Nowadays, 'Spyware', that mysteriously ends up on your computer, is one of the most common causes of
trouble with Internet connections. Spyware is software that is installed on your computer, monitors your Internet
activity, and sends that information to servers on the Internet. Sometimes, it causes no visible problems with computer's
performance, but it can also slow your Internet connection to a crawl, or stop data transfer entirely.
One of our members wrote:
"Hi Tech Guys,
"Thanks for your help with this. My Internet connection had gotten so poor that I was trying
to decide whether to quit PRiS to try another ISP, or to buy a new computer. I really did not want to stop supporting the
local society, but something had to give.
"I was surprised that you were willing to go over my computer in your office for no charge,
and was absolutely shocked to learn that somehow I had acquired 327 pieces of spyware. Once you cleaned them off I was back
surfing at full speed again!
"Thanks again,
xxxx
Unfortunately, PRiS cannot do anything to prevent spyware from being loaded onto your computer, because you have unwittingly given 'consent' to have this stuff installed.
Spyware is usually installed without your knowledge when you install other software, the most common offenders being music/file sharing programs, and games found in cereal boxes. Quite often though, you'll have unknowingly agreed to its installation by not reading the fine print of the "Agreement for Use" page while installing the software.
Spyware used to be quite innocuous. When someone browsed to certain web pages, the spyware would just pop up a "pop-up" ad for you to read. Nowadays though, spyware (and related "malware") can send a lot of private information about your Internet browsing habits, as well as "hijack" your Internet connection. Just type "spyware" into any Internet search engine, and read some of the articles. We guarantee your eyes will be opened.... A good starting point is simplythebest.net's spyware info site. Another very informative site is www.io.com's spyware site.
Luckily, there are programs which can search your computer for spyware/malware programs, and delete any that are found. We've had very good results with a program called AdAware. You can download it from the Internet, and best of all, it's FREE for personal use. Warning! There are some programs available on the 'net that claim to be spyware removal tools, but are in fact, spyware themselves. More information can be found at Spyware Warrior's Suspect Anti-Spyware Products web site.
For Windows XP and Windows 2000 users, Microsoft has developed an exceptionally good spyware monitoring and removal tool call Microsoft AntiSpyware. Once installed, it will not only clean most spyware/malware from your computer, but it also runs in the background and notifies you if any rogue program tries to install itself, or change your Internet settings. At the present time, the program is free. You can download it from Microsoft's website.
Don't forget to check out our comprehensive 'HELP' reference if you are experiencing problems with your Internet connection. Help is just a click away, at the top of this page!.