How to remove a keystroke logger

It may depend on just how "cunning" your ex-partner was in setting things up, and how 'resilient' the program is... that is to say, if, for example, he password-protected the program, and/or the program has 'alternate'/backup copies lurking on your drive, it may be very difficult (perhaps "impossible") to remove... let's face it, employers/spouses/parents who install such software ideally would like to be certain that their employees/spouse/children can't simply disable or remove the device.

 

for the time being, be very careful when using the "infected" machine... don't use it for any "personal" information/e-mails, or any sensitive information (social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, &etc).   do any personal/sensitive work on a different (hopefully "clean") machine.  You might consider erasing your e-mail address book from the "compromised" machine (that is, AFTER you copy it over to a floppy and/or move it over to another PC); hopefully then, unless your ex-partner has also copied the information, he won't have access to it any more.)   Likewise for anything else you can "remove".

 

Having said all this... do you have any idea as to the name of the specific program being used?  That certainly can be helpful in trying to remove it....

 

Here's what you can try:

Start by (downloading/installing and) running Ad-Aware SE 1.06 and SpyBot Search & Destroy 1.4 ; if the keylogger is "illegitimate" (i.e., if it's "truly" spyware), one of these programs may be able to eliminate it.  (However, I have no idea if they handle "legitimate" keyloggers, such as those identifiable as being purchased and installed by parents, to monitor their children).

If these don't work, you can run HiJackThis 1.99.1 and post your log in the HiJackThis forum, asking for help there.

 

If you're not familiar with these 3 programs, you can get the download links, and instructions to run them, from

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=si_virus&message.id=41849

(I believe, so far as a keylogger is concerned, you can skip any other programs listed there).

 

[if these instuctions are not sufficiently detailed, I can try to point you to additional web pages].