Spyware Cleaners
by L.J. Zacker, Craig Zacker, David Pogue
Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual, Second Edition
- Windows XP Pro Edition: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition
- What the Reviewers Said
- The Missing Credits
- Introduction
- I. The Windows XP Desktop
- 1. The Desktop and Start Menu
- Logging In
- The Elements of the XP Desktop
- The Start Menu
- Start→Log Off
- Start→Shut Down (Turn Off Computer)
- Start→All Programs
- Start→Run
- Start→Search
- Start→Help and Support
- Start→Control Panel
- Start→Set Program Access and Defaults
- Start→My Network Places
- Start→My Computer
- Start→My Music, My Pictures
- Start→My Recent Documents
- Start→My Documents
- Customizing the Start Menu
- 2. Windows, Folders, and the Taskbar
- 3. Organizing Your Stuff
- 4. Getting Help
- 1. The Desktop and Start Menu
- II. The Components of Windows XP
- 5. Programs and Documents
- 6. The Freebie Software
- The Windows XP Accessories
- Windows XP Games
- Everything Else
- 7. Pictures, Sound, and Movies
- 8. The Control Panel
- Category View: The Big XP Change
- Accessibility Options
- Add Hardware
- Add or Remove Programs
- Administrative Tools
- Automatic Updates
- Bluetooth Devices
- Date and Time
- Display
- Folder Options
- Fonts
- Game Controllers
- Internet Options
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Network Connections
- Network Setup Wizard
- Phone and Modem Options
- Power Options
- Printers and Faxes
- Regional and Language Options
- Scanners and Cameras
- Scheduled Tasks
- Security Center
- Sounds and Audio Devices
- Speech
- System
- Taskbar and Start Menu
- User Accounts
- Windows Firewall
- Wireless Network Setup Wizard
- III. Windows Online
- 9. Hooking Up to the Internet
- 10. Security, Firewalls, and Service Pack 2
- 11. Web, Chat, and Videoconferencing
- Internet Explorer
- Windows Messenger
- 12. Outlook Express 6
- IV. Plugging into Windows XP
- 13. Printing, Fonts, and Faxing
- 14. Hardware
- 15. Joining, Compressing, and Encrypting Disks
- 16. Maintenance, Backups, and Troubleshooting
- V. Life on the Network
- 17. Accounts, Permissions, and Logging On
- Introducing User Accounts
- Windows XP: The OS With Two Faces
- Local Accounts on a Workstation
- Local Accounts on a Domain Computer
- Local Users and Groups
- Setting Up the Logon Process
- Logging On
- Profiles
- NTFS Permissions: Protecting Your Stuff
- 18. Setting Up a Workgroup Network
- 19. Introducing Network Domains
- 20. Sharing Network Files
- 21. Three Ways to Dial In from the Road
- 17. Accounts, Permissions, and Logging On
- VI. Appendixes
- A. Installing Windows XP Pro
- B. Windows XP, Menu by Menu
- C. Fun with the Registry
- Index
- Colophon
As noted above, the Security Center makes clear the importance of installing firewall, antivirus, and automatic-update software—but weirdly, doesn’t even mention spyware protection. Spyware detectors are generally free, so by all means consider one of them to be part of your essential PC toolkit. You might choose one of these highly regarded programs, for example:
Ad-Aware. Free version available to individuals (and commercial versions for corporations) at http://www.lavasoftusa.com
Spybot Search & Destroy. Free at http://www.safer-networking.org
Current versions of commercial antivirus programs, including those from Symantec, McAfee, and Trend Micro, also include some spyware-cleaning functions.
Having a spyware cleaner available is especially important if you download a lot of programs from the Internet (this means you, file swappers).
Tip
Here are four tell tale signs that your PC has been infected by spyware: The computer suddenly slows down a lot; Internet Explorer doesn’t work right anymore; you get a lot of apparently irrelevant, nonsensical error messages; and the PC freezes up a lot.
These are signals that you should run one of those spyware utilities.
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