If you use the internet at all, then there's a strong possibility you¡¯ve discovered annoying and malicious programs known to computer users as ¡®spyware¡¯. Like ¡®adware¡¯, spyware software programs track your internet usage, collect personal data (often through key-strokes), spawn ¡®pop-up¡¯ advertisements, and can even alter your internet browser settings. Worse still, spyware software is "adware" that installs on your computer without your consent.
The first clue that you're infected by spyware programs is that your computer begins to slow together with a loss in performance. Infection can even cause your machine to lock-up and crash. For this reason I highly recommend using anti spyware software on a regular basis to help keep your computer working at it¡¯s very best. There are a number of free spyware software products available today, two of which come highly recommended: ¡®Spybot ¨C Search and Destroy¡¯, made by Patrick Kolla, and ¡®Ad-Aware SE¡¯ produced by Lavasoft. Both of these programs are available in basic (lite) mode free of charge. More advanced anti spyware software is available for a small one-off fee, personally however, I am more than happy with the free versions.
Be careful which spyware removal software you choose
Recently,
Microsoft
moved into the spyware remover software business, releasing a free update for Windows XP, Windows 2003, and Windows
2000 called the ¡®Windows AntiSpyware Beta¡¯. Like most beta programs, it's
still in testing, however it's intended to be released as a free anti spyware
software product for
Window¡¯s users sometime in the near future. One major benefit of the
Microsoft spyware removal software is it's ability to detect and halt spyware
BEFORE it is installed, unlike most other spyware removers which can only
detect computer spyware viruses AFTER they're installed on your computer.
Be wary, though, when looking for a good spyware remover. There are many
advertisements out there for spyware removers that are extremely misleading,
also there are
some phoney programs that actually install spyware when you download
them! For this reason, it's unadvisable to install any spyware remover that you
see advertised in a ¡®pop-up¡¯ ad, or other "flashy"
advertisement, as these are most likely the kinds of programs that infect
with malicious spyware. Before using a spyware remover, do some research
first online, there are many online
communities and forums that discuss the best spyware software removers as
well as those that are potentially harmful.
No single spyware remover is perfect; you may find success with alternative
anti spyware software. The best approach, by far, is to run more than one program to
increase the likelihood of staying spyware free. Personally, I run both Spybot and
Ad-Aware at least once a week, and install updates for these programs
whenever they become available.
Where To Get Free Spyware Software Removal Tools
Do a search on Google.com for "free spyware software". There's plenty available.
¡¡
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