HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE SPYWARE ON YOUR COMPUTER

If your computer starts to behave strangely, you might be experiencing spyware symptoms or have other unwanted software installed on your computer. Here are a few tips on how to detect malicious software:

  1. You see pop-up advertisements all the time. Some unwanted software will bombard you with pop-up ads that aren’t related to a particular website you’re visiting. These ads are often for adult or other websites you may find objectionable. If you see pop-up ads as soon as you turn on your computer or when you’re not even browsing the web, you might have spyware or other unwanted software on your computer.
  1. Your settings have changed and I can’t change them back to the way they were. Some unwanted software can change your home page or search page settings. Even if you adjust these settings, you might find that they revert back every time you restart your computer.
  2. Your web browser contains additional components that I don’t remember downloading. Spyware and other unwanted software can add toolbars to your web browser that you don’t want or need. Even if you remove these toolbars, they might return each time you restart your computer.
  3. Your computer seems sluggish. Spyware and other unwanted software are not designed to be efficient. The resources these programs use to track your activities and deliver advertisements can slow down your computer and errors in the software can make your computer crash. If you notice a sudden increase in the number of times a certain program crashes, or if your computer is slower than normal at performing routine tasks, you may have spyware or other unwanted software on your machine.

How to remove spyware on your computer

Removing spyware is as much art as it is science. The rogues who create spyware make removing their malicious programs as difficult as they can. In addition, some types of spyware download and install additional components, often hiding pieces of code from Windows to make removal even harder. If you ever do get infected with some nasty piece of malware, all you need to get rid of it are the right free tools, some time, and a little know-how.

By using the following programs your computer can detect the infection:

  • Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool. This program is updated monthly, so always download the latest version before you use it.
  • Microsoft’s Windows Defender. Windows Vista has Defender built-in, but if you suspect that you have spyware on your PC, update the program so it can find the newest bad stuff.
  • Avira Antivir PersonalEdition Classic, a free antivirus program–if you don’t already have up-to-date antivirus software.