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Is Spyware Slowing Down Your Computer?
09/02/04
Is your computer slow?
Are you getting random pop-up windows for no reason? Have you been the victim of identity theft of credit card fraud? Well, spyware could be the problem. There's absolutely no doubt that you have spyware on your computer. What is spyware? It can be small programs or cookies on your system that you received while browsing the web. Usually, porn sites or other unsavory sites will drop these on your computer.
I've been approached by a lot of my friends asking me to help them with their computers.
The first thing I check for is spyware. Removing spyware from computers will fix most problems and speed up performance. You can also tell what web sites someone has been visiting. It gets pretty uncomfortable finding out that your friend "accidentally" visited a site about unusual sexual practices.
O.K., so you have spyware.
Most is innocuous but occasionally, you'll get stuff that can steal your information or record keystrokes or just annoy you by popping up endless porn windows. How do you fix this? There's no single solution. But here's what I do. First get two free programs. The first one is Spybot Search & Destroy. This is a great program that's supported by donations. Next get Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition. This is the free version but if you want added security they have versions that you can pay for.
Neither of these catch all spyware so using both will help you clean your system. Get used to running both of these at least once a month.
Also, update the spyware definitions before you start.
Here's what you can do to eliminate spyware and keep it off of your system:
- Use both Spybot S&D and Ad-Aware at least once a month
- Be sure to keep your Spybot & Ad-Aware definitions up to date
- Clear out your Internet cookies at least a couple times a year
- Avoid going to porn or warez sites
- Avoid going to sites that promise to give you free stuff (They'll usually have some banner that offers 10,000 free graphics or 10,000 of something)
- If a window pops up and asks you if you want to install something like Gator or a free screen saver, click no
Basically, surf smart. Stay away from any shady web sites. I know that's going to make your internet surfing more boring but if you do it anyway, you know the risks.
*09/23/04 Update: If you're running Spybot S&D version 1.2, you'll have to upgrade to version 1.3 to continue to receive updates.
*12/13/04 Update: I no longer recommend Spybot S&D. Ad-Aware has gotten better and Spybot has gotten worse.
I've done some experiments with Yahoo! anti-spy software and it removes stuff that both missed but I'll give a full report later.
Click here to download Ad-Aware from Download.com for free!
Click here to download Spybot Search & Destroy for free!
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