Be Certain Your Computer Is Safe, Run A Spyware Detector

By Jerry J. Jansen On March 4, 2010 Under Internet Security

You’ve noticed that your computer is a little slower than usual.  You thought you saw a new mysterious icon in your system tray.  Then there are those odd error messages you’ve been getting.  Does your computer have a problem?  Something that wasn’t caught by your antivirus?  If you even suspect that your computer may be infected, you should run a spyware detector and check.  Spyware is far too dangerous to your online privacy and your computer to ignore.

Scammers are Out to Get You

Spyware is the term for a particularly nasty type of malicious software that infects your computer, steals your private data, and sends that data back to thieves who then use the information to make your life miserable, often through identity theft.  At least, that’s the goal.

A lot of spyware falls far short of the level of danger, but as if to compensate it makes up for it in levels of annoyance.  A lot of spyware will pop-up windows when you attempt to browse the web, and hijack your browser to strange websites.  You may get new toolbars in your web browser, or your homepage may change to a site full of advertisements.  The very worst of the bunch will delete random files from your hard drive, slowly destroying your system and anything you have stored on your computer.

Browse the Web? You Might Have Spyware

Getting spyware is entirely too easy.  Unlike viruses, it has to be installed, but because software installation on Windows is very easy this isn’t much of a barrier.  Spyware creators will try to convince you that their software is useful and worth installing, often in the space of a short pop-up advertisement, and if you succumb to the temptations your computer will be infected.  Sometimes you will see a pop-up that claims your computer is infected and you need to install a “removal tool” to clean it up.  The removal tool is spyware, and it’s a scam to get you to put it on your computer.

You Need Technical Skills to Remove Spyware

Removing spyware is never easy.  The creators of spyware don’t want you to take it off, because then they lose their source of data and money.  So they may include an un-installation program, but it won’t work 100%.  Getting rid of spyware requires a bit of dedication to the cause and a few technical skills.  Can you stop processes, edit the registry, and delete hidden files?  You might be able to manually remove spyware if you have those skills and are able to identify what spyware is infecting your computer.  If not, you need that spyware detector to find and remove the spyware for you.

Choose an Antispyware Program Wisely

There are a lot of antispyware programs available.  A lot of them work to varying degrees, but you need to do a bit of research before installing one.  This is because the spyware creators are clever enough to pretend that their spyware actually is a spyware detector and remover.

Before you download that antispyware, find out who makes it and if they are a legitimate company.  Check out reviews of the product, and read the guarantee to make sure it offers what you need.  Take back your computer from the scammers and identity thieves who think you are easy prey.


Try a free SpyZooka scan now from http://www.spyzooka.com to find out if your computer is infected with malicious programs and protect it from future problems.
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