Free Spyware Removal Software

Posted on October 18, 2006 at 11:32 AM - Link

Spyware protection software is a counter curse to spyware, adware, malware and any other software that enters your system and gets hold of your personal user information. Since spyware enters the system as a shadow of any other legitimate download which the user has approved of, and is completely invisible in the system, it is not manually possible to eliminate it. Only an expert software can win the combat and clean the computer.

Ad Aware being the most popular anti-spyware available, they also have a free version which is as highly rated by its users as the paid version. It has a fan following for more than 165 billion people, who have downloaded it and found it extremely effective.

Another popular program named Spybot Search and Destroy does not have a paid version. Developed by PepiMK Software, it has 67 million downloads to its credit. Apart from scanning and removing spyware, it also systematically protects your PC from any other malicious software that causes security leaks.

SpySweeper is another of those programs which offers a free download and effectively blocks future spyware installation in your system in addition to removing existing ones. It uses 16 Smart Shields and detection tools which protect your system from even the most recent spyware.

HijackThis is very advanced spyware removal software. Though a recent development comparatively, it already has 1.5 million downloads and all of it free. This software rectifies an error commonly found in many others. Software such as Ad Aware and others do not give comprehensive information about the stuff that they scan, which leaves the user in confusion as to which programs should be retained on the system. HijackThis comes up with a complete report on all kinds of browser buttons and add-ons and pointing to the damaging stuff directly.

To ensure that your anti-spyware functions smoothly, check for updates regularly and install newer versions of the software. This will help you keep even the most recent and most tricky spyware at bay.

What Is Spyware And How Do I Remove It From My Computer?

Posted on October 17, 2006 at 11:56 AM - Link

Spyware is a menace to any computer, but there are many free Spyware removal products online to help out.
It sounds rather sinister, doesn't it? In a way, it really is. Spyware (another name for Malware or Adware, which is Internet-speak for "advertising supported software") enters your computer without your explicit consent. You see, Spyware normally comes packaged with other programs, which you do want and actually choose to download. If you aren't too cluey about how to detect Spyware in a potential download (and let's face it, who is), you simply won't know that you've downloaded and activated the Spyware software.

What does Spyware do? It collects information about you and your business or organization to help advertising companies place better targeted advertising copy on the websites you visit. That is, advertising that may actually be of interest to you. OK, in theory, it's a reasonable idea. You are going to be surfing anyway and these days websites survive thanks to their advertising, so wouldn't you rather see ads that may be of some relevance to you? For example, if you are sitting at a computer in New York, Spyware will tell advertisers your geographical position and hence target ads that are relevant to New Yorkers (restaurants and stores in the area or events taking place in the area). If you happen to visit the same website from Paris, those ads will be French ads.

How does Spyware work? Once the software program sneaks into your computer (via some download you've made, for example, Kazaa) it follows you around as you surf the net. It collects information about you from your hard drive. It sounds illegal doesn't it? Well, it isn't. Not yet anyway.

What it is really interested in is your surfing history. It wants to collate all the information that will help advertising companies better target you as a consumer. And so, it collects information on what you like to read online, which websites you browse to and, most valuable of all, where you go shopping on the Internet and what you buy.

But once in your system Spyware can be very annoying. At its worst it can severely impair your computer's ability to function, using up to 50% of its memory. It doesn't do it on purpose, it's not vicious like a virus, but it is destructive whether it wants to be or not. It can block your Internet access and just generally cause your computer to be so slow that you cannot use it without banging your head on your keyboard. Or, unless you format your hard drive.

There are lots of ways to protect your computer from this menace. Spyware removal programs help you track Spyware and purge your system of the software. Try an Internet search for Free Spyware Removal or Free Spyware Removal Program. This will bring up various results including the Lavasoft's Ad-Aware program, which is the most popular. Some websites will also offer you a Free Spyware Removal or Adware Removal online.

Free Spyware Removal - It's Not as Easy as it Sounds

Posted on October 6, 2006 at 11:33 AM - Link

Spyware is a massive problem in today's world. People get paid for creating this new and annoying threat, and conversely, others get paid to help us remove it. There are ways to get rid of it for free, but it takes a hint more effort.
Nobody wants to pay to remove spyware. At the very least, I don't. The blasted stuff shouldn't be on my computer anyway, so what ever would make me want to shell out cash to get rid of something that I shouldn't have in the first place?

Spyware removal tools come in many different forms, and from many different places. Lavasoft's Ad-Aware is from Sweden, and Spybot: Search and Destroy is from Germany, I think. (Their error messages come up in German, so I have to assume..)

Purchasing adware removal software can even be dangerous, so to speak. If you're buying it from a pop-up then more than likely you're just lining the pockets of the person that infected your machine in the first place. I've had many infested machines have icons for spyware removers magically appear on the desktop. Of course, if you want to actually clean anything, you have to shell out some dough.

If you're going to go it alone, for free, then there are a few tools you'll need. The first is Ad-Aware, as mentioned above. Spybot: S&D is a second excellent choice. The third, and much more advanced (and therefore difficult to use) spyware remover is HijackThis. Almost all scanners will miss various adware items, simply because there is so much produced nowadays so quickly. It's impossible to keep up.

Once you have the aforementioned software downloaded, installed, and updated then you're going to want to boot to safe mode. Why not scan now immediately? Cause the adware is still running. You can't delete a file that's in use. That said, safe mode is less effective than it used to be, but it still may work.

To get to safe mode: Reboot the machine, press F8 repeatedly once it restarts until a menu comes up that has "safe mode" listed. Select it, and press enter. Windows will load nothing but the essentials.

As soon as safe mode is loaded then go ahead and do a full system scan with Ad-Aware and Spybot or whatever you happen to have. Following that, reboot and see how your computer runs. If it still has issues, then HijackThis will be neccesary. In order to use this tool, you'll need to have a pretty good grasp on what should and shouldn't be loading in startup, as well as a grasp of what Browser Help Objects you need. (Technically, none, but some software you have installed may use them)