Is your computer running slower than it used to? Are you mysteriously running out of memory? Everyone knows about virus scanners to keep viruses out of your computer and about firewalls to keep hackers out of your computer but there is another danger that now confronts internet surfers - Spyware. Some programs you install report back to the manufacturer with personal information about you and your computer. Many of the sites you visit install programs on your computer allowing them to track your surfing, what sites you visit, what programs you run. Sometimes there are benefits to this. Sometimes you are told about this in obscure licensee agreements. Other times it is done without your knowledge or permission. Some are done merely for statistical purposes but some dig deep into your privacy and are of no use to you at all. Worse, some of these programs run in the background slowing your computer and using memory.
The handling for this is anti- spyware programs. A free popular program that can find and remove spyware from you computer is Ad-aware by Lavasoft http://www.lavasoft.de. I recently installed this on my computer and it immediately discovered 100 intrusions on my hard drive. They also have a plus (paid) version which will block spyware from getting into your computer in the first place similar to the way anti-virus programs block viruses from getting into your computer.
Here are simple step-by-step directions to download a free version of Ad-aware:
(1) Go to http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10045910.html.
(2) Click on "Download Now".
(3) Click on "Save" in the box that pops up.
(4) Select a folder in which to temporarily save the installation program.
(If
unsure you can select the Desktop and later delete it.)
(5) Click on "Save".
(6) The download starts and should take 4-5 minutes with a dial-up connection.
(7) When the "Download Complete" box pops up click on "Open".
(8) When the My Computer box pops up double click the installation file "aaw6.exe".
(You can also do this using My Computer or just double click it if you saved
it to the Desktop.)
(9) Click the Ad-aware icon that was installed on your desktop to start the
program. (You can also find it in the Start button.)
(10) Click on "Start" in the Ad-aware menu.
(11) Ad-aware will then scan your system and deactivate all the spyware programs.
They have a plus (paid) version which will block spyware from getting into your
computer in the first place.
Even better than Ad-aware is Spybot - Search & Destroy. You can find it at http://security.kolla.de. It is also free. After installing and running Ad-aware I installed and ran Spybot-SD. It discovered 30 more items that Ad-aware hadn't found. It is, however, a bit complex to use and set up.
Also creating free anti-spyware programs
is SpywareBlaster by Javacool Software. This program also blocks spyware
from getting into your computer. They also have a program, SpywareGuard,
which adds to the protection. You can find these programs at http://www.wilderssecurity.net.
