Free Anti-Adware Software: Do They Work?
March 12, 2008
Imagine yourself surfing the internet, after a click on some advertising, out of curiosity, that has too-good-to-be-true offers your desktop screen suddenly fills with hundreds of pop-up ads and still adding some more. You may not know it, but you have downloaded a malicious program called an adware.
If you accidentally downloaded an adware, it is often very hard to remove these kinds of programs. Even the most updated anti-virus software cannot detect it. It automatically embeds a program code to your web browser automatically allowing your browser to accommodate pop-up ads appear in your computer.
With an adware installed, it will severely slow down your computer. This is because an adware and pop-up ads will use most of your computer memory. The best solution is to avoid downloading from untrusted sites from the internet.
Most adware software usually appears in your email and “underground” sites. People can download some of this adware software accidentally by offering legitimate services as a disguise, so be careful what you click or open.
Pop-up advertising with adware software in them usually has an “OK” button included in their advertising. This is because most people have become accustomed by clicking the ok button to get rid of the pop-up ad instead of clicking the close button on the right corner of the pop-up window.
To get rid of the pop-up ads, some internet browser such as Internet Explorer 6 and Netscape 8 offers pop-up blockers. However, these kinds of browsers only produce temporary solution for your adware problem. They do not specifically remove the adware software installed in your computer but only eliminates the annoying pop-up ads. Doing this may expose your computer to dangerous spywares software usually integrated with adwares.
Spyware software not only gives you pop-up ads and slows down your computer, but also invades your privacy. This kind of software works by installing programs in your computer, such as the keylogger, what this does is record every button you press in your keyboard, every website you visit, and every click of your mouse then sends them to the programmer who developed the adware and spyware program.
For more protection from these kinds of programs, some companies in the internet offers free download of their software to remove adware and spyware programs. All you have to do is visit websites that offers free downloadable anti-spyware and adware software.
After downloading their free software, install it to your computer and start the scan. Usually, most free downloadable software only has limited uses; some of this software only scans your computer and displays the results of what kind of adware or spyware that is installed in your computer, once you clicked the “remove” or “delete” button, they usually direct you to their site to purchase their products.
Some offers all the services like scanning, displaying results, and removing the adware but has an expiration date for the use of the software. These are called trial versions.
After the trial period has expired, the software will not work anymore or has only limited uses like scanning and displaying the results, and it will require you to purchase the product to continue to enjoy the benefits of the software. This kind of software is only good when you want short-term results or you want the adware or spyware removed immediately.
To find a full working free adware or spyware removing software, you need to “dig deeper” in the internet. This is because of the recent growth of adware and spyware software internet, thus creating a demand for adware or spyware removal software.
Keep in mind that pop-up ads can have adware softwares integrated in them. So, always close them by clicking the close button (the “x”) in the top right corner of the window; do not click the “ok” button.
It is also wise not to open emails from people you do not know, especially emails with attachments. Remember to avoid opening “untrusted” websites. Simply opening these kinds of websites can automatically install the adware software in your computer without you knowing it.
Do Free Adware Removers work?
March 10, 2008
We live in a world where the internet is now and important part of our lives. Doing businesses and school research or simply keeping in touch with our family and friends is efficiently achieved through the internet.
However, there are people who use the internet for the purpose of harassing and stealing from people. They develop software to steal files, harass people into buying their product, and spy on other people’s computer.
The software they develop is called adwares and spywares.
Adware is software that inserts commands to the web browser and automatically opens a pop-up advertising every few seconds or minutes, which, no matter how many times you close it, it will always, come back. It usually advertises to you that you buy a certain program to remove the pop-up ads.
To remove the pop-up advertising, new web browsers such as, Internet Explorer 6 and Netscape 8 has pop-up blockers. Most adwares are integrated with spywares. This can be dangerous for you or your online business.
It would be like an unwanted stranger entering your home, installing cameras, and listening devices around your house. Pop-up blockers are not enough to counter this kind of programs.
Since adware and spyware’s programming is different from computer viruses, anti-virus softwares are useless against it.
To fight this growing problem, software developers have created software called anti-adware or anti-spyware. This software can be easily downloaded from the internet for a fee.
After you downloaded and installed the anti-adware/spyware program, you now scan your computer with it and the software will display all kinds of adwares and spywares installed in your computer. After it has finished scanning and displaying all adwares and spywares in your computer, it will give you the option to delete or keep it.
Some anti-adware/spyware programs also offer immunization from the threat to avoid the adware/spyware to enter your computer again.
You must also update your anti-adware/spyware regularly to update adware/spyware definitions to protect your computer against new threats.
There are also ways to remove adwares and spywares manually, but it is not recommended for people who have little or no knowledge at all about programming.
This is because some adwares and spywares can only be removed by deleting it from the system registry, which also contains critical data that are required to run the Windows operating system. Deleting such files will create more problems than solution, such as:
• You may not be able to run certain programs installed in your computer.
• Your operating system may not function properly and you may receive different kinds of error messages.
• Your operating system may not run at all.
To remove adwares/spywares, you can usually download free adware/spyware removal softwares. However, such files have only limited uses and contain not updated adware/spyware definitions. These freebies are usually trial periods before you buying the full software. Some of these softwares only scan your computer and the “delete” capability is disabled, unless you buy the registration key to unlock the additional features.
Some have full capabilities but has an expiration date or has only a limited number of uses. After the expiration date and the total number of uses are up, it usually gives you a message that tells you to buy registration key for the software to continue using the product.
There are also available downloads for free full versions of adware/spyware removal software but usually, the adware/spyware definitions have no updates and has limited capabilities.
For further assurance that your computer is protected from the threats of adware/spyware, you need to buy good anti-adware/spyware programs from reputable companies. You will know the good reputation of company ones they gain good or positive feedback from its customers and have good product reviews from known software magazines.
Is your Computer Safe from Adware?
March 7, 2008
Computers are “wonder machines” because it makes our life easier. It can organize our bulky files in the office, can use it as a medium in communicating with our relatives and friends on a long-distance basis, and can be a tool in learning different things without even attending a college degree class or a baking class.
However, this metal-and-semiconductor contraption, just like other technological products, also has some vulnerabilities. Through different unknown programs that roam around the World Wide Web, computers are prone to such malfunctioning or even permanent shutdown of its internal system.
One familiar program that is a threat to a computer system is the adware. To understand what it is and what damages it can create to your computer, had better check the preceding sections.
What is an Adware?
There are different definitions of adware, its basic identification, is that it is considered as software. What will make you annoyed is that you have actually downloaded it without realizing that you have done the action. It usually enables pop-up ads (advertisements or anything that comes up when you have entered a certain webpage) as well as banner ads that will be displayed to your computer.
The major trouble that you will encounter with adware is that too much of it will make your computer run slowly and displaying the downloaded page incorrectly. Much worse, your system will not run correctly.
Adwares also disguises as free downloads, where it will provide a dialogue box or other methods of installation that will lure you to avail of whatever it is offering, especially to your computer. Once availed, the dilemma in your system will start, as the application becomes difficult to be installed that causes your system to run slowly.
Is Adware Present in your Computer System?
Computers connected to the Internet for a long period are likely to acquire adware. How can you check on it? For instance, you have been browsing the Internet and downloading some programs direct from a website, and then a “free screensaver download” advertisement popped up. Either you actually downloaded it or not, it will make a way to “install” itself to your system. In that way, it is already affected by adware.
Let us say at that time, you are also running two programs. Maybe you will notice that your computer run slowly, retrieving every program at a slower rate. That is now the effect of adware.
Protect your Computer
As stressed, computers connected in the Internet are always subjected to adware. Your computer is not safe from this, and you need to take some precautionary measures to protect your system. You can check the following items to help you protect your system:
• Purchase a comprehensive software program that will protect your computer, such as an adware blocker. This will provide your computer the necessary protection. For instance, you have unknowingly downloaded something that seems to be an adware. The adware blocker will alert you that you have downloaded such and will ask whether you want to install the adware program in your computer.
• Always remember that there is no such thing as “free” without carrying a system dilemma in the Web. For sure, most of these free downloads contains adware with it. So as much as possible, avoid availing such downloads.
• Make sure that the security settings of your Internet browser is configured correctly. These can prevent adware and other harmful software from automatically downloading on your system.
• Never click on pop-up ads. Make it as a rule. Control yourself to click even a single pop-up ad—or make your system go nuts.
Get rid of this adware and always be careful when you are on the Web. Because everything is possible if you will not anticipate on anything that can make your computer as good as trash.