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Where does malware live on my machine?

Where does malware live on my machine?

Where does the malware typically store itself on the HDD? I have searched the registry, Program Files and Control Panel and haven't found any trace, yet every few minutes, another pop-up forces me to use Task Manager to close the windows, as the "X" is grayed out. Ironically, they are mostly for pop-up blockers and Virtual Bouncer, among others.
A lot of this junk makes its home in the Temporary Internet Files in Windows. Some can even masquerade as legitimate programs in the Windows directory. You'll be best off to run an automated tool such as Spybot or PestPatrol. Good luck!

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This was first published in August 2004

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