Can I Remove Spyware istsvc.exe With Spybot and Ad-Aware?

[pmb_phy]

How in the heck do I get rid of this #$@# spyware, i.e. "istsvc.exe". I ran spybot and ad-aware more times than I can count and its still there.

Pete

 

[Grogs]

Pete:

I'll assume since you're posting this here it's really spyware and not some Windows component (I have stisvc.exe running on my 2k box, which appears to be the service host.)

I had a similar problem on my parents XP computer when I discovered they had some type of home page hijacker on there. After 3 hours of running Ad-Aware, searching the registry, and examining all of the applications and processes on the computer, it was still there.

I went out to the web, specifically downloads.com (follow this link for the download page) and found 'Hijack This' which did the trick.

It's a very powerful tool for getting rid of garbage on your PC. I would caution; however, that it's also a very dangerous tool if you don't know what you're doing. The results of a scan shows you everything that is different from the default Windows installation in it's raw form (registry entries mostly.) If you pull out something that *needs* to be running, you could crash your OS permanently. If you're just looking for the registy entries starting a particular executable though, it should be a fairly easy matter to find and get rid of it.

Best of luck,

Grogs

Oops, correction: stisvc.exe is the Still Images Device Monitoring service, which has something to do with linking to digital cameras and scanners. svchost.exe is the services host.

 

[ravenprp]

, I understand your frustration with trying to remove spyware. While Spybot and Ad-Aware are both reputable anti-spyware programs, they may not always be able to detect and remove every single type of spyware. In the case of "istsvc.exe", it is a particularly stubborn and persistent form of spyware that can be difficult to remove.

If you have already run both Spybot and Ad-Aware multiple times and the spyware is still present, there are a few other steps you can try. First, make sure that you have the latest updates for both programs and run them again. Spyware is constantly evolving, so having the latest updates can help catch newer variants.

You can also try using a different anti-spyware program, such as Malwarebytes or SUPERAntiSpyware. These programs may be able to detect and remove the spyware that Spybot and Ad-Aware missed.

If all else fails, you may need to manually remove the spyware. This can be a bit more technical and risky, so it's important to do your research and follow instructions carefully. You can try searching online for specific instructions on how to remove "istsvc.exe" manually.

It's also important to note that spyware often comes bundled with other programs, so it's possible that you may have inadvertently downloaded it while installing something else. Be sure to read through any installation prompts carefully and avoid downloading from untrustworthy sources.

In the future, it's important to regularly scan your computer with multiple anti-spyware programs and practice safe browsing habits to avoid getting spyware in the first place. I hope this helps and good luck with removing "istsvc.exe" from your system.