If you have ever had
your computer infected by Adware, you know the consequences. Adware is a HUGE
scam on the Internet. Adware works somewhat the same as a virus. You get it by
opening an infected email, or downloading an infected file. The people who run
this scan are clever. Often you do not even realize you are doing it.
Adware goes so deep into
your computer, it can be impossible to remove without wiping your hard drive
clean. It is expensive, and it wastes your time.
Once Adware is on your
computer, pop up windows will start coming up on your screen. Words the Adware
wants you to click on will become underlined. The Adware is doing everything it
can to get you to go to their sites.
To add insult to injury,
there is a second part of this scheme. When you have Adware on your computer,
it becomes next to impossible to use your computer. You become desperate to get
it off. You start searching the Internet for programs to remove it. Who puts up
the programs? The same people who put up the Adware. These programs cost
money... and they DO NOT WORK!
Sometimes reliable
software download sites do the billing, and they will refund your money if you
contact them. These companies, although not directly responsible for the scam,
are a willing participant. They know what is going on, and they go along with
it.
Unfortunately, even
virus protection cannot stop the harm done by Adware. New Adware is created
every day to jump over barriers put in place by virus programs. We were
infected twice this year. We learned a lot. Here is some information to help
you if it happens to you.
HERE IS WHAT TO DO IF
YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED BY ADWARE
First of all, do
everything you can to prevent being attacked by Adware. Do not down free
software programs, or anything that you are not 100% sure is safe. Always look
at the URL of the site you are at. There are many sites made to look like
legitimate ones. You may think you are on a Microsoft site, but the URL will be
slightly altered.
Never open an attachment
sent with an email, especially if you don't know who sent it. Email accounts
are hacked every day. I am constantly receiving emails from my family... that
they didn't send. This means that someone hacked into their email, and sent out
emails to the people in their address book.
As to removing the
Adware, here are the possibilities, from the frugal solutions to the more
expensive but less time consuming alternatives.
- First check your
control panel to see if your Adware is listed in the programs you can remove
from your computer. It is not likely, but you should do this first.
- You computer has a
"Restore Point" program. If it is working, you can "roll
back" your computer to an earlier date. That may remove the Adware.
However, it will also remove any programs that you have installed on your
computer after the restore point date because it will alter your windows
registry and files.
- If you are willing to
spend the time, you can restore your computer to the way it was when you first
purchased it. Even if your computer didn't come with a recovery disk, and you
didn't make one when you first purchased it, there is often a recovery program
on the hard drive with the files to perform this task
After your computer is
basically wiped clean, you have to reinstall everything you put on it. It isn't
hard to reinstall programs like Microsoft Word, that come with a disk and
authorization code, but if you have programs you downloaded from the Internet,
it can take several days of hard work to remember and find where you downloaded
them and the information you need to verify that you paid for the program and
get it to run properly.
- If you want to take
the "easy way" out, you can call the Geek Squad. It will not be
cheap. They can take over your computer and remove the Adware, or you can bring
it into their store. The first time our computer was infected this year, we let
the Geek Squad take over our computer. I watched what the tech did. It took
several hours and many sophisticated programs to remove it. However, it was
successful.
We learned our lesson
this year. We are keeping a lot of information on flash drives now, even though
we also have an online backup. While the online back works well, it can take 5
days and nights to restore data to your computer. We plan on keeping our computer
as lean as possible so that it will be easier to restore data if it happens
again. Unfortunately, the way the world is going, things are probably going to
get worse in the future.
We also have lists and
papers with the needed URL's and codes to activate reinstalled programs
conveniently on hand. We will not have to waste time hunting things down. We
will just follow the list. It will be quicker and easier.
For your safety and for
your sanity, be prepared for the consequences of a vicious Adware attack. Life
is always a lot more simple when you are organized. Save time and money by
doing everything you can to avoid an Adware attack and knowing what to do if you
experience one.
About the Author: Nikki
Willhite has been writing and publishing articles on the Internet on the topic
of Frugal Living for over a decade. Visit her at http://www.frugalhappyfamilies.com, where you
will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families-
more than just money!
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