You will find many web sites online that will offer you free screensavers for download.

The question is, are those screensavers safe to install on your computer? By downloading and installing these so-called free screensavers can any harm come to your computer?

This is a legitimate concern, which needs to be addressed before anyone even thinks about downloading and installing a free screensaver.

Check out this video and find out how XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware defeats spyware on your Windows computer!

You will soon find that there are quite a few dangerous types of code that can come buried inside a free screensaver. These could contain viruses, Spyware, Adware, and toolbars. There are a few variations of these types of programs, but in the main, they are as a rule undesirable, unless the user specifically wants them.

It is extremely important that you do your inquiries before you download screensavers. Read the Terms of Service and Conditions of Use on the websites, as companies are required by law to enlighten users what they are installing.

Be sure that you read the fine print – not just what you are presented with on the download page. Sometimes they will say they contain no spyware, but they do not refer to anything about Adware.

Here is a quick overview of several types of malicious programs that you might get from a screensaver.

Viruses:

These can seriously harm your computer, often to the point of losing your valuable data for good. If you are frightened of  getting your computer infected with viruses, only download software from trusted sites where programs are verified and tested. One such site is Download.com who also host their own files, which means that viruses can’t be added to the software at a later date.

Spyware:

These types of programs are nasty because they unethically track and record just about everything you do online. The data can then be sold to advertisers or used to change your browser and computer functions to direct you to unwanted websites. Spyware is one of the worst types of bundled software, and can be extremely difficult to remove.

In fact, sometimes they make it so difficult to remove you often have to rummage around the internet to figure out how to get rid of it. You can usually find many complaints about a particular Spyware program from other disgruntled surfers.

Adware: Adware is not quite as bad as Spyware, but it can still be pretty annoying to many computer users. Adware programs will continually display popups and useless adverts while you are surfing the internet. Sometimes you do not even realise that you have Adware unless you start to see an excessive number of popups during your internet browsing.

Toolbars:

Finally we have browser toolbars, which can be useful or dangerous depending on where you got them. Some toolbars are actually quite useful, such as the Google Toolbar, or some that offer an increased browsing experience like the StumbleUpon toolbar.

Having said that, there are other toolbars which are used as a means of displaying constant unwanted ads and are hard to uninstall. Some of these unwanted toolbars come bundled with free screensavers or software, often from some seemingly reputable companies.

The point is, are you ready to put up with a torrent of advertisements just to get a free screensaver – which are not even necessary. When all is said and done, screensavers were designed to prevent CRT monitors suffering from screen burn, but not many people have these now. The fact is, screensavers are totally unnecessary for LCD monitors, so why take the trouble unless you like looking at beautiful pictures.

Check out this video and find out how XoftSpySE Anti-Spyware defeats spyware on your Windows computer!

We live in a fast paced world and we’re always looking for the fastest way to get things done. We barely have time to wait for our burger at the local fast food restaurant, our coffee to brew, our microwave popcorn to pop, so who has time to wait around for a slow computer?

Barring adding more RAM to your computer, there are 6 steps you can take to speed up your computer’s performance. Most of these steps will allow you to speed up your computer, free of charge since they are applications already installed on your computer.

One of the first steps you should take is to empty the Recycle Bin. It’s easy to do. Just point your cursor to the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, right-click, and choose “Empty Recycle Bin.”

Next, open up your Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options. Click on “Delete Cookies,” then on “Delete Files.” In the window that appears, check “Delete all offline content” and click OK. Once that’s done, click OK to close the Internet Options window, and close your Internet Explorer.

Those two are steps are the quickest, and simplest ones so that’s why we got them out of the way first. Next, we’ll be conducting a Disk Cleanup. To do this, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. The disk cleanup function will now begin calculating how much space you will be able to free up. Once it finishes, it’ll give you a list of files to delete. It should already have some files checked, but you can go through the list and check off all the files you want to delete, then click OK.

Now it’s time to do a disk defragmentation. This can be a long process so you should probably set this up during a time when you’ve got other things going on. For example, set it up, then go watch your favorite TV show, or go mow the lawn, or go workout. You get the idea. To begin go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Click Analyze. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the “You do not need to defragment this volume” call-out, but more than likely, you’ll have to click on “Defragment.” If so, click on it, go do something else and come back in an hour or two.

Once that’s done, it’s time to run a spyware scan. Most people don’t realize how easy it is to get infected with spyware, so running periodic scans is highly recommended. You can use any anti-spyware program you choose. Just be aware that no one program gets rid of everything. To play it safe, you should run at least three different programs. You might be surprised by what they find. You may have had spyware running on your computer and not even know it. Once the scans are complete, and all that spyware is taken care of, it’s time for the last step.

This last step is to run an anti-virus scan. Hopefully you have an anti-virus program installed on your computer. If not, I highly recommend you get one as soon as possible. Once the anti-virus program is set, go ahead and run it. This could take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple hours depending on how many files you have on your hard drive so once again, set it, and then go do something else. Come back in about an hour.

Once all the steps are complete. Restart your computer and you’ll be surprised at how completely nimble it now feels. It’s a good idea to follow these 6 steps at least once per week (some steps you can even set up to be done automatically). By doing this, you will keep your computer performing almost like it did when you first bought it.

Is your computer acting funny? Are you having trouble surfing the web like you normally would? Is your computer slow, sluggish and unresponsive lately? Than you just might be the victim of adware on your machine.

Whats adware? It’s usually some kind of software of free application that has been installed on your computer that either you or the manufacturer of your machine has put on your PC, that tracks actions on your computer, and reports those actions back to advertisers.

Sounds sort of like big brother watching you huh? Well you wouldn’t be far from the truth. See, if your using any version of the Windows operating system, chances are very good that you already have adware installed on your machine. Why? Some applications and programs have it built in as a default. You have no choice whether it can be installed or not, because it’s already there.

So what can you do? Simple. Get yourself a good adware removal tool, and with just a few mouse clicks, remove all the scumware and spyware from your machine. You can find some pretty decent free adware application tools out there, but if you want true protection, your better off spending a few dollars and purchasing one.

Here is a tip on how to find a good one. What you need to look for are adware removal tools that have been tested and rated by a reliable source. Look for a application that has a five star rating or better. Once you find one your happy with, you can usually try it before you purchase.

Now that doesn’t mean that its going to repair all your adware problems for free, but it will give you a good indication of what its going to do before you purchase it. It’s almost like taking a test drive, allowing you to get comfortable with it and try it out before hand.

Once you have removed all the adware on your system, you will find it to be almost as fast as the day you purchased it. No more spying and reporting on every little thing you do to those nasty advertisers. Let them bother someone else, and leave you with a clean, reliable machine.

Spyware programs can accomplish a multitude of malicious tasks. Some of their deeds are simply annoying for the user; others can become downright aggressive in nature. These unobtrusive, malicious programs are designed to silently bypass firewalls and anti-virus software without the user’s knowledge.

Once embedded in a computer, it can wreak havoc on the system’s performance while gathering your personal information. Fortunately, unlike viruses and worms, spyware programs do not usually self-replicate.

How Do You Get Spyware on Your PC?

Typically, spyware originates in three ways. The first and most common way is when the user installs it. In this scenario, spyware is embedded, attached, or bundled with a freeware or shareware program without the user’s knowledge. The user downloads the program to their computer.

Once downloaded, the spyware program goes to work collecting data for the spyware author’s personal use or to sell to a third-party. Beware of many P2P file-sharing programs. They are notorious for downloads that posses spyware programs.

The user of a downloadable program should pay extra attention to the accompanying licensing agreement. Often the software publisher will warn the user that a spyware program will be installed along with the requested program. Unfortunately, we do not always take the time to read the fine print. Some agreements may provide special “opt-out” boxes that the user can click to stop the spyware from being included in the download. Be sure to review the document before signing off on the download.

Another way that spyware can access your computer is by tricking you into manipulating the security features designed to prevent any unwanted installations. The Internet Explorer Web browser was designed not to allow websites to start any unwanted downloads.

That is why the user has to initiate a download by clicking on a link. These links can prove deceptive. For example, a pop-up modeled after a standard Windows dialog box, may appear on your screen. The message may ask you if you would like to optimize your internet access. It provides yes or no answer buttons, but, no matter which button you push, a download containing the spyware program will commence. Newer versions of Internet Explorer are now making this spyware pathway a little more difficult.

Finally, some spyware applications infect a system by attacking security holes in the Web browser or other software. When the user navigates a webpage controlled by a spyware author, the page contains code designed to attack the browser, and force the installation of the spyware program.

This is how Spyware watches you..

Spyware programs can accomplish a multitude of malicious tasks. Some of their deeds are simply annoying for the user; others can become downright aggressive in nature.

1. Monitor your keystrokes for reporting purposes.
2. Scan files located on your hard drive.
3. Snoop through applications on our desktop.
4. Install other spyware programs into your computer.
5. Read your cookies.
6. Steal credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information.
7. Change the default settings on your home page web browser.
8. Mutate into a second generation of spyware thus making it more difficult to eradicate.
9. Cause your computer to run slower.
10. Deliver annoying pop up advertisements.
11. Add advertising links to web pages for which the author does not get paid. Instead, payment is directed to the spyware programmer that changed the original affiliate’s settings.
12. Provide the user with no uninstall option and places itself in unexpected or hidden places within your computer making it difficult to remove.

Common Spyware Programs

Here are a few examples of commonly seen spyware programs. Please note that while researchers will often give names to spyware programs, they may not match the names the spyware-writers use.

CoolWebSearch, a group of programs, that install through “holes” found in Internet Explorer. These programs direct traffic to advertisements on Web sites including coolwebsearch.com. This spyware nuisance displays pop-up ads, rewrites search engine results, and alters the computer host file to direct the Domain Name System (DNS) to lookup preselected sites.

Internet Optimizer (a/k/a DyFuCa), likes to redirect Internet Explorer error pages to advertisements. When the user follows the broken link or enters an erroneous URL, a page of advertisements pop up.

180 Solutions reports extensive information to advertisers about the Web sites which you visit. It also alters HTTP requests for affiliate advertisements linked from a Web site. Therefore the 180 Solutions Company makes an unearned profit off of the click through advertisements they’ve altered.

HuntBar (a/k/a WinTools) or Adware.Websearch, is distributed by Traffic Syndicate and is installed by ActiveX drive-by downloading at affiliate websites or by advertisements displayed by other spyware programs. It’s a prime example of how spyware can install more spyware. These programs will add toolbars to Internet Explorer, track Web browsing behavior, and display advertisements.

How can I prevent spyware?

Ther’s a few things you can do to prevent spyware from infecting your computer system. First, invest in a reliable commercial anti-spyware program. There are several currently on the market including stand alone software packages such as Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware or Windows Antispyware. Other options provide the anti-spyware software as part of an anti-virus package.

This type of option is offered by companies such as Sophos, Symantec, and McAfee. Anti-spyware programs can combat spyware by providing real-time protection, scanning, and removal of any found spyware software. As with most programs, update your anti virus software frequently.

Internet Explorer is often a contributor to the spyware problem because spyware programs like to attach themselves to its functionality. Spyware enjoys penetrating the IE’s weaknesses. Because of this, many users have switched to non-IE browsers. However, if you prefer to stick with Internet Explorer, be sure to update the security patches regularly, and only download programs from reputable sources. This will help reduce your chances of a spyware infiltration.

And, when the Spyware just won’t go?

Finally, if your computer has been infected with a large number of spyware programs, the only solution you may have is backing up your data, and performing a complete reinstall of the operating system.