Adware and Spyware Blockers
The most important things you can do for your computer right now is to install adware and spyware blockers. Everyone is aware of computer viruses and run an anti-virus program to guard your computer against them. But only a fraction of computer...
Have you let a spy into your computer?
Yes, it's true. You may have inadvertently invited a spy into your computer. This spy is known as "spyware, adware, or trojans", and once it is in your computer it starts taking statistical information as you travel the Internet. In some cases,...
Spyware - Is Your Computer Safe?
Spyware is the virtual plague of the new Millenium. You no longer have to receive emails with viruses in them or even click on dangerous links on websites. Simply surfing the web can now leave you wide open to the scourge of spyware. You may also...
What Every Internet Marketer Should Know About Spyware
If you run any type of Internet business, Adware and
Spyware can be a very serious issue. These programs hide
themselves on your computer and do all sorts of annoying
and potentially dangerous things.
Viruses spread on your PC. The good...
|
|
Spyware Links
|
Ares music downloads are fast, but are they free?
Detecting Spyware quickly
Five Simple Steps to Speed up Your Computer
Hateful Spyware & Virus. How to guard against them?
Have You Invited A Spy Into Your Computer?
How Safe is Your Success? Part 3 of 8
How to Protect Yourself from Viruses, Adware, Spyware and Hackers
Is your Computer Infected with Spyware?
Removing Some Spyware Is Like Treating Cancer
The Spy Who Robbed Me: What You Need To Know About Spyware
What Spyware Does on your Hardrive.
What to do once you are infected with spyware, ad-ware or viruses
|
|
 |
Remove Rogue Desktop Icons Created By Spyware
Written by: Andrew Malek
If you have used a Windows machine for a while, whether it's Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows 98, you're sure to have noticed desktop icons appearing from out of nowhere. How can icons mysteriously emerge on your Windows desktop?
1. When you buy a computer, many vendors place icons to selected products and services on your desktop, such as links to high-speed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or add-on services vendors think you may need.
2. As you install software on your Windows machine, icons may appear, either to start the application or link to the manufacturer's website. Installing just one program could add three or more icons to your desktop!
3. It's easy to accidentally drag a Favorite, bookmark, text file, or other icon to your desktop, creating an icon.
Normally, it's easy to delete Windows desktop icons. Just place your mouse pointer on the offending icon, then right-click it and choose "Delete", clicking "Yes" to confirm if prompted.
However, what if the rogue icons are for adult websites, unfamiliar search engines, or other websites you don't recall visiting? You may try removing these icons but get an error, or after removal they still reappear again and again and again!
If so, then more than likely spyware, adware, or other malware has infected your machine. It may have been through file trading software, an inadvertent "yes" click when a popup window asked you to install software, 'freeware' that included adware, or other means. To remove the rogue icons, you need to remove the malware creating these icons.
Removing spyware and adware can be a time-consuming process, fraught with potential disaster as it is possible to accidentally remove files that render your operating system unusable. However, the following software products can help with this process as long as you read the instructions carefully, make backups, and get expert advice if you're not completely sure about removing what they ask you to do:
* Ad-Aware: http://www.lavasoft.com/
* Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/
* Pest Patrol: http://www.pestpatrol.com/
* Spybot Search and Destroy: http://safer-networking.org/
* Spy Sweeper: http://www.webroot.com/
So, how can you prevent these icons from appearing in the first place? Practice safe computing.
* Backup your machine. If it does get infected to the point of being unusable, at least you won't lose all your important files.
* Install security-related operating system updates so spyware and adware cannot enter your system through well-known exploits.
* Download or buy a virus scanner, and keep it updated! Virus scanners cannot detect all spyware, but it doesn't hurt to have one. Check online or visit your local computer software store.
* Purchase a hardware or software firewall, and keep it updated! Firewalls help protect your computer from common exploits that spyware or adware can use to infect your machine.
* Consider using a different web browser. Though it is not perfect, Mozilla Firefox at http://www.mozilla.org is currently less susceptible to spyware than Internet Explorer, mainly because it lacks certain technology (such as ActiveX) that is often exploited by malware writers. Note that depending on your web use, certain websites may not work correctly with other web browsers.
By practicing safe computing and using spyware-removal software, you can help remove rogue desktop icons from your desktop and keep others from appearing.
About the Author
Andrew Malek is the owner of the MalekTips computer and technology help site at http://www.malektips.com . Visit his anti-spyware page at http://malektips.com/spyware/ for more advice on removing adware, spyware, and other malware.
|
