The previous article in this series outlined what spyware and adware is. In this article I will discuss symptoms of spyware and adware so that you can determine if you have been infected.
How do I know if I have Spyware or Adware?
As previously discussed, there are plenty of spyware and adware bugs out there that are harmless. If that is the case, you wouldn’t really know whether or not you have it. It is always wise still to scan and search your computer with tools to determine if even the most harmless bug exists. If you have a malicious spyware or adware problem, you’ll definitely know.
Listed below are some signs that your computer may be running one or more deceptive adware or spyware software programs.
1. Your homepage changes to an unknown site or continues to change back to a particular site even if you change the homepage settings in your browser. Many deceptive spyware and adware software programs try to force you to use specific sites so the site owners can earn advertising revenue.
2. When you click on the Search button in Internet Explorer, you are taken to a page that you’ve never seen before.
3. Your browser window starts displaying unwanted toolbars or search forms that are difficult to remove or keep coming back.
4. You receive an increase in pop-up windows, even while browsing to pages that have not had pop-up windows before. Under normal conditions, pop-up windows come from the Web pages you visit. Adware is able to create its own pop-up advertisements independent of the page that you are viewing.
5. Your computer seems much slower than it used to be. Deceptive software steals your computer’s resources such as computing power and bandwidth in order to deliver advertisements or track activities.
Okay, so now if you know you have some sort of spyware or adware bug on your computer. In the next article, I will outline how to control the issue at hand and terminate these annoyances.
The author, Jordan Peterson, of Custom Trading Computers, Inc. is a well-known expert in custom built high performance computers, which must be specifically designed for currency traders. Such computer systems can handle heavy volume trading periods with complete success and without any danger of locking up.
