Spyware & Adware

Spyware is a general term used to describe software that performs certain behaviours such as advertising, collecting personal information, or changing the configuration of your computer, usually without appropriately obtaining your consent first. Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements (called adware) or software that tracks personal or sensitive information.

That does not mean all software that provides ads or tracks your online activities is bad. For example, you might sign up for a free music service, but you "pay" for the service by agreeing to receive targeted ads. If you understand the terms and agree to them, you may have decided that it is a fair trade-off. You might also agree to let the company track your online activities to determine which ads to show you.

Other kinds of spyware make changes to your computer that can be annoying and can cause your computer slow down or crash.

These programs can change your Web browser's home page or search page, or add additional components to your browser that you don't need or want. These programs also make it very difficult for you to change your settings back to the way you originally had them.

The key in all cases is whether or not you (or someone who uses your computer) understand what the software will do and have agreed to install the software on your computer.

There are a number of ways spyware or other unwanted software can get on your computer. A common trick is to covertly install the software during the installation of other software you want such as a music or video file sharing program.

Whenever you install something on your computer, make sure you carefully read all disclosures, including the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of unwanted software in a given software installation is documented, but it might appear at the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.

Types of downloads that may contain spyware:
• Free games downloaded from the Internet
• Music, movies, and other software file-sharing programs downloaded from the Internet or from other computers
• Animated characters for your desktop
• Free screen savers downloaded from the Internet
• Toolbars for your Internet browser
• Free pop-up blockers that appear on your computer when you are online

Many kinds of unwanted software, including spyware, are designed to be difficult to remove. If you try to uninstall this software like any other program, you might find that the program reappears as soon as you restart your computer. If you're having trouble uninstalling unwanted software, you may need to download a tool to do the job for you. Several companies offer free software that will check your computer for spyware and other unwanted software and help you remove it. However you have to accept the fact that not all 'free' software will remove all Spyware and Adware.

Up until very recently Anti-Virus and Internet Security software did not address the issues of Spyware and Adware; this has now all changed and one of the very best suites of programmes on the market is the AVG range of software products.

Our AVG Software

Here are several links to some of the better free programmers:

AD-AWARE SE

SPYBOT SEARCH & DESTROY

MICROSOFT WINDOWS DEFENDER

* Please note that the links to software on this page are provided as is and at your own risk. TechValley can not be held liable for any software that you install from the above links, nor do we provide any technical support on the above mentioned software programs. Please contact support directly from the manufacturer's website.