It is a maddening world of spywares and adwares and sometimes the entire process of finding the right software can be one of the toughest processes. Although there are several anti-spyware tools available over the internet but not all of them are effective or authentic enough. Of course there are certain steps that you can follow while looking for an effective and reliable anti-spyware.
If your computer is infected with spyware then you need to use an spyware scanner to identify and remove any spyware present in your computer. Once that is taken care of, you should always as a thumb rule reboot your computer and do a second scan before getting on to the internet.
The best way to remove all spyware is by wiping clean your hard disk. For this you will have to format your hard disk and then reinstall windows and other important functions/programs again. A clean install is a 100% guarantee of the fact that there will be no spywares in your computer and that it can be returned to a fully functional state. But this method can or should be used as the last resort, which is if the anti-spyware tools fail to effectively remove spyware or adware. The biggest downside of a disk clean procedure is that you will lose all your installed software and user data files.
Why is it so important to remove a spyware?
Spyware is an upcoming threat that can take control of certain functions or processes on your computer. What a spyware really does is that it collects any and all of your important information and reports it back to the creator. This can lead to identity theft and all the valuable information regarding your banking details, credit card etc will be in the wrong hands. Some of the symptoms of a spyware are:
1. A spyware can automatically change the home page on your web browser.
2. It will install new toolbars into your computer.
3. You will get repeated alerts from an antivirus or anti-spyware program if you have installed any.
4. Spywares can effectively slow down your computer.
5. You will that your computer will take longer than usual to restart or resume.
6. There will be too many pop-up advertisements.
7. Internet connectivity will take longer and some of the important computer programs will be slow to respond.
8. You will find unwanted search results
9. It will create anonymous desktop shortcuts
10. Emails will be sent to recipients without your knowledge using your email id
11. One of the most dangerous components is the keyboard logger. It will capture usernames as well as passwords and send it to the software creator. You can download a anti- keyboard logger to find out if there is any such malicious software present on your computer or not.
According to a study in 2005 by Symantec, it was revealed that almost 85% of personal computers have been affected by adware or spyware. This is why a spyware cleaner should be used to identify the threat and clean it effectively.
