Welcome to Adware Free Spyware
Spyware Removal Is Not A Luxury
In 2004, it was estimated that 80% of all computer users had some form of spyware on their computer, and 90% of those users didn't even have a clue that their PC was infected. I can only imagine that it's gotten worse since 2004. How about you?
Spyware is a form of software that is covertly installed on a personal computer (PC) without the computer owner's knowledge or consent. Adware is a form of advertising software that is installed with the technical legal consent of the computer owner as a form of payment for the use of a website or program usually in the form of an End User License Agreement (EULA). The main difference between spyware and adware is knowledge and consent of the user, and usually the source's intended use of the information that the software gathers about you. Because spyware is added without consent, and can often lead to a number of damaging effects to a computer, spyware removal using a spyware scanner is a popular subject for computer users today.
The first step in spyware removal is, of course, determining whether you indeed have spyware installed on your computer. Statistically speaking, chances are you do. In a study conducted by America Online and the National Cyber-Security Alliance in 2004, it was estimated that 80% of computer users across the world have some form of spyware installed on their computer, and 90% of these users are not even aware of it. It's probably gotten worse since 2004.
Some common signs that your computer may be infected with spyware are pop-up advertisements that occur frequently, sometimes when you are not even on the web. These ads can be extremely annoying to be sure, but spyware can have even more sinister effects to your computer. For instance, it can considerably slow your computer down, add hard to remove toolbars to your browser, change your home page without your knowledge, turn your computer into a Zombie for use in distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks on third-party websites, and even cause lock-ups or crashes, resulting in lost data or the need to re-install your operating system and applications from scratch.
The good news is that there are a number of spyware downlaods offering spyware scanner and removal programs that will scan your computer to detect spyware elements. If it is determined that your computer is infected with spyware, some of these programs are able to remove the infection. Many spyware removal programs are available free of charge, and are updated regularly. Some programs will allow you to scan your computer for free, but will then ask for payment in order to clean the detected spyware. You may want to be a little skeptical of these scan-now-and-pay-later programs, and stick to the ones that are entirely free of cost. Some good examples include Spybot Search & Destroy (www.spybot.com), and AdAware SE Personal (www.lavasoft.com).
These free spyware removal programs are usually able to get most spyware off your computer. To increase your chances of success though, it is best to run both of the above programs, and maybe even a more powerful paid-for spyware scanner and removal tool like Pest Patrol (www.pestpatrol.com).
Unfortunately, the reality of the Internet today is that you may encounter occasional spyware programs that are especially malicious and will require more complicated measures to remove. Instructions on how to remove these more devious spyware programs are often available in technical forums across the internet and at some of the anti-spyware software websites. In the worst case scenario though, you will find that most stores that offer computer repair are also able to clean spyware as well as viruses off of your PC.
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