Spyware and Adware

A computer that is hooked up to the internet and is used actively for surfing, e-mail and downloading will be exposed to Spyware and Adware without the user being aware of it. There are certain symptoms that can alert the user of the presence of Spyware/Adware. If you recognise one or several of these symptoms it can imply that your computer have been infected with Spyware/Adware. Read the rest of the article for some suggestions on how to get rid of them.
Note however that if your computer is seriously infected with Spyware/Adware and/or in combination of a one or several viruses, a complete reinstall of your operating system will be the only solution. A reinstallation will remove everything you have on your computer, so make sure that you have backed up files you wish to keep.

Spyware and Adware?

Spyware and Adware are programs which are installed onto the computer without the user actively approving of them. They will monitor the use of the computer and send information back to the ones which created the program. Adware is often added when installing a program, and allows the user to run the program in exchange for showing ads.

How can I determine whether my computer has Spyware or Adware?

There are several tools available for diagnosing your computer. The most common ones are Spybot and Adaware These programs will serch your computer for Spyware/Adware, and allow the user to delete any spyware/adware detected.

How do I use these programs?

Guides are available for both:

• Spybot
• Ad-Aware

How can I protect my computer against Spyware/Adware?

Unfortunately you cannot protect your computer 100% against spyware/adware if you use the Internet actively. However most of the Spyware/Adware developed are targeted against users of IE (Internet Explorer). So a simple shift of browser to for instance Opera or Firefox will prevent a large amount of Spyware/Adware infecting your computer.
Microsoft is developing a program for protecting your computer against unwanted programs being installed. This is still a beta version (still under development), but are functioning and can be downloadedhere . Type Windows AntiSpyware in the search field.