|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Remove Rogue Desktop Icons Created By Spyware
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 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. Andrew Malek is the owner of the MalekTips computer and technology help site. Visit his anti-spyware page for more advice on removing adware, spyware, and other malware.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
8 Surefire Ways to Spot an E-Mail Identity Theft Scam! The E-Mail Identity Theft Scam is running Rampant. These E-Mail Scam artists will go to great lengths to Get Your Bank Account information and Steal your Identity. Learn how to Protect To Yourself Now! A New Low A new variation of the Nigerian Scam themeThe scam artists are employing the Nigerian Scam to fleece unwary sellers who advertise pets for sale. Virus and Adware - Fix them Both! We all get the odd virus now and then, but sometimes that one virus could cause so many problems. In this article I shall be going though just some of the problems that these virus software programs can do, and how to fix them. Network Security 101 As more people are logging onto the Internet everyday, Network Security becomes a larger issue. In the United States, identity theft and computer fraud are among the fastest rising crimes. It is important to protect your network and ensure the safety of all computers and users in that network. Securing Your Accounts With Well-Crafted Passwords In the past I've never really paid much attention to security issues when it comes to user names and passwords. Frankly I figured it was all a lot of overblown hype. This led to an unfortunate incident that involved my website being attacked, apparently by a skillful youth with a propensity for mischief. Click Here To Defeat Evil Microsoft routinely releases new security updates, many of which are given it's highest severity rating "critical". Here's a typical announcement: Free Spyware Removal - Its Not As Easy As It Sounds Nobody wants to pay to remove spyware. At the very least, I don't. The blasted stuff shouldn't be on my computer anyway, so what ever would make me want to shell out cash to get rid of something that I shouldn't have in the first place? Data Security; Are Your Company Assets Really Secure? Is your data secure? Think again. Securing data is unlike any other corporate asset, and is likely the biggest challenge your company faces today. You may not see it, but almost all of your company's information is in digital form somewhere in the system. These assets are critical because they describe everything about you; your products, customers, strategies, finances, and your future. They might be in a database, protected by data-center security controls, but more often than not, these assets reside on desktops, laptops, home computers, and more importantly in email or on some form of mobile computing device. We have been counting on our firewall to provide protection, but it has been estimated that at least fifty percent of any given organization's information is in email, traveling through the insecure cyberspace of the Internet. 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. Avoiding Scams: If It Sounds Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is A week or so ago, I received an inquiry from a man in Indonesia about buying multiple copies of certain items on my website. I immediately suspected fraud, so I explained that I only had one piece of each. The man, who wrote impeccable English, said that was fine. I asked why he wanted to buy so much money's worth of jewelry (it was around $250). He said it was for his wife and daughters. I Spy...Something Terribly Wrong (In Your Computer) This really chapped my lips... Another Fine Mess! I'm in the Anti-Spyware business, and I'm doing a lot of advertising to promote my website, but here I am online and on the phone, giving my personal information to.....who? Strangers basically, Geez! The majority of identity thefts occur thru contractors employing people in entry-level jobs that have not been properly screened. Not even Hackers,Phishers or Dumpster Divers account for as many! The ideal location for a Identity stealer would be in a out sourced agency that fails to use adequate screening processes. Make Money Online - Defend Against The Latest Scam First, let's do a little recap'. As I stated in the first part of the article, "Make Money Online - The Latest Scam Disclosed", "refund policy scammers" affect the websites that make money online by selling digital products by buying the product and asking for refunds, while keeping the product. Viruses, Trojans, and Spyware - Oh My! Have you ever had to call Symantec or McAfee to ask them how to remove a virus? Or have you spent hours online trying to figure out how to remove spyware, only to find out that you did something wrong and now your computer won't boot? I know your pain and frustration with just trying to use your computer without worry. As a computer technician at ARCH Computing Services, I know how hard it can be to pay someone to remove viruses and spyware. In fact that's how I started in the computer business. I didn't want to pay someone to fix the problems that I usually caused. A little voice in my head told me "I can build a computer, it doesn't look that hard!" The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore The internet is undoubtedly a fantastic resource for families and offers a rich vein of educational content. Anti-Spyware Protection: Behind How-To Tips There is no doubt that "how-to articles" have become a separate genre. One can find such an article about almost anything; there are even some entitled "How to Write a How-To Article". And, of course, the Web is swarming with the ones like "10 Steps to Protect Your PC from Spyware"(if not 10, any number will do; odd ones like 5,7,9 are most popular) or "How to Forget About Spyware For Good". Please don't accuse me of being sarcastic -- I am not; all these articles by all means are informative and so very useful. They all include really handy tips to protect you from this recently emerged plague called spyware. But? Website Security - Creating a Bulletproof Site in 5 Easy Steps When it comes to a secure website and passwords it is all in your hands to create a password that a hacker simply cannot crack. However, this will require that you be creative and use everything at your fingertips to create the strongest password possible for a secure web site. 5 Tips For An Unbreakable Password Despite the current wave of identity theft and corporate security breaches it's amazing how very few people treat their passwords with any level of seriousness. Most computers users, both at home and in the office, see passwords as a nuisance and therefore make them as easy to remember as possible. This can be a catastrophic mistake. Reducing Fraudulent Transations ? 5 Simple Ways To Protect Yourself The money being spent online is steadily growing. With billions of dollars being spent each year online, the opportunity to make money on the internet has never been bigger. Unfortunately, with that opportunity come people who want to make money in less than honest ways. We're going to look at some concrete ways you can identify fraudulent transactions and save yourself a lot of chargeback fees, money and grief. 6 Ways To Prevent Identity Theft These six ways to prevent identity theft offer you valuable tips against the fastest growing crime in America today. In 2004, more than 9.9 million Americans fell victim to many types of identity theft scams, costing them nearly $5 billion.
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
