How do I get rid of spyware?
This article explains why Spyware can slow down your computer and cause it to crash. Spyware and Adware can infect your PC, just like a virus, when you use file sharing software, or download from untrustworthy sites. A major affect of this software is that it can hog valuable CPU and memory resources. The result is that you PC will gradually slow down until it becomes unusable. In a lot of cases it can even cause Windows to crash, forcing you to restart. Not ideal when you’re working on a valuable report or assignment and you forgot to save it! Spyware is a relatively new threat to computer users. But what exactly is it? In a nutshell, Spyware is software that is downloaded onto your computer, often without your knowledge. It can then feed adverts to you (via pop-ups), collect personal information, or even change the configuration of your computer. It often goes hand in hand with another form of software called Adware.
Dave’s Answer: Oh man, I can’t think of anything that would drive me bonkers faster than the situation you’re describing, honestly. If there’s one thing that drives me crazy about working within the Windows environment, it’s how there are thousands of sites lurking, poised, ready to infect my computer, and once infected, tons of different spyware programs to ruin my computing experience. First off, though, let’s define spyware. Spyware is any software that’s actually running on your computer without you explicitly granting it permission, installing it or wanting it there. Most typically, spyware tracks what you’re doing and reports salient data to a remote server, for example capturing keystrokes and trying to report email addresses or credit card numbers. Very bad stuff! Some spyware does the opposite, though, just acting as a conduit for third parties to drop information on your computer, and I think that’s what you’re seeing with these online advertisements showing up on your deskto
At some point, most of us have had the strange home-page change, pop-ups appearing from nowhere and other classic symptoms of being infected with spyware. The trick though is figuring out what is spyware, and what isn’t. Some websites for example initiate pop-ups themselves, this doesn’t mean that you have spyware on your PC, though! There are a few ways to remove spyware. The most common being either to do it yourself, or to buy a spyware removal tool. Doing it yourself is only advised if you completely understand your computers’ registry. Deleting just one file that looks suspicious could prove to be an expensive mistake to correct. However, paying around $30 for a two year or lifetime licence seems unbelievably cheap in comparison. The best way to diagnose if you have spyware is to get a spyware removal tool. The better ones are featured on the internet by other users who have successfully diagnosed and removed spyware with the right removal tool. There are so many out there though,
