Virus, Spyware or Adware Removal Guide

Viruses and Spyware are very common in today's world that can cause severe damage to ones computer or personal information. The affects of these infections can be disastrous in these software. They are designed to replicate themselves, spread from computer to computer, and their main objective is to cause system destruction. Having said this you are best advised to run regular scans on your system with virus, spyware and adware removal software to prevent these infections. However, what is a computer virus anyway?

Viruses are usually more threatening than Spyware. They can be extremely harmful to your computer and tend to be passed in to your PC by the users own fault or lack of knowledge. A very common entry method is by emails being opened or from free downloads. Never open an attachment from an e-mail that you do not know, mostly likely, it is a virus. Spyware is software designed to monitor a person's computer activity stealthy; which transmits that information over the internet. A lot of internet fraud and identity theft is because of active spyware on your PC and the frightening thing is that many PC users are unaware that they are infected. Adware is very similar to spyware, and is a software application that is mainly used as a marketing tool to monitor people's interest. Adware are sometimes displayed as banners, ads or pop-up windows with ads. Some adware can contain a carrier of spyware and viruses called "Trojan Horses", and they can be hard to remove.

How can you tell if you have a virus or spyware on your computer?

When your PC is not performing the way it should, you may experience some symptoms that may give you a hint that there is something wrong.

Some of the most common symptoms you will experience include:

• When your Internet browser sending you places you do not want to go
• Changing of your homepage without notice
• White desktop background indicating an error
• Slow computer performance
• Pop ups
• Unknown applications located in your system memory
  

Even if you do not suffer from these symptoms, you can still be infected. If you surf the internet regularly, it is important to perform regular scans to prevent infections of this type, because they can end up corrupting your entire system. Third party tool bars are a popular method of downloading spyware into your computer, and most users do not realize this. Some toolbars may seem user friendly by giving you shortcuts and other features, but in the end may trigger spyware software to invade your privacy or do damage to your computer. Make sure that what you are downloading is 100% safe and trustworthy. Visiting websites that are not trusted may also have spyware. Viruses are more sneaky and harmful, which can hide in your registry or disguise themselves as other programs. They wait until you execute a program or wait for a specific date to be executed. Their symptoms can be similar to that of spyware, but they can be harder to detect. Some of the most common viral attacks are from email attachments, and from websites that trick you to download their free program, or game.

What should you do if you think you have a Virus or Spyware?

There are various programs or applications you can find online that will remove virus and spyware. Many companies and individuals develop software to battle this problem. Not all-current branded virus software will pick up spyware and viruses, so it is wise to have more than one scanner. You can get a good Virus scanner such as Norton’s, or McAfee, but if you want free virus and spyware software, I will mention some.

AntiVirus Cleaners

• Multi Virus Cleaner 2008
• Avira AntiVir Personal
• Dr.Web CureIt
  

AntiSpyware

• Spyware Terminator
• Spybot - Search and Destroy
• EMCO Malware Destroyer

The links are in the "anti virus and anti spyware" section

5 Tips to Help Improve Your Computer's Performance

Are you sometimes frustrated with the performance from your pc, and is it getting worse over time? Well there are ways to help make significant improvement.

1. Registry Cleaners

The registry is an important factor that may cause your computer to slow down. If your registry have many corrupt or invalid data stored, this may cause your computer to stumble over and slow down. Removing this clutter will help improve searching time for your computer, and eventually improve performance. How do these invalid entries enter my registry database? Every time your computer is performing an activity, whether installing or removing a program, surfing the web, or changing any settings. These activities are done hidden, and some users are not aware of this. Frequently cleaning your registry will help maintain the performance of your computer.

2. Virus and Spyware Software

You might say how this will slow down my computer let me explain. Virus and Spyware programs can steal resources from your memory, and when you have programs running, they will cause your computer’s performance to suffer. Spyware may cause your computer to work behind secret ports, sending information to other users or third parties. Doing these activities behind your back is slowing down your computer. Viruses can be worst by crating multiply files or corrupting your files to prevent your PC from working. All this activity from your computer will create false entries in your registry, therefore it wise to get a good Virus and Spyware cleaner to prevent this. Always keep your Anti-virus and anti-spyware software up-to-date.

3. Defrag your Hard Drive

Every time you install new programs or delete files, it leaves gaps of data all over the place in your hard drive. For example, you delete a large program; there will be a big gap of space left behind. The next time you install something, this gap will be filled with the new program, and if there is not enough space it place the remainder of the file at the bottom or in other empty gaps. The program will still run, but it will not be at the best spot. The best is to have all your files close together, so when your computer scans the data it will find it faster. The Disk Defragmenter Tool sorts the data in proper location of your hard drive to optimize your PC’s performance. Most Disk Defragmenter tools can analyze your hard drive to see if you need to defragment your hard drive, which is a great option.

4. Heat and Dust Factor

If you play video games or work with applicant programs, it may generate a lot of heat. You should monitor your computer temperature to find out what the maximum temperature it reaches. If your computer is overheating, it may cause slow performance or even damage to the hardware components. Especially in the summer time when the temperature is much hotter. A suggestion is to move the pc’s location, and move it to a cooler area for example a basement, or a well vented area in your house. Other options are to buy better equipment such as fans or coolers to keep your PC cool. At least once a month, you should take off the covers of your computer, and blow the dust out with a compressed air can. Close the covers properly and make sure you get a good air circulation from the vents. The reason to remove the dust is because; it may cause bad air circulation. The cooler your system is the faster it will perform, and prevent any damage to your computer.

5. Startup Programs

Startup programs can be very annoying when loading up your computer, and many people do not realize is you don’t need all your programs to load up, only the essential ones. The more startup programs you have, the slower you computer will run, because these program will use up your RAM (computer’s memory). To see what programs are in your startup, click on the Start button, then click run. Type ‘msconfig’ and click OK. After, click on the Startup Tab. There you will have a list of programs that are currently starting on every load up. Unselect any programs you do not need. Do not worry; unselecting any programs will not delete them. In addition, another tip is removing any icons on your desktop. Keep it to a minimum the number of icons, because they use up resources when loading up.A Free Software program to help maintain your computer is Advanced Windows Care. The link is in the “Software for Your PC” section.

Free Firewall Software

It is important to have firewall protection for your computer, whether it is hardware or software. Firewall protection software will monitor and limit connections to your computer from the Internet and other users. A computer without a firewall is defenseless, and makes it easier for hackers or unwanted programs to invade your computer.

There is a lot of firewall software out there, and few are free. The free ones have fewer features, but it is better than having nothing. If you want extra protection, then you will have to buy the full version. Zone Alarm offers a free version firewall, which is good. They have the Zone alarm Pro that have additional features like anti spyware and program control, or get the Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite, which has the most features to protect your computer.

Another Free Firewall is NetDefender. The interface that it has is very easy to use, but it does not have much features. If you are desperate for a free firewall than this is another option. You can visit there website for more information. SoftPerfect Personal Firewall is free also, but it is design for intermediate and advance users who have networking knowledge.

Window XP comes with a decent firewall, but you need to make sure you have Service Pack 2 and the latest updates installed. You can check to see if your Windows XP firewall is running by clicking Start / Control Panel / Windows Firewall, or another way is My Computer / Control Panel / Network Connections / Right click your “Local Area Network” and click properties / Click on the Advance tab then click Settings. You can click to turn your windows firewall on or off.

Make sure you use a firewall; it will help prevent unwanted users and programs from invading your computer. The Free ones might not be the best ones, but they offer some protection, and are better than having nothing.

Free Firewall Software:

Zone Alarm - has the ability to protect your computer from hackers. This program includes four interlocking security services: a firewall, an application control, an Internet lock, and Zones. The Internet lock function can block traffic while your computer is not in use. It monitors new programs accessing the Internet, and alerts you on what action to take.

Comodo Internet Security - is a free Internet Security that combines the Firewall and AntiVirus software to protect your PC from malicious software and Hackers. This a great package to keep your system protected and safe with regular free updates.

PC Tools Firewall Plus - is a personal firewall for windows that can monitor programs connecting to the Internet. It can prevent Trojans, backdoors, keyloggers and other malware from damaging your computer and stealing your private information.

Online Armor Free - is a free firewall that can stop hackers, stop Malicious Programs, and make you internet surfing safer.

Features You Need in a Registry Cleaner

It is important to know what features to look for when searching for a good registry program. Some of the features you should look for are:

1. Ability to back up the registry database

If your registry cleaner does not have this feature, this can be disastrous, especially if your registry cleaner makes a mistake when removing a proper file. You will be stuck with errors and problems and may have to solve this problem by reinstalling or formatting your computer. The backup feature is very useful when your computer crashes, and you may solve this problem, by inserting an older backup copy to fix this problem. If you accidentally were playing with the registry, and cause your system to act strangely, a back up will literally save your day.

2. Ability to Schedule Regularly

Just like many virus and spyware software have this feature; it is also great for your registry cleaner to have a Scheduler. Since your registry will gain clutter on a daily basis due to the activity of your PC, cleaning the registry regularly will help maintain the performance of your computer. You do not have to worry or think about doing regular scanning, because you cleaner will do it for you when your computer is idle, and save you time. When scheduling the registry cleaner, you should get an automatic backup of the registry to prevent any problems that may occur.

3. Optimize the Registry

Not all registry cleaners have this feature, which is ok. However, if you do have this feature it will boost your computers performance. An optimizer will sort and store the data in a suitable place in the database. Just think about what a disk defragment tool does. It optimizes your hard drive by sorting the files to suitable parts of your hard drive, so that your computer can find the files faster. This is very similar to how this tool optimizes the registry.

5 Reasons You Need a Registry Cleaner

1. Prevent your Computer from Crashing

Does your PC constantly Freeze up? If so, you might have clutter in your registry database that may cause your system to crash. Clutter builds up from installing or removing programs, or even changing the settings in the control panel.

2. Increase Your Computer’s Performance

Do you notice that your PC has longer boot up times, or loading times. Compare the loading times to the first time you bought your computer, or installed a fresh copy of an operating system like windows XP. When you format your hard drive and reinstall the operating system, the boot up is quicker. Instead of formatting your hard drive, use a Registry cleaner to remove any invalid data and optimize your computer performance.

3. Remove the Registry Professionally to Prevent Errors

The Registry Database is very complex, and removing an entry can cause your computer to crash. Never touch the registry database, unless you are an experienced user or have specific instructions on how to change the registry. Leave it to the professional and let the registry cleaners do the job. Unfortunately, some registry cleaners do not work properly, and remove an item that your computer still needs. Therefore, you will need to find a good registry cleaner.

4. Provide Backup

Registry cleaners can provide back up for your computer’s registry. This is important if you ever get into a problem with errors and that annoying blue screen. The registry cleaner can use the old database it saved, and may restore the previous working registry to make your computer work again.

5. Save You Money.

Registry cleaners can save you money. If you take, your computer to a technician to get your computer repaired it may cost you money. Sometimes the registry cleaner may help you prevent that step, and helps keep your money in your pocket.


Advance Windows Care and CCleaner are great regisrty cleaners. The links can be found in the "Software For Your PC" section.

Free Registry Cleaners

If you are searching for a registry cleaner that can help fix up your windows operating system then you are in luck, because I will not only talk about registry cleaners, but also give a list of free reliable registry cleaners. Most of us use our computers on a daily basis for work, school, or personal use, and we all know how frustrating it can be if your pc becomes slow, experiences crashes or is unable to execute programs. Many of these symptoms may come from windows registries, which build up clutter over time. One example is when the pc user adds and removes different software and hardware components. Trying to remove the entries in the registry should never be done, unless the user is an expert. If you try to delete or add a key in registry, your computer may crash, and may not work properly. That is why it is important to have a reliable registry cleaner program, since they are able to repair them in a safe and efficient way. If you ask what windows registry is, then let me explain what it is in simple way.

The Windows registry is a complex directory, which stores settings and options for the operating system. It contains information and settings for all the hardware, operating system software, most non-operating system software, users, preferences of the PC, etc. Whenever a user makes changes to Control Panel settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are recorded and stored in the registry. Therefore, every time you remove a piece of software or change a system setting it causes new entries to form in the registry, which consequently causes others to become outdated. One of Windows duty is to continuously read and process the data within the registry for general operations. If there is too much clutter of invalid records, it will experience problems. Some of the problems are sluggish performances, crashes, reboots, error messages, and stop error screens, which can eventually result in the downfall of your windows XP system. This is why you will need a registry cleaner; it will help optimize your computer’s performance.

Some Free Registry Cleaners are:

Advanced System Care - Is the most popular free pc care utility that will clean, repair, optimize and protect your system. The features included are Spyware removal, security defense, privacy protection, registry cleaner, system optimizer, startup manager and temporary files cleanup This program has also a memory cleaner, which can be very useful to help improve system performance. It is easy and simple to use, just click scan, repair and you are done.

Glary Utilities - Is a wonderful program that is very easy use, it will fix, improve speed and protect your computer. The features include registry cleaner, shortcut fixer, startup manger, temporary files cleaner, track eraser, and spyware remover. It has also a memory optimizer, secure file deletion, and Empty Folder finder.

CC Registry Cleaner - Is a freeware software to remove unused files from your system. It works by cleaning your PC's registry, and eliminate traces of your online activities such as your Internet history.

NTREGOPT - Is a great registry optimizer for your windows system. This program is very efficient and very easy to use. This program does not change any entries in the Registry, but it rebuilds and eliminates dead space. At the end of the scan, it determines the percentage of space recovered.