Before we leave you for the summer we wanted to give you some helpful tips to clean out your computer and get it into tip-top shape. The Did You Know . . . column has information on virus scanning programs, along with other tips. I intend to use this column to tell you about annoying things called Spyware that invade your computer—how they get there and how to get rid of them.

Do you get pop-up ads when you browse the Internet? If so, you probably have small programs called Spyware on your computer. These are downloaded unintentionally when you download something else. Free software will often contain a spyware program as they help to pay for the programmer to develop those programs that you really want. The spyware programs rarely hurt your computer but can be annoying. These programs communicate your browsing interests to a computer on the Internet. They report back to the server what your browsing habits are and in turn the pop-up ads appear with what you supposedly will want to see, based on those interests.

Before you download a program, check it in the database at SpyChecker (www.spycheck.com). This database will tell you if spyware is included in the package.

The best way to remove them is through a spyware scanning program, such as Ad-aware (www.lavasoftusa.com) or Spybot Search and Destroy (security.kolla.de). If you use Ad-aware, be sure you have Build 162 and the latest reference file.

If you would like to recycle an old PC there are several organizations will collect, ship, and distribute PCs. Check their webpages for information.

back to the top