spyware & Ad ware
spyware is software that sends your personal information to a third party without your permission or knowledge. This can include information about Web sites you visit or something more sensitive like your user name and password. Unscrupulous companies often use this data to send you unsolicited targeted advertisements.
Ad ware displays advertisements on your computer. These are ads that just pop up on your display screen, even if you're not browsing the Internet. Some of the problems it can cause are listed below
If you have any or all of the following problems, you probably have spyware and/or Ad ware on your computer
I see pop-up advertisements constantly. Some software will bombard you with pop-up ads that aren't related to the Web site you're visiting. These ads are mostly adult or other objectionable web sites. If you see pop-up's as soon as you turn on your computer or when you're not browsing the Web, you may have spyware or other unwanted software on your computer.
My settings have changed and I can't cant get them back to the way they were. Some software has the ability to change your home page . This means that the page that opens first when you start your Internet browser or the page that appears when you select "search" may be pages that you do not recognize. Even if you know how to adjust these settings, you may find that they revert back every time you restart your computer.
My Web browser contains additional items that I didn't download. Ad ware & spyware and other malicious software can add toolbars to your Web browser that you don't want . Even if you know how to remove them, they may return each time you restart your computer.
My computer seems slow. Ad ware & spyware and other malicious software are not necessarily designed to be efficient. The resources these programs use to track your activities and deliver advertisements can slow down your computer and errors in the software can make your computer crash. If you notice that a certain program crashes often, or if your computer is slower than normal at routine tasks, you may have spyware or other malicious software on your machine.
If you think your computer is infected, find out how to get rid of spyware & Ad ware and how you can prevent spyware in the future