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Are you concerned that your computer might be infected with"adware or spyware"?
Free resources are available online for checking a computer running Microsoft Windows.
Many experts recommend using at least two spyware products because each detects different types of infections. Many antivirus programs claim that they detect spyware and adware, but many computing professionals generally discount their claimed capabilities.
There are few free resources for use with Apple and Linux computers, but spyware and adware are not thought to be a major problem for these types of computers, both for technical reasons and because their market share is so small that they are targeted less frequently.
Here are some free spyware resources:
- Ad-Aware SE Personal is a free program distributed by Lavasoft Inc. (http://www.lavasoft.com), which can detect and remove adware and spyware on Windows computers.
- Spybot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org) is a free program that detects and removes adware and spyware on Windows computers. It also can block new adware or spyware from being downloaded
- Computer Associates, which sells Pest Patrol anti-spyware software, offers a free online scan for spyware (http://www.pestpatrol.com). The site does not remove any infections.
- Microsoft AntiSpyware (http://www.microsoft.com/spyware) is a free test version of software that Microsoft recently acquired in its purchase of another company. This program can detect and remove spyware and adware on Windows computers.
- Spy Audit
is a free Web-based scan by Webroot Software (http://www.webroot.com) that does not require any software to be downloaded. The company also sells Webroot Spy Sweeper, which can find and remove spyware and adware on Windows computers.
If your computer is not functioning properly, you could stop at the Information Technologies Department Helpdesk in Haviland Hall for a CD containing some spyware removal tools.
Source: "The CHRONICLE of Higher Education" - January 28, 2005
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