When you start Windows, Windows starts lots of little programs that let it do what it needs to do so that you can use your computer.  Additionally, it starts any programs that you’ve asked it to.  Because so many programs are launched at startup, it’s easy for spyware to hide among the crowd.  Since you can’t delete a program that’s already running, it’s very difficult to eliminate spyware that starts automatically when you start your computer.

Safe mode is a feature of Windows that lets you start your computer with just the bare necessities, so damaging programs don’t start and can be wiped from your machine.  Running a spyware scan in safe mode stands a much better chance of eliminating all of the problem software on your machine.  If you’re running Windows XP or Me, make sure you disable Windows System Restore before you start.  See the article on Windows System Restore, above, for details on how to do this. 

Starting your computer in safe mode is a snap.  Follow these steps to boot into safe mode: 

1.   Turn on your computer while holding down the F8 key.  Keep the key down until you either hear a series of beeps or see a black and white screen with very plain looking text. 

2.   Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the line that says, “Safe Mode.” 

3.   Press the [Enter] key.

4.   If you see another, similar screen that asks you to select an operating system, use the up and down arrow keys to highlight your version of Windows and press the [Enter] key. 

As the computer continues to start, you’ll probably see lots of gibberish scroll up the screen.  Don’t worry - this is normal.  When Windows finishes starting, you might notice that the screen looks bigger.  This is also normal and is one of the indicators that you are in safe mode. 

Once you’ve started in safe mode, run your spyware scanning software as normal.  Follow the instructions provided with your particular scanner.  Because you are in safe mode, the program should be able to delete even those spyware programs that would normally be running and therefore would be impossible to delete.  When you’re done, restart your computer as you normally would.

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