How do I know if my computer has a spyware infection?

Symptoms may include:

Different default homepage.

Homepage hijacker spyware resets your homepage so each time you launch your browser you land on that site. Until you remove it, this type of spyware application will not let you change your default homepage back to your original one.

Unusually slow Internet access.

Spyware slows Internet access because it is importing information (like pop-up ads) while sending out information (user activity, screenshots, bank account numbers, keystroke logs).

Reduced computer productivity.

Even a small amount of spyware on a system can slow down a PC because it operates in the background, sapping hard drive resources. Other spyware applications store advertising on a computer's hard drive. Some applications, like Buddylinks, turn computers into spyware drones, where an infected PC joins an army of others that all work together to distribute a certain strain of spyware.

More frequent pop-up ads.

Adware tracking cookies trigger the most innocent form of pop-up ads. Cookies that reside on your PC serve up pop-up ads related to the site you are visiting, your personal information or online activities. The more cookies you have on your PC, the more pop-ups you'll see. A more malignant type of pop up won't stop appearing until you allow it to download spyware software. Sometimes, even the "close" or "cancel" buttons mean 'yes' which will start the download.

New or different search toolbars.

Spyware-riddled applications often install a new search toolbar on a system with the intention of hijacking searches for search terms. Depending on the legitimacy of the toolbar, searches may end up on a pay-per-click site, and some of those sites load additional spyware onto your PC via click-link download.

Anti-spyware or anti-virus software is turned off, or malfunctioning.

Spyware sometimes targets the software designed to find and remove it and will turn that software off.

How can I clear the browser cache?

1 Open Internet Explorer
2 Click Tools (on the menu)
3 Click Internet Options (on the tools menu)
4 Click the Delete Files button (in the temporary internet files section on the genereal tab)
5 Click OK on the Delete Files window
6 Click OK on the Interenet Options window

Why is my computer so slow?

Ways to speed up your computer include:
1 Clear the browser cache
2 Remove any virus, adware, spyware and hijack programs
3 Remove programs from the system tray
4 Upgrade your computer