Tuesday, May 27, 2008

How to Clean Spyware from Your Computer

Spyware is computer software that gets installed secretly on personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's contact with the computer, without the user's consent.
Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habit, sites that have been visited. Spyware can even change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and loss of Internet or other programs.

To keep you computer working finely it is necessary to remove spyware. For this you need help of a spyware remover program. There are plenty of anti-spyware software available as it has become a blooming industry. You need to keep a good firewall in place as well as email virus help protection. But these two ways are not sufficient and any time these malicious viruses can get into your computer.

Anti-spyware programs can combat spyware in two ways:
• They can provide real time protection against the installation of spyware software on your computer
• Anti-spyware software programs can be used solely for detection and removal of spyware software that has already been installed onto your computer.

Some examples of such spyware removing programs are:
• Norton Internet Security
• Microsoft Windows Antispyware (Beta)
• X-Cleaner (freeware)
• Spy Sweeper
• Pest Patrol
• Hijack This
• Spy Remover
• Who's Watching Me

The other way to remove a spyware is through the Add/Remove Programs section of Windows to see if any worm, virus help or spyware help is listed. Some of the quasi-legitimate adware programs may include uninstallers, but malicious pests do not.

For a home PC a clean format can solve the problem. But for a computer which is storing huge amount of information, it would not be a good choice. You need to take back up before formatting a computer. In this case you need to keep these tips in mind.

Hard disk partitioning method:
• Shrink and hide the current infested partition, create a new visible and bootable partition, install the clean copy of Windows into this new partition.
Disk imaging method:
• The best location for the image backup is outside the infested computer, either on CDs, DVDs, an external hard disk or another computer on the LAN.

Formatting may be one of the safer methods, but you need to clean spyware thoroughly and eradicate it whenever you find it.

To keep your PC spyware free it is advised to constantly update your spyware definitions to the latest versions. Scan your system at least once a week, more often if you can, and use at least two proven spyware remover programs to clean spyware completely and keep your computer in good shape.

Source : http://www.itvoir.com/portal/boxx/knowledgebase.asp?iid=696&Cat=3

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