Tech Tips for Safe Computing | Removing Spyware  

Spyware. Unfortunately it's a problem that's here to stay. A problem that could pose a serious threat to your computer, your privacy, and even your identity. To keep your computer running smoothly and free of malicious software here are a few safe computing tips that can help you maintain control of your computer.

Know How To Quickly Recognize When Your Computer Has Become Infected

Most of us tend to ignore the early warning signs that our computing environment has been invaded. But learning to recognize and respond to these signs right away will help you avoid crippling or disasterous infestations. Below are some of the tell-tale signs that your computer may be infected with a virus, spyware, worms, trojans, Adware, thiefware, keyloggers, or other malicious programs:

?Your computer has begun running slower than usual

* Your computer frequently hangs when you open or close a program

* Popup ads appear on your screen during or even after being on the Internet

* When you turn on your computer it takes longer than usual to boot up

* When you turn off your computer it takes longer than usual to shut down

* When navigating pages on the Internet, it takes much longer than usual or times out

* Programs you have open sometimes close or shut down unexpectedly

* You get unusual error messages when you first turn on your computer

* Some of your data files or programs won't open anymore

* You're finding duplicate copies of files or folders that you didn't create

* Your homepage has changed to a location you didn't select

* An unexpected toolbar appears and you don't know how it got there.

* New Entries appear in your favorites folder

* New shortcuts appear on your desktop

Take Immediate Action

If your computer is doing any of the above I suggest you take immediate action. These symptoms may not seem like a big deal right now... but believe me, you've got company. Unwanted guests have moved into your computer and they've left the door wide open for their buddies. From here on, things will only get worse if you fail to take swift action to nip this problem in the bud. Here are 4 simple steps that will help you get your computer under control and keep it there.

Step #1: Always Run More Than 1 Spyware Removal Program

If your computer has any of the symptoms above and you already have a good spyware removal program, run it immediately. That's the first step. But typically, a spyware removal utility may be great at detecting one type or family of spyware, but may NOT be quite so good at detecting another type. In my opinion, no one spyware removal application will get the whole job done. For instance, I often run my favorite spyware removal application and it might detect 50 or more spyware programs on my computer... then I immediately run a second spyware detection tool that may turn up a dozen more spyware that the first application did NOT find.

If I had stopped after running just one anti-spyware utility, you can bet that with 50+ spyware removed, my computer's performance would have improved dramatically... BUT... there were still a dozen spyware left I didn't even know about ... which means my computer was still very much at risk. So, do yourself a favor, always keep at least three good anti-spyware utilities in your arsenal and run them back to back. It's the best way to do a thorough and comprehensive scan for the different types of spyware that may be infecting your pc.

Fortunately, there are many good spyware removal utilities available that are either free or cheap, usually between $30 - $40 bucks. Most allow you to run the first scan free, so try running a free scan with a few of them to see which ones you like best. Here are links to 3 of the most effective spyware removal programs I've found, and to Spybot Search & Destroy, the best free spyware removal utility available.

SpyZooka - http://www.Spyzooka.the-spyware-remover.com

XoftSpySE - http://www.Xoftspy.the-spyware-remover.com

Spyware Nuker - http://www.Nuker.the-spyware-remover.com

SpyBot Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org

Whatever spyware applications you choose, once you've cleaned up your computer, make it a habit to always run back-to-back scans immediately after surfing the Net. Of course, If you've only done one quick search on a known trusted site, a spyware scan probably isn't necessary. But if you've visited a number of different sites...run a scan. You can always set it running in the background while going about your regular tasks. The scan results will automatically move to the foreground when the scan is complete.

Step #2: Run A Virus Scan On Your Computer At Least Twice A Week

After running at least two good spyware removal utilities on your computer back-to-back, now it's time to run a virus scan. You might already have McAfee or Norton Anti-Virus software on your computer. If so, that'll do. Either of these utilities will, for the most part, get the job done. Personally, I no longer rely on Norton or McAfee for virus protection. There are several other very good products I believe to be a bit more effective at both preventing and removing virus infections. Here are two of my favorites, but any good anti-virus program will likely do the trick:

The Shield Pro --- http://www.ShieldProAntivirus.the-spyware-remover.com

Kaspersky Anti-Virus --- http://www.Kaspersky.the-spyware-remover.com

Whichever virus cleaning utility you decide to use, be sure to set it up to automatically scan your computer for viruses at least a couple of times a week.. And of course, whenever your computer exhibits any of the symptoms listed above, run a virus scan manually as the second step in the cleanup process. Remember, you don't have to sit and watch these scans run. A full virus scan could take an hour or more. So, just get it started and go on about your business. Check back in about an hour and the scan should be done.

Step #3: Clean Your Computer's Registry

After completing steps 1 and 2 above, the next step is to clean your registry. The Window's registry is a part of your computer system that you probably know very little about. Yet, it plays a critical role in your computer's performance. It stores settings and options for your hardware, operating system, and other software. Unfortunately, because of its vital role, it is frequently the primary target of a computer virus, and damage to the Registry can render a Windows system virtually unbootable. In extreme cases it may even require a full reinstall of Windows.

Other things that can adversely effect your Windows registry is applications that for one reason or another, fail to install or uninstall properly and then leave entries in the registry. This can lead to system performance or even stability problems. A registry problem might cause symptoms such as, strange error messages when you first turn on your computer, or might cause programs to frequently hang when you try to close them, in some cases requiring a CTL-ALT-DELETE command in order to "unhang" your system.

So, after running both a spyware and virus scan, the next step is to thoroughly clean your registry using a registry cleaning utility. This program will scan and identify entries in the registry that can be safely removed. These entries are typically remnants that were left behind from unsuccessful installs and uninstalls, disabled drivers, or spyware programs.

As you can see, registry cleaning is an important part of mainitaining your computer's health and should not be overlooked. A good registry cleaning application will optimize the speed and performance of your Microsoft Windows system. Three of the best registry cleaning products available are:

RegCure --- http://www.Regcure.the-spyware-remover.com

RegSweep --- http://www.Regsweep.the-spyware-remover.com

Error Nuker --- http://www.Errornuker.the-spyware-remover.com

Whichever product you decide to use, just be sure to... --Continued--

This article is continued on the author's Blog. To read the rest of this article please go to: http://thespywareremover.blogspot.com

Mark Reynolds is a Network Engineer & Computing Specialist. He has written many useful articles, instructional booklets and users guides. To learn more safe computing tips go to: http://thespywareremover.blogspot.com
 

About the Author

Mark Reynolds is a Network Engineer and Computing Specialist. He has written many useful articles, instructional booklets and user manuals. To learn more about computing safely visit his blog.

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