Surfing the web gets all kinds of junk attaching itself to your PC. Along with cookies and page components come more serious problems: adware, spyware and malware. These annoying software are often not easy to diagnose and its notoriously resource hungry, so you'll notice your computer slowing down, programs taking longer to load, loads of pop ups and even a changed browser home page.

Of the three, adware is the least dangerous; it's a small application that monitors what websites you visit and uses the information to harangue you with pop-ups adverts based what it thinks you are interested in.

Spyware and Malware are potentially more dangerous. Spyware is a program that will sit in the background and can record anything you do on your PC, such as monitor you internet surfing and record your keystrokes. Spyware is usually marketed as a spouse or child monitor or a surveillance tool.

Malware, short for Malicious Software, is worse, and includes Trojans and viruses amongst its number. Though Trojans and viruses are kept at bay by a decent antivirus program, certain spyware falls into this category as it will re-install itself if you try to get rid of it.

So, how do you pick up spyware? All you have to do is browse the Web for a while. Not all freeware is really free, in some cases you pay by getting spyware along with it. If you use a peer-to-peer file sharing program, you almost certainly have spyware, either directly bundled with the sharing program or from an infected fellow file sharer.

Microsoft Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

You can download Windows Defender free from the Microsoft website.

For more Windows Tips, including performance, customization, maintenance, recovery, efficiency, networking and registry tips, all with step by step instructions, be sure to be visit our website and begin to unleash your computers potential.

PC Online - Embracing the Future http://www.pconline.com.au Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pariz_Fazli
This article was published on Wednesday 01 October, 2008.
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