How To Remove Spyware From Your Computer?

Spyware is rapidly becoming a major problem for Internet users. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 computers are infected with spyware or ad ware or both. Spyware may be responsible for 50 % of all computer crashes. Spyware runs silently and you may not be aware that your every move on the Internet is being observed and recorded. 

If a user does not detect and remove spy ware from his computer, all his files may get infected and it may stop working. All his passwords, credit card numbers and other personal information may be stolen before he can realize what is going on. Once spyware has been removed, the computer will run much faster. It is worth while you to find and use the best spyware removal software available. 

Features Of Good Spyware Removal Software A few features to consider, while searching for spyware 

removal software products, are: 

* It should offer complete protection from spyware, key loggers, remote access Trojans (RATS), browser hijackers and ad ware. 

* A good spyware program will offer automatic updates, to provide protection from the latest spy ware threats. 

* The spyware product should offer technical support, so you can call or e-mail someone, if you have a technical problem. 

* A good customer service back up also shows that the manufacturer can be trusted to look after the needs of the customer in the long run. 

How Does It Work? 

It is very difficult to find and remove spyware software from a computer manually. Spyware protection software detects and removes spyware and ad ware from your computer automatically. It can also protect your computer from data thieves, hackers, malicious e-mail and other threats. 

There are many free spyware protection software products available. These programs can be used to detect and remove spyware and adware that is already present in your computer. Many types of spyware, install themselves on your computer again, after you have deleted them. 

Free spyware removal programs can help you to assess the problem. A permanent solution may be to get the best spyware solution product available. 

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Backup: But Where To?

We all know we have to backup regularly, but those backups files can get huge. Add that to your existing your files and your notebook computer hard drive seems to have shrunk overnight. No matter what size hard drive you have on your notebook computer, space is a premium. Besides, it's not exactly a good idea to store your backups on the same hard drive since you can't retrieve it -- rather defeats the purpose of backing up don't you think? So what do you do, what are your options?

Backup to an external hard drive. This is probably the quickest, most cost effective option. You can often get a removable drive on sale or with rebate for a low price too. You can get one with hundreds of Gigabytes of space too. They can be easy to hookup to your notebook computer. However, do remember that they are hard drives and hard drives can fail. You may find the external backup fails before your notebook computer does.

Online backup. This is actually a good idea because physical disasters can happen to your home. And when that happens, you will always have a copy in a place not affected by the disaster. This is why businesses usually have one backup in the premises and one (or more) off premises. The good thing about online backup is, it's accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. So if your notebook fails when you're away from home, you can still retrieve your data.

Many of these services are reasonably priced and they provide you with everything you need to get the backups safely transfered. But because your data will be on someone else's system, choose a reputable company, one who is not only established but takes customer data confidentiality very seriously.

Network attached storage. This would make more sense if you have several computers. They allow you to not only backup several computers' data into one location but also ability to share or retrieve files from that central area. You can also achieve a similar effect equipping an older computer with a large hard drive and use it just for storage or backup.

Backup to CD or DVD. This is considered the safest for long term data integrity. External drives and network storage can still crash and prone to virusses. CD's and DVD's are also inexpensive. But backing up to disks daily is chore as you'll find yourself having to manually pop in the disks. It becomes even more hard work when you have a lot of files and your backup spans several disks. The other problem with this method is, backup utilities that come with your operating system cannot backup to a CD or DVD drive. So you'll have to fork out extra cash to buy a third party backup software that will.

No backup solution is one hundred percent and what you choose of course will depend on how you work. If your data is really important to you, try not rely on one backup source. Create two separate sources if you can afford to, just in case.

About the author:
Lynn Chan simplifies computing and computer care issues for new notebook computer owners. Get a free tutorial "5 Days To A Healthier Notebook Computer" at http://www.notebook-computer-infocenter.com/5days-to-a-healthier-notebook.html

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