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Is Your Computer Running Slow?

If you computer is doing odd things or seems slower than normal, chances are good that you have a virus or tons of spyware bogging it down.  There are many free online tools to help you fix and maintain computers.  Keep reading for more help.
 

What is Spyware?

Spyware is another name for Advertising Supported software (Adware). It is another way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than by selling it to the users.

Definition of Spyware (Quoted from Whatis.com)
Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet (where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software), spyware is programming that is put in someone's computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program. Data collecting programs that are installed with the user's knowledge are not, properly speaking, spyware, if the user fully understands what data is being collected and with whom it is being shared. However, spyware is often installed without the user's consent, as a drive-by download, or as the result of clicking some option in a deceptive pop-up window.

The cookie is a well-known mechanism for storing information about an Internet user on their own computer. However, the existence of cookies and their use is generally not concealed from users, who can also disallow access to cookie information. Nevertheless, to the extent that a Web site stores information about you in a cookie that you don't know about, the cookie mechanism could be considered a form of spyware.

How is spyware placed on my computer?

Anytime you click on an advertisement, download a program or get a pop-up window, you are at risk.  The good news is that you can safely remove any current spyware and detect and stop dangerous popups and spyware by installing a free program called Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.3

Instructions:  There are several different websites that offer the free download for Spybot.  Click the link above to download the free program.  'Save' the program in your Programs folder (Or just save it to your desktop).  After the download is done, follow the prompts for installation.  It will ask you if you want to setup the program to run at startup, say yes. (This means it will start to run when you turn your computer on.)  Running the program all the time will allow you to stop any popups that contain spyware.  After setup and installation, you MUST download the updates for the program before running a scan of your computer.  The updates contain any new information that the program needs to detect spyware on your system.  Next, run the program.  When it completes the scan it will show you all the spyware it found on your computer and will allow you to remove them.  If the program confuses you, click on the help link on the program.  To keep your computer running fast and to protect your privacy online, run the program weekly.  Be sure to download the updates first.