Pop-Ups
Pop-up ads or popups are a form of online advertising on the World Wide Web intended to increase web traffic or capture e-mail addresses. It works when certain web sites open a new web browser window to display advertisements. The pop-up window containing an advertisement is usually generated by JavaScript, but can be generated by other means as well.
Spyware
Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent.
While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive software.
In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security best practices for Microsoft Windows desktop computers. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer.
What can you do to combat Pop-ups & Spyware?
Stopping Pop-ups
Many newer internet browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 7+, etc.) have pop-up blockers built-in which work well. Older browser such as Internet Explorer 6 and older have no blockers in place and can become overwhelmed by pop-ups. It is not recommended to install third part applications such as Google Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar, etc, because these can be resource hogs and can cause more problems than they are worth. If you are having problems with pop-ups, you're best bet is to upgrade your internet browser to one of the browsers that was listed.
You can download new browsers by clicking one of the links below:
Mozilla Firefox 3
Internet Explorer 7
Stopping & Removing Spyware
Spyware can be extremely difficult to remove, if at all possible, once it is on your computer. The best remedy for spyware is to never get it to begin with. There are many ways to get spyware such as visiting websites that are not safe such as sites about Warez & Cracking, Gambling, and Pornography, using peer-to-peer (P2P) clients such as Bearshare & Limewire, and downloading files or programs that seem too good to be true. These are just a few examples of how you can get spyware. There are countless ways to become infected. Your best bet is to stay on mainstream legit websites, if you are looking at sites that you wouldn't want your grandmother to see then chances are you have a high probability of getting some sort of spyware.
If you feel that you do have spyware, there are some actions you can take to try and remove them. There are many programs available claiming to remove spyware.
Below you will find two of the best at removing spyware. They work well at finding and removing spyware when they are both installed and run together.
Lavasoft Ad-Aware
Spybot Search & Destroy
If you install and run these programs and you still feel that you have spyware, then you will need to call a computer repair service to take further action, usually a reformat of the computer and reinstall the operating system.
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