The Guide to Adware and Spyware Uninstallation

Posted on June 25th, 2008 in Security, spyware | No Comments »

Click here to read our review of the best anti spyware programs!

Unlike other software, spyware isn’t designed to be easily removed. And even when it seems to be possible to uninstall this kind of software it will uninstall the software it came bundled with and leaves the spyware on the computer. Or you find out that the program magically reappears as soon as you have restarted your computer.

There are two methods of cleaning your computer of spyware: you can get rid of spyware manually by hunting for all of the spyware’s files, or you can get rid of spyware automatically with anti-spyware software. If you have problems or not the time to remove it manually, you may need to download a tool to do the job for you. Several companies offer free and low-cost software that will check your computer for spyware and other unwanted software and help you remove it.

To rid your computer of spyware manually, you’ll need to find each file of the spyware – locate all the spyware’s processes, DLL files, registry keys, and more. After locating these files you will need to manually delete them all from your machine. Unless you’re an computer expert, even though manually removing is very time consuming, you’ll probably be fine. If you are not an expert, it is not recommended that you manually get rid of spyware. Because if you accidentally  delete registry keys or other vital system files you could irreversibly damage your computer.

It is recommended to avoid these risks, you can automatically detect and remove spyware with anti-spyware software. With anti-spyware software, getting rid of spyware is as easy as a few clicks of your mouse. Plus, most anti-spyware software will alert you to any spyware it finds and tell you what the spyware is and does, and offer you a choice to delete the spyware from your computer with a click of your mouse.

Click here to read our review of the best anti spyware programs!

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How to Remove Malware From Your Computer

Posted on June 19th, 2008 in spyware | No Comments »

Click here to read our review of the best anti spyware programs!

What is malware? And how does malware infect your computer? Malware is software which is designed to infiltrate or damage a computer without the owners consent. The word malware is made out of the words malicious and software. Malware also is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code.

Why would anybody want to infect another computer with this kind of software? Well malware can be used to install so called keylogging programs. These programs spy on you and collect username and passwords to websites and other interesting programs. For instance they could collect you username/password to your online banking account. This information will later be used to buy stuff on your expence. Also very interesting information would be creditcard information. Some malware wants to take over your PC without you knowing turning it into a “zombie”. A zombie is a computer which receaves commands remotely and executes these commands. For instance if the attacker has several zombies he could send spam email via the infected computers.

How can you get infected with malware? You can install malware accidentally when visiting a website. They will give you a pop up message asking you to upgrade your browser of upgrade a certain plugin. When you click on the yes button the software gets installed on your PC. Another way of getting it would be by installing software you received via email. Or even by installing what seems to be “genuine” software but this will also install the malware.

How can I prevent from being infected with malware or other software like spyware. First of all never install software from dubious sources. If you get a message from a website that you must install software to update a part of your system do not trust these messages. Update your system with the Microsoft updates website or by using the automatic updates function. Its very important to keep your computer up to date with the latest software updates. Not only to get new features but also because bugs are found all the time and fixed regularly. By not updating your PC software especially the so called “operating system” like “Windows XP” or “Windows Vista” your chances to get infected are higher than patched systems.

How can I find out if I am infected? The only way to check if you are already infected is by running anti-malware checker programs. These programs check your PC files against a database of known infections. After finding the infection they will delete or deactivate the infection. It is important to do this regularly especially if you are a power user of the internet.

Click here to read our review of the best anti spyware programs!

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Windows Security Tips

Posted on June 18th, 2008 in Security, Windows tips | No Comments »

Besides scanning your PC afterwards with anti-spyware and anti-virus software to fix infections, you can do a lot to prevent being infected by spyware and or virusses. Click here to read our review of anti-spyware software.

  1. Do not visit high risk websites – these websites include crack and serial websites. Adult related websites. Websites that offer “free” games/software/music etc. Usually the “not well known” branded websites are riskier than well known names.
  2. Install special plugins to protect your system from spyware. For FireFox install the plugin no-script. You can download the plugin here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox
    You can download Firefox here: http://www.getfirefox.com.
    After you restarted Firefox it will block all Javascript. You can enable javascript for a certain website by clicking on the “S” image in the lower right corner. So if there are certain parts that do not load its because of this – just enable javascript for the sites you trust (youtube, google etc…).
  3. Enable extra security features in browser. Check the security settings tab in Firefox and enable “Tell me if the site I’m visiting is a suspected attack site and forgery”. Now you will get a warning if its a phishingsite (site to get to your information like bank details) or a known website for distributing spyware.
  4. Update your software and anti-spyware/virus programs. Regularly update your system software or enable automatic updates for Windows. Download the latest security fixes for your browser.
  5. Never download software from websites or peer to peer networks unless you really trust the website or the source.
  6. Audit the installed software – regularly check the programs installed on your PC. If you suddenly have a program installed on your PC you are sure you didn’t install than this could be spyware.
  7. Use firewall software – make sure that you can go on the internet but nothing can go from the internet to your PC unless you initiated it. There are several firewall solutions that even block installed programs from “calling home”. Calling home means that programs send information from your PC to a server on the internet. This can be for updates but also for more malicious reasons like sending personal information like banking details.

By using all these tips you can protect yourself better agains spyware infections.

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How To Remove or Uninstall Specific Spyware or AdWare

Posted on June 18th, 2008 in spyware | No Comments »

Click here to read our review of the best anti spyware programs!

Do you ever notice those annoying pop up ads while you are surfing the net? I am sure you do. It seems that we have become “pop up desensitized” and we automatically close the window and write it off as just another annoying advertisement. Well, I have something to tell you – don’t just write it off. It could be a spyware program that is placing harmful and malicious Trojans or adware on your computer and you will need to remove or uninstall specific spyware or adware

Those annoying pop up ads are your clue that something has infected your computer. If you are experiencing pop up ads or if you notice that your computer has been running slower than usual, the likelihood that you are infected with some form of adware is highly likely.

CNN reports that if you use the Internet there is a 90% chance that you are infected with some form of spyware. Not good odds if you ask me. What you need is something that will remove adware and spyware. This double threat in conjunction with your anti-virus program can give you the maximum protection that you need.

You need just that kind of adware software program that will clean and protect your computer. It removes adware, spyware, Trojans, worms, you name it will get rid of it. Don’t let your computer control you, take control back by getting rid of the adware and spyware that is sitting and hindering your computer’s performance.

Once your download anti-spyware software it will start the adware removal process to clean up your PC and boost its performance. The anti-spyware software will scan your computer to find those annoying programs and remove or uninstall specific spyware or adware. It will then use its advanced cleaner to repair and correct errors caused by adware and spyware programs. On top of that it will work to improve your computer’s performance. Once this is done it will automatically protect your system from any further ad attacks.

Some Anti-spyware software programs will offer you a 60-day money back guarantee. This is great because if you find out that the anti-spyware software is not working or not doing what you want, you can get your money back. Test it out for a full two months to see if it is all that they say it is. And if you find that it is not, return it for a full refund.

It is no fun wondering if the site you are visiting will harm you, it is no fun being scared that a program may be set up on your computer to steal your identity and it is definitely no fun having to figure out what has infected your computer. If you need to remove or uninstall specific spyware or adware, get the protection you need with an anti-spyware software program and make surfing the Internet fun again.

Click here to read our review of the best anti spyware programs!

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How to fix corrupt registry files?

Posted on June 17th, 2008 in Registry cleaners | No Comments »

How would one go about fixing corrupt registry files? The first thing is: can you still get into Windows?

Did you make a manual backup of your registry? If you made a backup you can replace the damaged registry files with the backup you made previously. If theres no backup then you can download a registry cleaner. To view our review of the best registry cleaners click here!
You can also download free trials there.

If you cannot get into Windows you can try to enter windows in the so called safe mode. You can get into safe mode by pressing F8 while booting Windows. You will see a screen like below:

With safe mode you get in an emergency Windows repair state. Do not panic if your screen looks different – its supposed to look this way. Now you can repair your registry by using registry repair software.

What if I cannot get into Windows?

The last resort is repairing Windows. Pop the installation disk of Windows in the CD-Rom drive and after a while you can select if you would like to install Windows or Repair an existing Windows version. You should choose the latter. Repairing Windows means that it will replace the existing Windows installation. Because you have reinstalled Windows you will have to reinstall every program again and all the Windows updates.

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