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The Add or Remove Programs utility in
the Windows Control Panel is designed to help you easily
install and uninstall programs on your computer. You
can access the utility by performing the following
steps:
Windows 2000/XP
1. Click the “Start” button.
2. Click “Control Panel.” The
“Control Panel” window opens.
3. Double-click the “Add or Remove
Programs” icon. This icon is usually close to the top
of the list, but you may have to scroll down to find
it. When you double-click it, the “Add or Remove
Programs” window opens.
Windows 98/Me
1. Click the “Start” button.
2. Point to “Settings.” A popup
menu of programs appears.
3. Click “Control Panel.” The
“Control Panel” window opens.
4. Double-click the “Add or Remove
Programs” icon. This icon is usually close to the top
of the list, but you may have to scroll down to find
it. When you double-click it, the “Add or Remove
Programs” window opens.
When the “Add or Remove Programs”
window appears, the programs that are currently
installed on your computer appear in the panel on the
right. You can scroll down the list of programs to see
what’s there.
Sometimes, you can find a spyware
program in the list. If you select the offending
program and click the “Remove” button, Windows cleans
the selected program off of your computer. The key, of
course, is recognizing a program in the list as
spyware. Some of the more common spyware programs are:
|
Alexa |
Comet Cursor |
Lop.com |
|
ATTune |
CommonName |
Offer Companion |
|
Bargain Buddy |
CyDoor |
OnFlow |
|
BDE |
DLDER |
Trickler |
|
Bonzi Buddy |
Gator |
WebHancer |
|
Brilliant Digital |
Hotbar |
Xupiter |
Now, here’s the real tricky part.
Some spyware doesn’t show up in the programs list. Even
if you find a spyware program in your program list, a
common technique of spyware writers is putting a dummy
program in the list. You can select and remove the
dummy and it appears to be removed from your system.
Actually, the real spyware component is still in
residence on your computer, quietly transmitting
personal information while you rest assured that you
have removed the malicious software.
Spyware writers are clever, and they
do their best to hide their programs. While you may be
able to remove some spyware through the “Add or Remove
Programs” utility, your best hope in ridding your system
of spyware lies in running special spyware removal
software such as Max Spyware Detector
Visit their
websites for more information on how to use these tools
to clean spyware off of your computer.
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