Firstly, it is very important that you understand the difference between viruses and spyware because they are completely different.

I will define them below, but an anti-virus product will not deal with spyware issues and therefore it must be tackled seperately.

Let me go through both:

Viruses:

A virus spreads malicious software from computer to computer which can cause disastrous effects to your system.

They can be caught through downloading files, receiving emails, floppy disks, USB’s, CD’s etc.

These viruses can only be removed effectively using Anti-Virus software, which your computer comes with when first purchased. (I talk more about this on Day 5 of my course – sign up above if you’re interested)

Spyware:

Spyware is unwanted software which collects information about you without you knowing. It’s caught through regular use of the internet.

The spyware itself can monitor your keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, install other spyware programs and gather information about your email addresses, passwords and credit card numbers.

Spyware cannot be removed with an Anti-Virus product because the software see’s spyware as a ‘safe and trustworthy file’ due to being programmed to only detect viruses.

For this reason, Anti-Spyware software was produced to get rid of the spyware. If both types of software are used together, you can enjoy a bug-free and speedy computer.

You might be thinking to yourself though, how do I know if I have spyware problems?

Below are detectable symptoms of spyware:

- Your PC Runs Slower Than Normal

- You are Bombarded With Annoying Pop-Up Ads

- New Toolbars Have Been Added To Your Web Browser

- Unknown Programs / Icons / Desktop Shortcuts Have Been Installed On Your Computer

- For Unknown Reasons, Your PC Will Crash & Literally Have A Mind of Its Own!

If you have noticed any of these criteria above, I strongly suggest you look into solving the problem as soon as possible.

In order to solve the problem the quickest and most efficient way is to use a spyware removal program.

Basically, these products will scan your entire PC for you, checking every single area in the search for spyware and adware infections. If they find any, you have the option of either quarantining the infection or deleting it completely. The only reason someone would quarantine an infection over deleting it is because it may be a file that your computer needs (ie the antispyware product *may* make a mistake, but this is very unlikely).

Be warned though, make sure that you choose a reliable spyware removal software product, because there are many out there that simply do not deliver.

By: Jack Miller

About the Author:

Adware-Spyware Reviews

If you are connected to the Internet, chances are adware (also spelled by some as “ad ware”)has had some sort of impact on you or your system. Whether or not adware’s impact is a positive or negative one is up to the user to decide. The goal of this article is to simply help distinguish the positive and negative characteristics of adware.

The Negative Affects of Adware:

For most people, the negative characteristics of adware are pretty obvious. The most common problem people have with adware is its ability to cause advertisements to spontaneously pop up on your computer. In addition, adware has also been known to slow down a computer’s speed and performance.

Putting adware’s functionality aside, people have also become very frustrated in trying to remove adware. From virus scans, to restarting the computer, to trying various manual solutions provided by others on the Internet, some adware will just not seem to go away, no matter what people do. In these situations, it seems the only guaranteed way to remove adware is to wipe the computer hard drive clean by reformatting and then just reinstall everything, which most are not willing to do.

At this point, a lot of people can probably agree on all of the negative aspects of adware. In fact, some people may have some of their own personal grudges in regards to adware that weren’t discussed, but these are just the primary frustrations people have. So, if adware causes all of these problems to people and their computers, you may be wondering how on earth it can have any positive traits whatsoever. Read on, and you’ll see that this is not a myth.

The Positive Affects of Adware:

Answer this: have you ever downloaded something for free (legally, of course) and the owner/developer of that download asked you for a donation? As a follow-up to that question, have you ever donated to freely download what these owners/developers offer? And no, donating your time to visit their site and use their software doesn’t count. It is probably safe to say most people will not donate any money to download stuff for free. This is where adware comes into play.

For the most part, where there is adware, there is money to be made. Since there are not enough monetary donations to cover expenses incurred from developing a download, advertisers are usually willing to contribute money. In return, they simply ask the download developers to bundle their adware with whatever they are offering. Since there are no other alternatives for the developer, (s)he agrees to bundle the adware and in return, you are allowed to download whatever is being offered for free.

So there you have it, adware does in fact serve a positive aspect to the Internet. Whether or not you personally use free downloads, a lot of people do. Having said that, it is because of adware that downloads can remain free now and in the future.

Josh George has been helping others protect themselves against adware and annoying pop-ups since 1998. His website contains free adware information, adware tools, and useful guides proven to help prevent annoying pop-ups from appearing on computers. If you want to learn how to help protect your own system from annoying adware, have a look at his site: Adware Removers.

There is a difference between the adware and the spyware, even they are so much alike. I think the similarities out weighs the disparities, they are similar in so many ways that it seems to many that the adware and spyware are the same. The truth is that the adware is different from the spyware though the two go hand in hand. The major difference exist in their functions, but the way they operate are so much alike, so, it will be right to say that they are alike and that they are different, which ever way you think of it you can be right.

The adware is a software program that supports advertisements on the internet. Software developers create these programs and attaching it with other software applications, most of which are free versions of application, when downloaded, the adware get into the system to display different adverts whenever the application is used or whenever the user may browse the web. The adware creates a connection link between the internet advertisement company and the computer system, transferring information to and from the system.

One the other hand, the spyware is also a software program designed mainly to spy the activities of the computer user, this program is installed to the computer unknown to the user of the user, most times they may ask you to click on a particular link to get something free, and once you do that a spyware is loaded into your system unknown to you, sometimes the software forces its way into your system, making it so hard to detect its presence in your system.

What tasks does the adware perform once it gets into your system? It makes sure it brings up different adverts as programmed by the advertisement company. This can become very irritating if you are busy trying to perform some serious tasks on the internet, you see several unending adverts interrupting your work, making it difficult for you to concentrate; that is very disturbing if you ask me. I have noticed a better way they do this thing recently, they just attach the adware with only one application and when you download the free software, the adverts come up only when you use that particular application and they are not so annoying in that case.

As for the spyware, no one knows when and how it gets into the system, it comes in through any available avenue, once it is in the system, it begins to monitor every operation carried out in the system, it spies all that the system does and how it is done, these facts are recorded and used by its programmers for what ever reason they dim fit. Parents can use this to monitor the activities on their children computers, this is good because the children will not detect it and with this device they can actually control the browsing activities of their children, putting restriction or boundaries to the internet activities of their children. Employers can also use it to monitor and control the activities of employees on the computer through out the office.

The spyware can be a very useful software device if used for the right or legal purposes, it provides control and surveillance, making it easy to monitor the activities of individuals with the aim detecting crime and reducing it to the lowest minimal.

Adware and spyware has the similarity of exposing the private information in the computer system to its programmers and internet trackers and hackers, with these tracking of the user’s activities on the system is done. They are both powerful tracking devices.

Finally, to escape from these tracking and hacking software programs, you should install a blocking or removing software to rid your computer system of these menace.

By: Abhishek Agarwal

About the Author:

Best Adware-Spyware Reviews

Spyware and adware are becoming major problems for online
surfers and PC owners. Some highly respected sources such as
AOL, Earthlink and Webroot place the rate of infection at 80-90%
of all computers. Granted, some of this percentage is taken up
by relatively benign tracking cookies, but other types like
keyword logging, system monitors, worms and Trojans present a
major threat to your privacy and may even do serious damage to
your computer.

With the occurrences of Spyware increasing daily, chances are high that
you will be going into battle against Spyware very soon — so if
you need a battle plan — Try these 5 Tips:

1. Go on the offensive. Fight spyware before it even arrives on
your computer. Make sure you have a good ‘anti-virus software’
program running on your PC. Many ISPs (Internet Service Providers)
now offer anti-virus programs or even purchasing a commercial product
is to your advantage. Get a program or product that is regularly
updated to fend off the latest viruses, adware, worms, trojans and
spyware.

2. Put up a Firewall. A Firewall should be one of your first
lines of defense against spyware. A Firewall is simply a system or gateway
designed to prevent unauthorized access to your computer or network. Check out
http://www.zonealarm.com, they provide a free Firewall for individual users.
Download their program and place it on your PC.

3. Don’t open Emails and Attachments from people you don’t know.
Use common sense, DON’T open any emails from people you don’t know.
Especially, do not open any Attachments until they are scanned for spyware and
viruses. Many mail servers will do these scans for
free.

4. Keep Your Operating System Up to Date. Be aware of what’s on
your system — do regular spyware and adware scans to see exactly what’s on
your computer. Know your machine! You may be horrified to learn someone may
be monitoring your every ‘keystroke’ and every ‘image’ you’ve viewed on
your computer. So scan regularly and also make sure you download the newest updates
from your Operating System; these often contain patches or fixes for serious
breaches of security on your PC.

5. Back-up Your System. If all the above steps fail, nothing is
foolproof, any computer that uses the Internet can be hacked, so you need to back-
up your important data. You can use floppy disks, CDs or use a second computer that’s not
connected to the net just for storage or back-up of your sensitive data/programs. An
inexpensive notebook computer can be used to make daily/weekly back-ups of your vital data
and programs.

In conclusion, the best defense against any spyware is a strong offense.
Be prepared, be aware, but most of all, be battle-ready: have a system in place that
will nuke these spyware agents before they even reach your computer. Choose your weapons
carefully, be merciless, be thorough and take no prisoners! This is a battle you can’t
afford to lose.

Implement and Use these 5 helpful ‘Spyware Fighting’ tips and the
Victory is yours!

By: Titus Hoskins

About the Author:

Adware-Spyware Reviews

For more information see the free spyware removal guide.

Spyware is becoming the worst threat on the internet, with offending programs becoming more and more widespread. Also known as malware, these programs are invasive and some have the ability to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers. Here are three ways to protect yourself.

1.) Stay away from file sharing programs. Programs like Kazaa, Limewire, and Bearshare are notorious for installing multitudes of spyware programs on users computers. The top offender is Kazaa, which carries with it multiple malware programs that could potentially put the user at risk for serious security breaches.

2.) Download and use Firefox. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is known to be full of security holes. Since Internet Explorer is the most widely used browser, cyber criminal programmers aim directly at IE’s security holes. Internet Explorer also shares an intimate connection with the Windows operating system, allowing renegade software to significantly disrupt the computer. Many savvy computer users are turning to alternative browsers such as Mozilla’s Firefox. Firefox is known to be much more secure than Internet Explorer. Also, since it is also less widely used, cyber-criminals do not tend to focus on trying to exploit it.

3.) Install a spyware removal program. This is an extremely important step. Without a reputable anti-spyware program, malware can sit on your computer undetected. Computer Virus software like Norton and Symantec are not presently geared for these programs, and consistently miss them during system scans. After a while these insidious programs build up, and can create a sluggish system, and even steal personal information such as passwords and credit card information. Because of the explosion in spyware and malware over the past 12 months, it is important to purchase a reputable removal program that has continued support and updates. It is prudent to stay away from “free” programs as these can miss spyware and are often “rogue” programs that install their own malware in order to goad users into paying for a useless program.

By: Cynthia Blake

About the Author:

No Adware Software Review

90% of personal computers are infected with spyware. Spyware can usually be detected by identifying a number of symptoms. However, the easiest way to learn if you have spyware, is to to get a scan of your computer. I will tell you more about getting scan later in this article. First I will go over a few of the symptoms which are signs of spyware.

So “how do I know if I have spyware on my computer?” Some of the symptoms include, your computer runs slower than usual, degradation of your system, frequent freezes, being redirected to strange undesired pages when running a search, an excessive amount of pop-ups, and unwanted changes to your compute and internet settings.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms then your computer is probably infected. Some forms of spyware won’t produce any signs of spyware and are only detectable by a scan. It is recommended that you get a scan whether you are experiencing some of these symptoms or not. In order to learn the severity of your spyware infection, you have to get a scan.

Most anti-spyware programs will provide you with a FREE spyware scan. If it turns out you do have spyware, the easiest way to get rid of it is buying the whole anti-spyware program. These programs will provide spyware removal and protection to your computer.

Spyware is very common but easily treated. However, the symptoms I mentioned above aren’t ALWAYS the result of spyware. Getting a scan is the most accurate way of detecting spyware.

“How do I know if I have spyware on my computer?” These symptoms may be from spyware, but to be sure get a scan.

By: Josh Lewis

About the Author:

Adware-Spyware Reviews

Spyware:

Malicious programs that stealthily embed themselves into your software. They are installed in your software, without your knowledge, in many ways. Through e-mail especially, the ones that are multi-forwarded. You know who sent it to you, but what about all of those other names? Who are they? Through free scans or free downloads. Through Web sites that you visit that specialize in this practice, and music downloads. These must be removed from your computer before they cause damage to your operating system and applications and bring your system to a halt.

Effects:

A spyware program is rarely alone on a computer,an affected machine can rapidly be infected by many other components. Users frequently notice unwanted behavior and degradation of system performance. A spyware infestation can create significant unwanted CPU activity, disk usage, and network traffic, all of which slow the computer down. Stability issues, such as application or system-wide crashes, are also common. Spyware, which interferes with networking software commonly causes difficulty connecting to the Internet.

Security :

The first step to removing the virus (spyware) is to put your computer on “lock down.” This can be done in various ways such as using your anti-virus software, or simply disconnect your computer from all internet actives. This will make whoever is in control of the virus unable to have any control of your computer. The second step to removing the spyware is to locate it and remove it, manually or by virus protection software. Also, stay away from websites that have potential threats to your computer. Click here for free top rated anti spyware

By: Ramakrishna Thinnavelli

About the Author:

No Adware Software Review

If you are reading this article there is a very good chance that you may have spyware on your computer. Why? Because any computer that accesses the internet is open to being infected by spyware, adware, and malware downloads. And more often then not you won’t even know you’ve been infected until you start to see the tell-tale signs.

The most outward signs of a spyware and adware infestation is decreased computer performance and annoying pop-up ads that appear faster then you can minimize them. Unfortunately you may not notice any problem at all while these programs run secretly in the background, sending your personal information back to their creators.

So how does this crappy software get on your computer? It’s easier then you may think. If you’ve ever downloaded anything off the internet your chances of having spyware and/or adware are pretty good. Games, music, screensavers, those cute little emoticons can all have malware hidden in their downloads. Simply clicking on any pop-up ad that appears can also have the same effect.

Once your computer has been exposed to the internet the chances of having some form of spyware or adware installed is increased if you don’t protect yourself with a good spyware blocker and removal program. If that’s not a good enough reason to protect your personal property and information here are 10 more reasons you need to be wary of spyware on computer.

1. Your computer may start running slower
2. Some programs on your computer will not run correctly
3. You may not recognize programs that are now on your computer because they may have been installed there by a spyware related web site or program you loaded on your computer.
4. Someone might be able to read your e-mails.
5. Someone might be able to access your e-mail list.
6. Someone might be able to see you track the keystrokes you type.
7. Someone might be able to access your credit card information on your pc.
8. Someone might be able to access your passwords list on your computer.
9. Someone might be able to steal your social security number.
10. Someone might be able to track all the web sites you visit.

In this day and age it only makes sense to protect your personal information from those who may wish to use it against you or for their own gain. We are a computer reliant society and as such these same time saving machines can be exploited by those who wish us harm, either through malicious virus attacks or spyware that seeks to spy on and steal information that needs to be closely guarded. If you think you have been exposed and have spyware on your computer it is important that you do a spyware scan as soon as possible.

By: Andrew Bicknell

About the Author:

Best Adware-Spyware Reviews