Can I get rid of adware / virus on my computer by re-installing XP?

I run my virus and spyware scans daily. I delete all the bad things like it suggests, then they all come back. I'm to the point of just starting over. Will this get rid of my problem?

I've tried to download Spybot Search %26 Destroy (3 times!)and it wont load. I've also tried to download Ad-Aware and it will not load properly either. I'm sure it is due to a virus on my computer. Please help!

Can I get rid of adware / virus on my computer by re-installing XP?systemworks

Before you take the drastic step of reformating and re-installing your XP, you could run both of these on-line (no installation) scans and let them remove what they find. Both are free and excellent at detecting malware.

1. Scan for virus, worms etc. and remove (free online scan, no download) with BitDefender.

http://www.bitdefender.com/site/home/

2. Scan for trojans and spyware and remove (free online scan, no download) with Ewido ( now known as AVG Anti-Spyware). This is NOT AVG Anti-Virus.

http://www.ewido.net/en/

These scans will take quite a bit of time. The time is necessary to clean-up an infected computer.

And as the other poster stated, always ignore any tracking cookies that any malware scan finds.

Cookies are just small .txt (text) files that by themselves cannot hurt your computer. They are not a virus, but some people consider ''tracking'' cookies to be an invasion of privacy. Cookies will return daily as you surf the web. This is normal. Don't worry!