What is its Spyware Prevention

Spyware Prevention & Understanding the Cause
 "What is its purpose?". We have all heard of spyware before, and most of us know it as those annoying pop up ads, computer lock ups, and general slowness. The truth is, some time ago spyware far surpassed virus infections on the computer repair shop's work bench. The reason being the one difference between spyware and viruses - cold, hard cash. Delivering unwanted files or programs to peoples' computers keep the roots of spyware and viruses the same, but from there things get different.
Spyware comes in a variety of forms, some more obvious than others. Many free software programs include some sort of spyware - that's how they can keep it free. Other delivery methods are slightly more sneaky - if you click on the wrong pop up ad, browse the wrong website, or open the wrong email, you can get infected and not even know it. The worst part is that many spyware infections have the capability to go out to the Internet and download even more! It's rare to see a computer with just one or two different types of spyware.
In most cases, spyware is technically harmless. The trouble begins when you start to get more and more infections, more and more pop ups, and/or malicious programs running in the background - all of which will slow down a computer, cause lock ups, cause security issues. The good news is that, in most cases, the problem is very easily fixed. All you need to do is follow these simple rules, and you will remove 99% of spyware infections - we're not kidding!


The Ultimate Spyware Removal Guide


So you've gone and gotten yourself some pesky spyware, and now you need it gone. What, you don't like all the pop ups? We've got you covered with our "Ultimate Spyware Removal Guide". There is no one way that works every time when it comes to something like spyware, so we will try to provide a many-pronged attack to kick that spyware out of your system.


Step 1: Get the Right Software


If you don't already have one, get a spyware removal tool - in fact, get two or three. What I will do here is give you the steps I take - like them or not, it's what I do, and it seems to work out pretty well. I should mention as I said above, there really is no "silver bullet" for spyware, but these steps should help most people.


If you still have, Internet do the following:


Go out to a trusted site like download.com and get at least two of the following spyware removal tools:
Now, in most cases, it's ok to simply install and remove at this point... but I want to be very careful, and show you the overall best way to do it, so just wait for step two.



If you are unable to connect to the Internet do the following:


With the vast majority of computers having cd-burners, and the amazing cheapness of USB memory sticks, you may just need to shoot over to a friend's house and download the files, then transfer them to your computer.
If you don't have any friends nearby, you'll most likely have to purchase some software from a place like best buy - here are two that I recommend:


Step 2: Get Into Safe Mode


Before you install anything, you should boot your computer into what is known as "safe mode". By booting into safe mode, you minimize the chance of spyware messing with your operating system, as well as lower the chance of reinfection - it's just the best way to do it. Read below on how to boot in safe mode:

Windows 98/Me
• Restart the computer.
• Just after the POST diagnostics and memory count, start pressing the F8 key
• On the Startup Menu, choose Safe Mode
Or you may use the System Configuration Utility Method.
• While in Normal mode, close all programs.
• Click Start, Run, and type MSCONFIG in the box, then click OK
• In the System Configuration Utility, on the General Tab, click the Advanced Button
• In the Advanced Troubleshooting Settings dialog box, check Enable Startup Menu. Click OK. Click OK again when the System Configuration Utility reappears.
• You will be prompted to restart the computer. Click Yes. The computer will restart in Safe mode.
• When you are finished with troubleshooting in Safe mode, open MSCONFIG again and uncheck "Enable Start-up Menu." under the Advanced Menu, then click OK and restart your computer

Windows 2000
• If the computer is running, shut down Windows, and then turn off the power
• Wait 30 seconds, and then turn the computer on.
• When you see the black-and-white Starting Windows bar at the bottom of the screen, start tapping the F8 key. The Windows 2000 Advanced Options Menu appears.
• Ensure that the Safe mode option is selected. In most cases, it is the first item in the list and is selected by default.
• Press Enter. The computer then begins to start in Safe mode.
• When you are finished with all troubleshooting, close all programs and restart the computer as you normally would. 

Windows XP
• If the computer is running, shut down Windows, and then turn off the power
• Wait 30 seconds, and then turn the computer on.
• Start tapping the F8 key. The Windows Advanced Options Menu appears. If you begin tapping the F8 key too soon, some computers display a "keyboard error" message. To resolve this, restart the computer and try again.
• Ensure that the Safe mode option is selected.
• Press Enter. The computer then begins to start in Safe mode.
• When you are finished with all troubleshooting, close all programs and restart the computer as you normally would.
..or use the System Configuration Utility method
• Close all open programs.
• Click Start, Run and type MSCONFIG in the box and click OK
• The System Configuration Utility appears, On the BOOT.INI tab, Check the "/SAFEBOOT" option, and then click OK and Restart your computer when prompted.
• The computer restarts in Safe mode.
• Perform the troubleshooting steps for which you are using Safe Mode.
When you are finished with troubleshooting in Safe mode, open MSCONFIG again, on the BOOT.INI tab, uncheck "/SAFEBOOT" and click OK to restart your computer..

Windows Vista

• Turn the computer on or Restart the computer
• Start tapping the F8 key. The Windows Advanced Boot Options Menu appears. If you begin tapping the F8 key too soon, some computers display a "keyboard error" message. To resolve this, restart the computer and try again.
• Ensure that the Safe mode option is selected (the top option)
• Press Enter. The computer then begins to start in Safe mode.
• When you are finished with troubleshooting, close all programs and restart the computer as you normally would.


Step 3: Install & Update Software:


Now that you've got your computer in safe mode, it's time to install the spyware removal software. It doesn't matter which one you install first - the reason I have you do two different softwares is because, in my experience, one program finds something(s) the other one misses. Now does this mean to install 20 spyware removal tools? No, but 2-3 isn't bad. During the install, the software will usually try to update unsuccessfully, since you wont typically have Internet access in safe mode. As long as you're using something current, it will have most of the definitions already preinstalled.


Step 4: Scan & Eradicate:


Once you have installed and updated the software, it's time to get busy cleaning out that stinky spyware. Make sure whenever possible that you always do a "complete" scan, not just a quick one, if you really want to fix the issue. If you just do the quick scan, you'll most likely miss many infected files, and it's not likely to cure your problem. Whichever program you are using, starting the scan is usually pretty self-explanatory. Be prepared for this to take a while - odds are, the program will range from just one infected file to many thousands. Delete everything it finds. Here is where a lot of people with weaker stomachs get a little nervous, but to me I go with the scorched earth approach. With spyware, you have to be a lot less careful than with a virus. Delete them all, permanently.
After you have completed these steps with one program, repeat the steps with the second scanning program. The second program is just for good measure, to ensure you've gotten every last instance of spyware. For me, nothing was worse than missing a file or two, charging a customer for a repair, only for the spyware to come right back that night. Sometimes, if you miss even one file, the spyware will come right back.


Step 5: Learn From Your Mistakes:


Now that you have successfully removed the spyware infections, make sure to take some time to learn from your mistakes. Be a little more careful with your browsing, and remember that more often than not, free software isn't so free.........