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Is your computer feeling sickly?

You know that feeling, you attempt to use your personal computer (to check out the latest dive sites, of course) and pop-up windows appear before you're even on the internet (or so you think). 

Web sites you have visited hundreds of times in the past now seem to take forever to load, and you notice your modems data light flashing when you're not even touching your keyboard. 

You have the latest anti-virus software, and it says you're virus free!  What then is causing the random pop-up windows, and why does your computer seem so slow, or preoccupied with doing something other than what you would like?

You may be infected with a different type of program called Spyware or Adware. 

What is Spyware?

Spyware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported software (Adware).

What is Adware?

Advertising supported software (adware) is a product that is available for free and in exchange displays advertising banners within the software interface. Instead of you having to pay for the software, the company creates revenue by selling advertising space in the software product.  While this may be a great concept, the downside is that the advertising companies also install additional tracking software on your system, which is continuously "calling home," using your Internet connection and reports statistical data to the "mothership." While according to the privacy policies of the companies, there will be no sensitive or identifying data collected from your system and you shall remain anonymous, it still remains the fact that you have a "live" server sitting on your PC that is sending information about you and your surfing habits to a remote location.....

"Adware will usually install additional third party components on your system and may exchange statistical data with a remote location over the internet."

On some computers, so much Adware can be installed that the computer can become too bogged down doing the work of the advertisers that it doesn't have much time left over to do what you want.  This author has witnessed a computer so overrun with Adware trying to contact the "mothership" that the computer itself could no longer access the internet.

Why doesn't my Anti-Virus program remove Adware?

Because you must agree to install Adware, it is not really a virus and as such your virus scanners do not detect it. 

Agree?  I didn't agree!

Most likely you did.  Typically, they appear in the fine print of those software agreement licensees that few of us ever read.                                                                                                                                                         (con't on page 3)

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