They are spying on you. Yes, they are. They know what you are doing, even when you don't. They have you personal information, email addresses, and God knows what else. And you don't know it.

Scary, isn't it?

But how? You're pretty careful about what you download and where you go. So how did it happen? How can all these companies spy on you? And how can you stop them?

The answer comes with ADaware. This free software that can be downloaded from lavasoftusa.com removes all the spyware from your computer, or at least prompts you to do so. I would not have downloaded this program had it not come so highly recommended, because the publisher's website was not at all professional-looking at the time, but when I discovered no less than 46 tracking components on my computer, I was glad I did.

Ever wonder why you get so much spam or junk mail? It's because a lot of companies, including software companies, sell your email addresses to get money. Spyware includes CuteFTP, CometCursor, Aureate/Radiate and hundreds more. Most advertising-supported or free programs are infested with spyware components, and unfortunately most of these programs are the most popular downloads on the Internet. Some spyware components also replace important DLL files with their own, so you have to be very, very careful when you are removing them. For example "Web3000" replaces WSock32.dll without your permission. Check the related links at the end of this epinion for help in removing spyware and be sure to follow the instructions to the dot. No worries, though, ADaware will alert you if any DLLs or other important files have been ruined.

The program itself is pretty neat. It's small and simple. You can configure it to scan just the memory, registry, boot drive or all the fixed drives, or everything. Spyware can be removed automatically, though I wouldn't recommend that, and your computer can be scanned every time Windows starts. There are also log files and alarm sounds available.

To scan your computer for spyware, all you have to do is click "Scan my system" and it will start the scan. It took around 15-20 minutes to complete the scan on my laptop, but that would vary depending on how many files you have. Unlike my anti-virus software, it does not slow down my system and I can do many other things and run a scan at the same time.

When the scan is completed, it will tell you if there were any spyware references found on your computer or not. If yes, you can proceed to view and/or remove them. In either case, you can view a full report, which shows the processes currently running in the memory, the total modules and the total suspicious modules found, any suspicious keys in the registry, any suspicious files and the total number of spyware references, if any. If you choose to clean out your computer, all you have to do is check against the spyware components you want to get rid off, and proceed. Keep in mind that a few ad-sponsored programs (e.g. Go!zilla) may stop working if you remove the spyware so check to see what you're removing before you remove it. Anyway, its all gone in a just a few seconds, and you're free from further spam and privacy invasions, too, as long as you keep those scans running once in a while.

ADaware currently detects and can remove Adware, Alexa, Aureate, Comet Cursor, Cydoor, Doubleclick, DSSAgent, EverAd, eZula, Expedioware, Gratisware, OnFlow, SaveNow, Flyswat, Gator, TimeSink, HotBar, Transponder, Wnad, ZapSpot, SurfPlus, AdvertBar, NetPal, CashBar, Web3000, Webhancer and more.

www.lavasoftusa.com or www.download.com are the websites you can download ADaware from.

Go to spychecker.com to check if the free program you downloaded is pure freeware or actually spyware.

Go to http://accs-net.com/smallfish/advw.htm for help with removing spyware.

Thanks for reading!


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