Spyware, Adware and Virus Removal First Steps Get Rid of Temporary Files
There are many software programs available designed to remove Viruses, Spyware, Adware and other nasties from your computer. Uneducated users simply run these programs in the mistaken belief that once they do, all is well.
For the best results, and to optimise computer performance and efficiency, it’s best to eliminate the many temporary files and temporary Internet files that build up on one’s hard disk over time.
Temporary Internet Files result simply from visiting web sites. Each web page usually consists of a number of individual elements, including one or more images. A typical business page is made from a large number of individual images, even if only a single image is visible when the page is fully loaded. Each of these images is stored on your hard disk in the Temporary Internet Files folder, also known as the Internet Cache”. Other elements such as cookies and multimedia files are also stored here. Particularly useful in the early days of the Internet when only dial-up accounts were available, the use of this cache idea helped speed up access to web pages on the second and subsequent visit. Because images and multimedia objects take a lot longer to download than text, once they were stored in a local cache, they would be displayed directly from the hard disk, and didn’t need to be downloaded again. Web access was therefore a lot faster. There appears no way of automatically deleting these files, and so the number increases constantly.
Temporary Files appear for other reasons. In the course of normal operation by some programs, they require “working space” and will create one or more temporary files. When programs are installed, particularly from zipped or compressed files, they usually need a temporary storage area in which to store files during the installation process. It would make sense in both these cases, for the programs to delete the temporary files when finished. However, it seems that in a lot of cases, the obvious doesn’t happen.
Why should we care that we have all these unwanted files on our hard disks?
Firstly, they do take up disk space unnecessarily, and secondly they reduce the performance of our computers. But in the context of viruses, spyware, adware, malware and other nasties, there are two reasons why all these temporary files are unwanted.
Most of the “nasties” mentioned above, apart from viruses, infiltrate our computers whilst visiting websites. Objects downloaded from web sites sit on our hard disk in the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting these files, therefore, is the first step to eliminating nasties. Some viruses and nasties will install themselves, or a copy of themselves in the Temporary folder where no-one can find them. Have you ever run a virus or spyware scan only to find that the culprit comes right back afterwards? The other reason to delete these files … and there could be a great many of them over time … is to minimise the time the scanning software has to run by reducing the number of files it has to scan.
Fortunately, Windows gives us a simple method to delete these files.
Click on “Start” and “My Computer”. With the right mouse button, click on your primary hard disk, usually the C: drive, known in Windows XP as Local Disk (C:). In the menu that opens, click on the “Properties” selection at the bottom. The window that opens will display a graphically representation of your hard disk showing the total space, and the amount used and free. On the left is a button called “Disk Cleanup”. Press that button.
Windows will now check your hard disk and open another window showing how many temporary and temporary Internet files there are. If you click on “ok”, Windows will proceed to delete those files. It’s safe to do so. The recycle bin is also listed, and if you haven’t emptied it for a while, now is a good time to do so. Leave the other options unchecked.
Your virus scanning software and “anti-nasties” programs will now run more quickly, and in fact, you might find your whole computer seems faster and more responsive.
There is one limitation of the Windows built-in file cleaner though: it often doesn’t delete all files, and the only way of doing it is to manually delete them. That’ll be covered in a future article.
Frank Wrobel is a computer consultant with many years experience in supporting everything from home computers to corporate networks.
http://www.fixcomputernasties.com/
Filed by itbsuperrich on July 2nd, 2008 under free-spyware-guide.info | Comment now »
The Basics of Understanding Internet Dangers
But never fear, this article will help prepare you to stay well protected from any Internet Baddy.
So what dangers are there
Well, there are a lot. This articles intent is not to go into detail on these dangers, but just to help describe ways you can protect yourself while online.
Briefly, here’s a list of the most common dangers:
Malware: These are little programs that can get onto your computer, either through email, by downloading “free” software that is infected by it or even just by surfing a site that exploits a bug in your browser. Malware includes things like viruses, trojans, spyware, and many more.
Identity Theft: An individual farms information about a particular person, and at some point is able to take on that persons “identity” often for financial gain, and financial and reputational loss of the victim
Phishing: A psychological threat where victims are fooled into giving up confidential personal information such as usernames, passwords and/or account numbers.
There are others, but lets get to how to protect yourself.
Firewall:
The firewall is a piece of software that monitors traffic going out of and traffic coming into your computer over the Internet. This piece of software is essential to any Internet user, as it will protect from automated hacking by little Internet spider programs, as well as from spyware and trojans, as it wont let important information about you get out of the computer.
The good news is that a good firewall can be gotten free. And its a darn good free firewall too. The firewall is called Zone Alarm, and by clicking here and then clicking the download link, you can go ahead and get it. The licence is for non-business use, so you can also go for one of their business packages, which is a more advanced version.
Anti-Virus
Anti virus is also a good thing to get. If the firewall doesn’t stop something getting in in the first place, then a good antivirus can find it and remove it. Once you do have a good anti-virus, it is a good idea to scan your computer regularly for viruses.
The good news is that you can also get good free antivirus. The Internet really can be a good place. Its called AVG Antivirus and by clicking here you can start downloading this great piece of free software.
Anti-Spyware
Spyware is a program that has morphed from a nuisance to a down right menace. Spyware is designed to capture information on your computer activites. Some spyware use that information to put pop-ups onto your screen with advertising that the developers think is relevant. Other spyware simply gathers information in order to defraud you. Whatever the reason, you have to get spyware protection.
Some more good news. There is also free anti-spyware software available. By going here and then clicking on the link on the left that says “Adaware Personal” then clicking the “Download Now” button, you can get free anti-spyware. Its that easy.
Phishing
Now, there really hasn’t been anything good come along to protect Internet users from this relatively new problem. But simple common sense will prevail here.
Phishing is an attempt to defraud a potential victim. Normally a potential victim recieves an email from some source they normally trust. Often these emails will try to get the user to click a link inside an email to go to the site and use their login details. These sites are actually then not the genuine sites, but spoofs of the originals. It is simply done to try and phish (see the relevance now) for account detials which the fraudsters can then use for financial gain.
So, if you recieve any email with a link to a site asking for user name and password details, dont click the link. Rather open your browser (like Internet Explorer) and type in the address yourself to that site. If the email was accurate, the details should be there as well, so no harm was done.
Generally, with the right tools, and a bit of common sense, an Internet user can remain safe without having anything nasty happen to them. And I sincerely hope that many people read this article, so that the Internet is just that much safer.
Gareth McCumskey is the Managing Director of Nexus Interactive, a South African based IT company that aims to provide companies and individuals with one provider for all their IT needs.
Tags: antivirus, firewall, malware, phishing, spywareFiled by itbsuperrich on June 17th, 2008 under free-spyware-guide.info | Comment now »
What is Spyware
The most frustrating part of having Spyware on your computer is the sheer feeling of helplessness that is invoked. Your computer slows down, it no longer does what you instructed it to, it seems to have a mind of its own. You effectively have lost control of your computer. Spyware (also referred to as Adware or Malware) is software that is installed on your computer without your consent. Spyware software monitors or controls your computer use. It may be used to send you pop-up ads, redirect your computer to websites, monitor your Internet surfing, or record your keystrokes, which, in turn, could lead to identity theft.
Here are some of the symptoms that indicate Spyware is on a computer:
a barrage of pop-up ads
a hijacked browser that is, a browser that takes you to sites other than those you type into the address box
a sudden or repeated change in your computer’s Internet home page
new and unexpected toolbars
new and unexpected icons on the system tray at the bottom of your computer screen
keys that don’t work (for example, the “Tab” key that might not work when you try to move to the next field in a Web form)
random error messages
sluggish or downright slow performance when opening programs or saving files
Follow these precautions in order to help prevent Spyware installation:
Update your operating system and Web browser software. Your operating system (like Windows or Linux) may offer free software “patches” to close holes in the system that Spyware could exploit.
Download free software only from sites you know and trust. It can be appealing to download free software like games, peer-to-peer file-sharing programs, customized toolbars, or other programs that may change or customize the functioning of your computer. Be aware, however, that some of these free software applications bundle other software, including Spyware.
Don’t install any software without knowing exactly what it is. Take the time to read the end-user license agreement (EULA) before downloading any software. If the EULA is hard to find or difficult to understand think twice about installing the software.
Minimize “drive-by” downloads. Make sure your browser security setting is high enough to detect unauthorized downloads, for example, at least the “Medium” setting for Internet Explorer. Keep your browser updated.
Don’t click on any links within pop-up windows. If you do, you may install Spyware on your computer. Instead, close pop-up windows by clicking on the “X” icon in the title bar.
Don’t click on links in spam that claim to offer anti-spyware software. Some software offered in spam actually installs Spyware.
Install a personal firewall to stop uninvited users from accessing your computer. A firewall blocks unauthorized access to your computer and will alert you if Spyware already on your computer is sending information out.
You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:
John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.
Tags: adware, malware, spyware
