Spyware Programs Are Out To Get You

Written by Lawrence Andrews


The average computer is packed with hidden software that can secretly spy on online habits.

The US net provider EarthLink said it uncovered an average of 28 spyware programs on each PC scanned duringrepparttar first three months ofrepparttar 107177 year.

There are currently over 38,000 spyware and adware programs that are infecting innocent Internet users such as yourself through downloadable games, music, screensavers, pictures, pop-ups, emails, andrepparttar 107178 list goes on and on. Spyware and Adware can cause your PC to run extremely slow and even crash, and allow hackers and advertising companies to invade your privacy whenever they wish.

What Is Spyware?

Spyware is a broad term for programs that collects information from your computer without your knowledge or consent. Spyware is a software program that transmits a unique code to identify you (for tracking purposes) without your knowledge or consent. The programs collects or transmits information about your computer use, or other habits without your knowledge or consent.

This internet pest which is better known as spyware installs itself on your computer without your knowledge or consent. It performs other unwholesome duties, and continue to reinstalling itself no matter how many times you remove it.

Spyware!

It has become so pervasive that lawmakers inrepparttar 107179 US are looking into ways to prevent or regulate it. The Spy Audit by EarthLink reflectsrepparttar 107180 results of scans involving over one million computers between January and March. It uncovered more than 29.5 million examples of spyware.

Three Things You Can Do to Keep Your Computer Running at Maximum Performance

Written by Larry Andrew


Although there are many things that can affectrepparttar performance of your computer, there are a few simply things you can do each month to help keep your computer running at maximum performance. This article will focus on two problems that impactrepparttar 107176 performance of your computer and will then explain what you can do about it.

Problem #1: Computer Hard Disk Files Your computer is always writing information to your hard disk, no matter what you do. Your computer attempts to keep all file information inrepparttar 107177 same location on your hard drive. As you add and delete files, blank spaces are left between your files. As you add new programs or files, your computer tries to use these blank spaces.

Over time, this reading and writing of files can affectrepparttar 107178 way your computer performs. The files eventually become scattered in multiple locations on your hard disk rather than inrepparttar 107179 same location.

Your computer will still findrepparttar 107180 information. However,repparttar 107181 more scatteredrepparttar 107182 information becomes on your hard drive,repparttar 107183 more accesses your computer has to make to find (and gather)repparttar 107184 information. This requires your hard disk to work harder and do more reading/writing than is necessary. It will slow down your computer by as much as 200% and causes increased wear and tear on your hard drive.

Problem #2: Spyware If you userepparttar 107185 Internet, at some point you will download a file or software program onto your computer. Sometimes you will know something is being downloaded to your computer. Other times you will have no idea. (Although this article will not talk about small files called “cookies”, you may want to look up information on this subject. Cookies are written onto your computer fromrepparttar 107186 Internet.)

Free computer programs (often referred to as Freeware) are a big hit onrepparttar 107187 Internet. Every day thousands of users download these “free programs”. Although there are some great freeware programs, these programs often have advertisements or tracking code associated with their use. The term “Spyware” refers to programs that gather information about your computer and (Internet) surfing habits without your knowledge. This information is then sold to a third party company as a means of generating revenue.

The problem with Spyware is that it also impactsrepparttar 107188 performance of your computer. It can make your computer very sluggish and unresponsive.

Three Steps to Improved Computer Performance Now that we’ve discussed two problems that affectrepparttar 107189 performance of your computer, let’s discuss three things you can do to get your computer performance back to normal. You should do these three steps inrepparttar 107190 order presented. Ideally, you should repeat them about once a month or whenever you notice a change in your computer’s performance.

Step #1: Delete Spyware The first thing you should do is to delete spyware files or programs from your computer. To do this, you can use a free software program such as Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition from LavaSoft. To getrepparttar 107191 program, go to www.download.com and search for “Ad-Aware SE” (withoutrepparttar 107192 quotes). Select “Download Now” and followrepparttar 107193 installation instructions. Oncerepparttar 107194 program is installed, you can scan your computer for spyware files. Then, you can select and delete them from your computer. Note #1: Always be sure to userepparttar 107195 “Check for updates now” option to keep your program current. Note #2: You need to be aware that when you delete spyware files, some of those “free” programs you downloaded may not continue to work correctly. If you have a program you’ve downloaded and want to continue to use, check very carefully what you select to delete fromrepparttar 107196 “Scanning results” oncerepparttar 107197 scan has been completed.

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