Program From Microsoft Fights Spyware
Whenever my PC appears to be slowing
down or acting abnormally sluggish, I run my trusted anti-spyware
program Ad-Aware SE. It is available free for non-commercial use at
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/. Invariably the program
finds some type of parasite program that has snuck in and is stealing
resources from my PC to “phone home” or otherwise monitor my PC
activities.
I was fairly confident that I was
protected from any of these “Spyware” programs as I keep the
AdAware database updated. So when Microsoft announced their free
“Beta” anti-spyware program was currently free to download, I
really wasn’t interested. When a company says that a software
program or product is “Beta,” users should understand that there
is no support for that program as it is as yet an “unofficial,”
or un-launched program. Many companies use Beta programs as final
test beds before the production version of the product is released.
But then I had another PC problem that
I couldn’t seem to shake. I have had fairly good results with most
Microsoft Beta products, and even though the “Free” period
usually expires when the final product goes on the market, I will
usually try a program if I feel it has merit. I always create a
restore checkpoint and back up my data before any new program goes on
my computer, especially a Beta Program.
This one has merit. It only supports
Windows XP and Windows 2000 for the Beta, and as soon as I downloaded
it and ran it for the first time, I knew the old anti-spyware
programs were missing many of the little hooks and parasites that had
infected my PC.
The spyware programs are not viruses,
and usually are not worms or Trojan horses. We install many of them
ourselves as part of real programs. If you read the EULA, End User
License Agreement that comes with every program, you may find that
you grant that program the right to phone home whenever it feels like
it. You sign the EULA by clicking on the “I Agree” button. If
you don’t click on the “I Agree” button, the software product
will not install! Those spyware programs, as distasteful as they
are, are installed by many well-known software companies.
Most of us don’t particularly like
having another program telling a big computer in the sky what we are
doing or which sites we surf. I like it even less when I uninstall a
spyware program and it cripples my machine. That is why a program
like the Anti-Spyware program from Microsoft is so nice to have. It
can remove the spyware programs that will uninstall cleanly, and
quarantine those that are malicious.
Protect your assets and your
information. PC users are under constant attack from companies that
want to know every single keystroke you make. Using programs such as
Ad Aware and the Anti-Spyware program from Microsoft should be a
normal part of your PC operations.
The Beta Microsoft program is available
from Microsoft at
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx.
Good Hunting!
George Mindling © 2005
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