About Adware and Spyware

Advertising software (adware) on your computer can cause multiple pop-up advertising windows to appear on your screen and can often reduce the overall stability of your system. "Spyware" is a form of adware that can collect information about web sites you visit and key strokes you type.

 Most adware is installed without your knowledge, through file-sharing programs like Limewire or through certain web sites that prompt you to install special software in order to view the page (see Browser Hijacking).

 Some adware purports to be useful and some even has real functionality. This functionality must be weighed against the problems you may encounter when you have it installed. The problems may be enhanced when more than one adware program is present at the same time.

 Be Cautious

Some websites, upon your initial visit, ask you to install software that extends the functionality of your web browser. For example, windowsupdate.com prompts you to install a piece of software that lets the browser check whether your copy of Windows has the latest security patches (this one is legitimate). However, some not-so-reputable websites use this technique to maliciously install adware and spyware on your computer.

 If you are not sure about a specific piece of software you are being asked to install, you should cancel the process and search the Internet for more information to help make your decision.

 If you are prompted to install software you don't recognize and don't want to install -- be cautious. Even when you select "Cancel" or "No" in these windows it may install software without your consent. The best way to dismiss these prompts is to click the "X" in the upper right side of the window. If you think you may have made the wrong choice when prompted in the past, please follow the instructions on detecting and deleting adware below.

 Detecting Adware

One way to rid yourself of advertising annoyances is to install and run software that detects and deletes advertising programs. Popular programs include Spybot Search and Destroy, Ad-aware, or Super AntiSpyware.

An Alternative: Manually Removing Adware

You can also manually uninstall some adware. Dozens of different adware programs exist. Check the list below for software you may have on your computer.

Tread carefully: do not uninstall software components until you are sure they are not used by Windows or another program for legitimate purposes.

To manually remove a program:

1.     Go to Start -> Control Panel (in Windows ME or earlier, click Start ->Settings -> Control Panel)

 2.     Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs control panel. A list of software installed on your computer will appear.

 3.     Review the list of adware below. If you find a match, highlight the adware and click Remove. (Note: Some advertising programs make you go through several steps before you can uninstall, others ask numerous times if you are certain you want to completely remove the program. Don't be scared by these warnings.)

 Commonly Found Adware

The following is a short list of the most prominent advertising software and the ones most commonly found on machines we fix:

• Win Antivirus 2008 or Win Antivirus 2009
• AV360
• Windows XP Police
• Bargain Buddy
• Coupon Printer
• eBates
• MyWebSearch
• Gator
• Interstitial Ad Delivery
• Medialoads
• Medialoads Installer
• My Speed Bar
• New.net Domains
• n-Case
• OfferCompanion
• Onflow
• Pad Lookups
• PrecisionTime
• SaveNow
• Search Assistant
• Search Toolbar