file and submit it one of the many forums devoted to HijackThis on the web. Experts at these forums provide information on which items are causing your problems and how to remove them safely from your computer.