While the internet is very convenient and has grown to become a vital component of today’s world, it can be risky. Just like with mostly everything else, there are pros and cons to using the internet. Pros are fairly obvious. As for the cons, lets just say that you’ll need all of the protection that you can get. Many computer-threatening things are floating around in the web as you surf at any time. So once you open up that web browser, you become vulnerable to these disastrous irritants, one of which is adware. Adware generaly involves the spamming of pop-up advertisements. Luckily, there are solid ways of getting rid of adware.
Fortify Your Computer
The only way to get rid of adware is, of course, through the use of anti-virus programs. Adware can be a virus other than simply being an annoyance. There are websites out there that automatically download a file, or adware, and then store it into your computer. Usually, the file name is easily distinguishable from that of which you manually download. Norton Anti-virus is the most notorious and one of the oldest anti-virus programs out on the market. Although you must pull out your wallet for it, you get what you pay for.
Norton provides full protection when you’re offline or online. Don’t have your defense stop there. There are free anti-virus programs that you can download and install and use in conjunction with Norton or any anti-virus program you decide to willingly pay for. Malwarebytes is a great example of a free anti-virus program that will surely get rid of adware. Ad-Aware is another.
The Scan
Now that you’ve downloaded and installed two or three anti-virus programs, close out your browser, games, iTunes, and any other programs that might be running. This is so that the anti-virus programs can scan your computer effectively. Be sure to use one program at a time. Upon opening the first anti-virus program of choice, get the latest virus and threat definitions for that program. It’s basically a list of the newest viruses and threats that are out there to get you. Think of it as a dictionary; if you don’t update the definitions, then the anti-virus program won’t be able to defend your computer from the newest viruses and threats.
Updating the definitions list can be done through the settings option of the chosen anti-virus program, as well as for the others. Then, do a full scan on your computer. Once the scan is complete, the program will provide a report of what it found. Choose whichever option removes the unwanted computer irritants. After that’s done, you may be prompted to restart your computer. If not, then restart it anyway as a precaution. Follow all of these procedures for the next one or two anti-virus programs.
Additionally, always check to see if there are any software updates for the anti-virus programs. Do this after updating definition lists. For Windows 8 users, Windows Defender runs by default unless otherwise specified. It helps protect you against threats while online or offline and must be up-to-date. You can do this by positioning your mouse over the far right side of the screen and typing “defender” in the search box. Then, click on the “update” tab.
Don’t let adware get in the way of your online browsing! Protect your computer with these easy steps.