Spyware Removal

12 easy tips to make Windows boot up faster

Here are 12 easy tips to make your Windows computer boot up faster. This will apply to all ‘flavors’ of Windows i.e. Windows Xp, Vista and 7.

1) Remove unwanted applications from your start up: Use msconfig or some utility such as CCleaner.

2) Clean up your desktop: Unwanted clutter can slow boot up.

3) Defragment your disk: Very important if you have a large number of files on your hard disk after months of using your computer.

4) Check for malware: Viruses can eat CPU cycles and RAM and slow your computer down.

5) Update your BIOS: May not be necessary, but if new firmware has been released, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be updating.

6) Set the computer to boot from the Hard Disk in BIOS: This can save a few seconds.

7) Remove removable media & peripherals when booting: Can save another few seconds of time.

Disable unused ports: This can be done in the BIOS.

9) Remove fancy wallpapers, themes or sounds effects: This eat up plenty of RAM and CPU cycles. Use Windows Classic theme for best performance.

10) Upgrade Windows, apply patches and service packs: This should make your computer faster by fixing loopholes and make your OS more secure.

11) Hibernate your computer instead of shutting it down: May increase your power bills but worth the money as it saves plenty of time in the long run.

12) Clean you machine: Use a vaccuum cleaner or a blower to ensure that your computer is dust free.

Do you think someone is spying on your internet activity? Though Norton or McAfee might be able to locate spyware, some may be so well-written as to escape detection. In any case, downloading more software willy-nilly in an attempt to protect your computer is more likely to make things worse. Here are some steps a Microsoft Windows user can take to detect spyware activity; Macintosh OS/X, Linux, and users of other operating systems will have similar but different methods available.

- Press Ctrl-Alt-Del (all 3 keys simultaneously, known as a “three-finger salute”). This should pop up the Task Manager, or whatever Microsoft is calling it lately. One of the tabs should be Processes; click that tab.

1) Look up every process name on the Internet. Don’t trust all the information that you find, but try to get a general consensus from the more reliable sites whether that process name is likely to be malevolent or not.

2) Even if a process name is normal and expected (like svchost.exe), it’s still possible that a “hacker” was able to overwrite the normal system process with a tainted one.

3) If a process looks suspicious, for example u-r-0wn3d.exe, you will need to attempt removal. See Tips for ideas on that process.

- Open a command window, also known as a “DOS box”, by clicking Start | Run | cmd, or Start | Run | command on older systems. Type in the command: netstat -an. This will show you a list of systems you have connected to, and systems connected to you, and all “listening” ports. Learn the port numbers: 80 and 443 are typical for the “web”; 135, 139, and 445 are for Microsoft networks; find out what they all mean. If you see something suspicious, netstat -anbv might show you what process is doing the communication.

Tips to stop spyware

Spyware is software that hides on your computer, usually without your knowledge and without you knowing how it got there. Spyware & Adware can not only result in data corruption, personal profiling, hacker attacks, pop-up ads, spying, but also identity theft.

Here are some tips to stop spyware:

1) Be careful when you download: Many spyware programs are downloaded unknowingly when you download other software.

2) Avoid peer-to-peer file sharing: Peer-to-peer file sharing is risky, as the content of the other person’s computer is unknown and viruses and spyware can be spread this way.

3) Use add-ons on your Internet browser.

4) Install anti-spyware software: There are a number of freeware and shareware sites that offer free anti-spyware. Even with anti-spyware software installed on your computer, you will want to check periodically for updates from the software manufacturer as new spyware and adware viruses are developed. These updates will protect you from the latest spyware programs.

5) Keep your operating system up to date: Most operating systems will automatically check for updates periodically.
Operating system security patches are released often from the manufacturers that can fix holes in your system that hackers and spyware can break through.