Spyware and Ad ware are both problematic issues for the computer user. These are programs that can surreptitiously transmit personal data from your computer to someone else. These programs are like a Trojan virus in that they are secretly downloaded on to your computer with another program that you are intentionally trying to download. While most of these programs are used for advertising purposes there are some with a more sinister intent. Your credit card numbers, or passwords, or other personal data may be the target. Most of the time these can be in the form of cookies and believe me they can come from almost any source. A good example is that my nine-year-old son gets ad ware from the cartoon network and I need to clean his computer routinely with various programs. Unlike Anti-Virus programs you can install as many Spyware and Ad ware programs you want. I use six different programs myself. I run them randomly from time to time and which one I run depends on my mood. I have some good ones on my site available for download and they are all tested by me as being effective for removal of Spyware and Ad ware. I have found that different programs find these problems in a different order and priority. Most programs will also list for you the threat level of each item it finds. Some programs will actually find computer viruses and deal with them as well. MY ADVICE to you is to run your Anti-Virus program afterwards if your Spyware/ Ad ware removal program detects a virus.
Now I would like to talk about symptoms you will want to look for and the benefits of removal of these programs. Obviously you will notice pop-ups on your computer. For example, if you did a search for kayaking and you were infected you might notice pop-ups with ads referring you to sites with outdoor equipment or even more specialized ads referring directly to kayaking. Annoying, yes, but dangerous, maybe not but after a while of this type of Ad ware accumulation you will notice a slowdown in your computer. Even without a removal program you can eliminate most of these by:
· Go to your control panel
· Click on internet options
· Under browsing history select delete
· Select cookies, and while you are there also delete history and temporary internet files.
I STRONGLY recommend that you install a program to remove these threats for you. They can bury themselves in your registry and cause all kinds of problems if not dealt with. Go to my site and in the question box on the home page you can ask me a question and I can point you to several completely FREE programs you can use for personal home use.
Next time I will talk more about ways to speed up your computer but for now you need to know this. Before you proceed in speeding up your computer you need to rid yourself of existing threats. All threats must first be removed and then you can move on to optimizing your computer. YOU can easily do this yourself. And remember, it is a very good idea to have a backup program to recover from infections or any other system wide problems or alterations.
Good Luck! Alan Hohenbrink
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MaumeeValleyComputer.com providing software for the average user to easily fix problems and save money. Fix it yourself and avoid paying computer shop prices.
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tag : Anti Spyware, Anti Virus, Viruses and worms, Spyware and trojans, Hijacking and botnets, Blocks spyware and adware, Blocks all types of keyloggers, malicious programs
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