Free Spyware Software

One of the fun parts of owning a computer is, of course, access to the internet. The worldwide web is chock full of useful information, readily available at your fingertips! It is also home to potentially lethal viruses, many of which can wreak havoc on your system within moments. The following four programs can help you avoid trouble; best of all they are absolutely free.

Firefox - a web browser for the ages. Okay, a web browser that beats Internet Explorer by preventing pop ups and harmful scripts from being downloaded to your computer. Lots of nifty features too, including tabbed browsing, live bookmarks, and tons of add-on features.

Spybot Search and Destroy - gets rid of adware, spyware, and malware. Blocks the installation of spyware before it occurs; works in conjunction with anti-virus software, not as a replacement for one.

AVG Antvirus - offers basic antivirus protection including scanning email attachments for viruses and scanning of all hard drives, removable drives, and external drives on your computer. A paid version does some additional tasks and includes technical support.

Zone Alarm - if you don’t have a firewall installed on your computer, you are opening yourself up to potential catastrophic security breaches. With Stealth Mode enabled you can search the internet in private, away from the intruding eyes of those who might want to steal your important information.

As with many freeware programs, “pro” or professional versions of the software are sometimes available to give computer users a maximum amount of protection, for a price. Still, all four of these programs have something to offer and are worth exploring. Your computer safety and privacy is essential, insure it today by downloading the programs that are right for you.

Copyright 2005 — Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available right online.

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Spyware is simply what it sounds like - software that spies on your online activity. You won’t even know that it’s installed most of the time since it is usually installed when you are browsing on the web or download another program and there are no informative pop-ups that ask, “Would you like to install some Spyware so we can spy on you?”

While Spyware is exactly what it sounds like, what it actually does may be even more malicious in nature. One of the main goals of Spyware is to get information about you. One type of information seems almost harmful, but “Big Brother” in nature, is that it tracks your online activity and sends this information to its installer. The question is, who is doing the installing?

So why would your online activity need to be monitored? Well, one purpose is probably for good and that is to monitor a child’s activity on the internet. Spyware for this use seems like a good thing since it is being used to protect your child. However, other purposes are for the government to spy on you or for companies to build marketing strategies around your online activities. All of these uses are an invasion of privacy, and while the parent may have the right to invade a child’s privacy, the government and ad agencies spying on your online activity seems a little Stalinesque and malicious.

The worst effects of Spyware, however, are seen by Spyware programs installed by hackers intent on stealing your personal information. The Spyware programs installed by hackers could put you at risk for identity theft. These spyware programs can search your hard drive and gather any information that might be useful for them to obtain your bank account numbers, credit card numbers, passwords and any other information that would allow them access to your money.

The best solution is to get good software that will scan your computer for any Spyware, Adware and Viruses you might already have installed as well as eliminate it and protect you from further invasions.

For more information and to get a free scan, go to Anti-Virus Now or Opinedmind - Antivirus Software

The author runs the website Opinedmind.com writing articles on computing and financial issues.

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In the beginning our computer was nothing more than a glorified typewriter. This over priced piece of home or office equipment did not have too many things that could go wrong but there were not too many things that could be done with it. Today things are a little different. The home computer is the center stone of our work, our homes and our life. We use our computers for many of our daily task at home and at work. It is not very often that we do not get out of bed, grab our favorite drink and go right to our online accounts. Checking our email, our myspace or our bank accounts is a big part of many of our daily task. We look forward to the time we spend with and on our home computers. Playing games, paying our bills and many other great time saving programs make each of our lives better in so many ways.

One of the reasons we enjoy our computers so much, is the time we save and the quicker we can do something the better. This opens up time for our families, friends and other things we enjoy doing in our lives. The worst part of our online experience is the little things that make our computer slower or less user friendly. Little messages like “your computer is infected” or ” windows has detected spyware infection“. Spyware and adware have become a big part of our online experience and these problems are getting worse. Things like pop ups, worms and Trojans have taken something that we hold dear and created a army of darkness that infects our computers. There are programs that will help with these infections, but some of the companies have used these infections to create a way of making money. There are spyware and adware tools that are the cause and not the cure. These companies install the scripts on to our computer that can only be remove by their software.

There are many good virus protection programs on the market today and many spyware and adware tools that can help with these infections. Just to name a few of the best virus protection programs, I would have to list Norton Antivirus by Symantec and McAfee Antivirus. Both of these programs are at the top of their field and will protect your computer against many of the infections that are on the Internet today. These companies are both highly involved in testing and research to keep your computer secure. For a small yearly fee they are well worth the money spent. Keep in mind that both programs do protect from virus, adware and spyware. These programs can cause problems if both are installed on the same computer. I personal like Norton the best but have used both programs at home and work and will say that you really can’t go wrong with either of the two.

There is nothing like booting up your computer and being welcomed by pop up after pop up. This can take a lot of the enjoyment out of your daily computer uses. Some of the better programs to take care of theses pop up, spyware and adware problems are very inexpensive and some may offer many of the user options for free with the choice to buy other options or make the software fully functional. Spybot Search and Destroy and Adaware from Lavasoft are just a few of the better programs that let their users have a free version of the software. These programs can be installed on the same computer with out any problems accruing.

One small part of the Windows operating system that many people do not use is the system restore. It would be wise if you check your computer settings to see if this program is active on your system. You can find this out by going to your windows start button. Then all programs, accessories and then system tools, after system tools folder is expanded you should see system restore. This is a very simple to use program that creates and stores restore points on a small calendar. These restore points are system settings for that time and date in the windows operating system. It creates a copy of the registry for that point of use and may save a restore point at anytime a new program is installed on the computer. The user can then go to the program and select any of the restore points and let the program roll the windows operating system back to that time and date. This can fix small problems with in the computers registry and make using your computer more enjoyable.

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