HijackThis is one of the more advanced programs to use for helping to remove spyware and other intrusive invaders on a computer system. While it may seem easy to use when it is loaded, if you delete the wrong key or string of links, it is possible to cause damage to your system. This is a brief tutorial on how to use HijackThis, but it should be noted that any changes to your system should be thoroughly researched and a restore point created before implementing any changes.

Once you have completed your scan with the program, a list of potential threats will show up on screen. These threats are organized based on what and where they are located on your system. Anything in the R0 to R3 and N1 to N4 entries are search pages and start pages for any Internet browsers your computer uses. If you recognize what these page entries are, you can leave them as is; if you do not recognize them, you will want HijackThis to fix it for you. Next up comes auto-start programs that load when your system boots, these are denoted by a F0 to F3 entry. Any program that has a F0 entry is something that was changed and should be avoided, you can have HijackThis fix it or do additional research so that you feel comfortable deleting the entry.

Once you begin reaching O entries, you are getting into more advanced areas of HijackThis. O1 refers to file redirection. This basically lists the IP address associated with certain web sites. If something has changed the IP address, it means you will be redirected to the wrong page. Always have HijackThis fix O1 items, because unless you edited redirects yourself, then a form of adware, spyware or malware was generally the culprit for the change. O2 entries refer to browser helper objects, commonly known as BHOs. Some of these are good, some of them are bad; always research each entry to see if it should be running or not before you have HijackThis fix it.

These are the most common log entries for HijackThis. There are many others that may come up depending on how infected or changed your system has been due to your Internet browsing. Whenever an entry comes up you are unfamiliar with, do a quick search to find out what the best solution is. Make sure you created a system restore point before you begin using the program and take your time to make your way through each entry for the safest use of HijackThis possible.