Without
sounding like a late night info commercial.
Do you experience pop up after pop up of ad's
while browsing the internet?
Chances are you have spyware on your PC causing
these ad's to pop up.
They are annoying, and there is a way to stop
them.
Computers do require maintenance just like a car
does. The only difference is that some basic
maintenance on a computer can be easier and less
time consuming then changing the engine oil in
your car.
Regular Spyware scans and cleans will ensure your
computer is running more efficient and without pop
ups.
Spyware is almost unavoidable, every website you
visit will always download information to your
computer. This is temporary information, however
many web sites
you visit today will download spyware and cookies.
Running a spyware scan after a browsing session is
highly recommended. This ensures fast, hassle free
browsing next time.
Harmony Digital will Install and teach you how to
run and maintain your computer so it is spyware
free.
Consumers need to be VERY Careful downloading
spyware software.
There are too many so called Spyware cleaners on
the internet that are spyware, or claim to find
spyware and keep prompting you to purchase before
it can clean your pc.
We have created a list of known software which
should be avoided:
(we will add more to this list as we find and
test more spyware cleaner software)
·
PC Tools - Spyware Doctor
·
XoftSpySE and any XoftSpy Software
·
No Adware
·
Spyware Nuker
·
Registry Fix
·
X-Cleaner Spyware
Spyware cleans and general checkups of your pc can
be done onsite, at the repair centre or by remote
access.
Don't put up with annoying pop up ad's. Contact us
today and we will have you sorted out in as little
as 30 minutes.
Contact
Harmony Digital today for all your Computer and IT
related problems.
Things
you need to know about Spyware
If your computer
starts to behave strangely or displays any of the
symptoms listed below, you may have spyware or
other unwanted software (malware) installed on
your computer.
1.
My computer seems sluggish.
Spyware and other unwanted software is not
designed to be efficient. The resources these
programs use to track your activities and deliver
advertisements can slow down your computer and
errors in the software can make your computer
crash. If you notice a sudden increase in the
number of times a certain program crashes, or if
your computer is slower than normal at performing
routine tasks, you may have spyware or other
unwanted software on your machine.
2. Home page and search
engine hijacking.
When a user's preferred home page or search engine
is changed to an unknown site an unwary victim may
be exposed to an increased risk of further malware
or spyware infection. It is not unusual for
malware sites to direct hijacked computers to
other Web sites that download and install even
more malware. There may also be an increased risk
of exposure to unwanted or unsavory content such
as gambling or adult links via advertisements or
sponsored links.
3.
I have tool bars that appear out of nowhere.
Often such toolbars are search engine based.
Sometimes they cannot be turned off permanently
and reappear on reboot, and sometimes they cannot
be turned off at all. Sometimes, as part of their
installation, they will disable other toolbars
that may already be installed – for example, if
a reputable toolbar such as GoogleBar, AltaVista's
toolbar or Earthlink's toolbar is installed the
hijacker will turn off those toolbars to remove
competition.
Search results from hijacking toolbars may be
restricted to only sites that pay for positioning,
otherwise known as "sponsored" results.
It is important to understand the difference
between sponsored results and standard search
results. Standard search results are most often
created by "spidering." Spidered pages
earn a high ranking over time. Community
popularity plays a big part when search engines
determine the ranking of sites that appear in
standard search results. Things such as number of
hits to a site, or the number of other sites that
link to the page, affect ranking. Sponsored links,
on the other hand, are there simply because they
have paid for the privilege.
4. My settings have
changed and I can't change them back.
Some unwanted software have the ability to change
your home page or search page settings. This means
that the page that opens first when you start your
Internet browser or the page that appears when you
select "search" may be pages that you do
not recognize. Even if you know how to adjust
these settings, you may find that they revert back
every time you restart your computer.
5. I see pop-up
advertisements all the time.
Pop-up advertisements can be very intrusive.
Sometimes they interfere with Web browsing by
taking over the entire computer screen. They can
be difficult or impossible to close. In bad cases,
many windows will appear in rapid succession,
making the computer virtually unusable.
Sometimes adware pop-ups are deliberately
deceptive. Examples where the "no" or
"cancel" buttons are actually
"yes" or "install" buttons.
Also pop-up windows with fake Close buttons that
when clicked trigger malware installations, much
to the shock of their victims. Some unwanted
software will bombard you with pop-up ads that
aren't related to a particular Web site you're
visiting. These ads are often for adult or other
Web sites you may find objectionable. If you see
pop-up ads as soon as you turn on your computer or
when you're not even browsing the Web, you
probably have spyware or other unwanted software
on your computer. Pop-up windows can sometimes be
explicit and family-unfriendly. They can also
advertise what is commonly known as "BetrayWare"
(a term coined, and encouraged, by MVP Jim
Eshelman at his Web page).
One example that we saw on one of our own
computers (while we were testing a sponsor program
bundled with free software) was an advertisement
that trumpeted a warning that our computer was
infected with spyware. We can reassure you that it
was, not infected! Sadly, far too many people are
fooled by such BetrayWare advertisements.
Do
not believe everything you read – the computer
was NOT infected
LOOK OUT for Products that so called detect a
problem and claim to fix it if you
buy the software.
Note:
Don't be fooled, there aren't any benevolent
(good hearted) programs roaming the Internet
looking for spyware, or at least that we know
of. If you see pop-ups, that look like one
above, you can be assured they are not a
Microsoft Windows based messages if it has any
offer to download a program. That is not the way
Microsoft Operates. Never trust pop-ups that do
not apply to the application (program) that you
are currently using.
Additional
Symptoms of Infection
• When you start your computer, or when your
computer has been idle for many minutes, your
Internet browser opens to display Web site
advertisements.
• When you use your browser to view Web sites,
other browsers simultaneously open to display
advertisements.
• Your Web browser's home page unexpectedly
changes.
• Web pages are unexpectedly added to your
Favorites folder.
• New toolbars are unexpectedly added to your
Web browser.
• You cannot start certain programs.
• When you click a link in a program, the link
does not work.
• Your Web browser suddenly closes or stops
responding.
• It takes a much longer time to start or to
resume your computer.
• Components of Windows or other programs no
longer work.
|
