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Adware is software that is installed for the express purpose of showing you advertising. Unsolicited popups are the main result of adware being installed on a computer. Spyware is software that ‘spies’ on you. Surfing habits and sometimes personal information is recorded and transmitted to the spyware company to use and sell at their discretion. How does adware and spyware get installed on my computer? Adware and spyware are sometimes installed with legitimate software. Some adware is reasonably benign (small ads in AOL Instant Messenger), but some adware is incredibly annoying and potentially detrimental to the functionality of a computer. Search toolbars are one common source of adware that can become overwhelming. The toolbar is installed and seems to provide a nice service but is actually showing you unsolicited popups that are annoying and can potentially crash a computer. Spyware on the other hand is just bad. Sometimes it is said to improve certain functionality by tailoring things to a users habits but information about YOU is being sent over the internet for purposes usually not for your benefit. Both spyware and adware can be installed by ‘drive by downloads’, which are automatic downloads that start when a web site is visited. Much of the adware and spyware comes from illicit web sites and file sharing applications in addition to toolbars. What do we recommend for keeping your computer running smoothly? MV Tech Inc. recommends seven steps to keep your computer purring: 1 - Run Windows updates! Hackers and weenies attack Microsoft like they have nothing else to do -- like get a real job. Often Microsoft provides security updates which you should have to protect your system and computer happiness! 2 - Install a good anti-virus program. We suggest strongly you choose Norton AntiVirus. Norton (now owned by Symantec) is a great program that requires only updating weekly, which is prompted by the software for you. MacAfee can be a pain and often blocks simple operations from the web, but it's not bad either. There are some others, such as Panda. 3 - Use a Firewall. Firewalls prevent unwanted intrusion on your system. Without it, hackers can view files on your computer through your modem (no kidding - there is peeping tom software running constantly on the web!) The best firewall is a physical router between your modem and your PC. If you don't have a router, and you are running XP, you can activate XP's software Firewall. If you aren't running XP, you should install a software firewall from a reliable company. 4 - Run programs weekly to remove adware and spyware (see below) 5 - Consider installing Mozilla's Firefox browser and using it to search the web. Microsoft's Internet Explorer is a favorite target of hackers, ads, and spies. They attack IE's core program called ActiveX. Firefox, created by the internet's first browser people Mozilla (a non-profit organization), does not use ActiveX. There are some times you may have to use IE for particular websites running ActiveX as well, but it's rare. Firefox looks and runs exactly like IE, but there are no popups allowed and it's just a clean interface. Try it -- it's free. 6 - Scan your system monthly for viruses, and also run the disk optimizer (called Scan Disk on older operating systems) to get the best use of your computer. 7 - BACKUP YOUR IMPORTANT DATA. Burn your files onto a CD from time to time, so you'll have them if you experience a problem. Also, keep your software disks organized for re-install for the same reason. It's a pain to do, but well worth it if your hard drive goes south. Okay -- now let's kill the nasty stuff.
MV Tech Inc. recommends the regular use of Ad-Aware and either Microsoft AntiSpyware or Norton 2005. Installing and running these applications can remove most, if not all, adware and spyware from your computer. It is recommended to run these applications regularly and to keep them updated. Ad-Aware and Microsoft (Beta version) are free. Adware and spyware tend to not be noticed until more than one instance is installed. Some adware/spyware programs download other adware/spyware applications and install them. Computer performance is dramatically affected by the installation of multiple instances of adware and spyware and can progress to the point where the system becomes unusable at startup. Early detection and prevention is extremely important because when the system gets unusable the removal becomes extremely difficult. OK, I have Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy Installed, what do I do next? To use Ad-Aware, double-click the icon on the desktop that says ‘Ad-Aware SE’. There are two buttons to be concerned with after the program is open. First is the ‘Check for Updates now’ button. Clicking this updates the program. This is very important to do. Just like Antivirus software, if something new comes out or a better removal method is developed it will not be used until updates are downloaded. You must be connected to the Internet to do this. After the update is completed click finish. The second button is the ‘Start’ button. This button takes you to the scan options page. Leaving the default is fine. When ready to scan click ‘Next’. When the scan completes it will show you how many critical objects it found. Click ‘Next’. The program now lists all critical malicious objects. You should scan down the list to make sure there are not any personal files or folders. 99.9% of the time their will not be. If all objects are to be removed, right-click on any object then left-click on ‘Select All Objects’. Click ‘Next’. The program will ask you if you want to remove all selected objects click yes. If the program can not remove all objects, it may ask to run again at next startup to finish removing the objects, click yes. Congratulations, you have completed an Ad-Aware update and scan. Why does my Antivirus Software not detect and remove adware and spyware? Adware and spyware are not viruses. Sometimes they can be a part of a virus but are not inherently a virus and therefore are not usually detected by antivirus software. Some of the Antivirus companies are beginning to detect and remove adware/spyware but can not be depended on to fully remove adware and spyware. In a recent eWeek article Microsoft stated that 50% of recent system crashes can be attributed to adware and spyware. In the same article Dell says 12% of all tech support calls are in response to adware and spyware. In short, your computer is a tool/toy that when abused can and will break. Be sure to take care of your computer by keeping your computer up to date, and scanning for adware, spyware and viruses. Go ahead, you can do it, and you will be glad you did! Would you like to read more? Here's another article with more specifics and info. |
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