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study you and learn what kinds of things you are into and then play on that to earn there creator money. They show you pop-up ads and alter the way your web browser functions to obtain this desired effect. You've probably already noticed this. Have you ever got a pop-up that goes along with your last google search. It does this by monitoring what you have done on the internet. If you happen to be searching for information on celebrities, it knows and may send you an ad that says something like "What is Tom Cruises' middle name? Answer correctly to win a free I-pod." It assumes that you know the answer to the question, and that you will answer in the hopes of getting a free gift. Everyone knows that these ads are bogus, and nobody pays attention to them, shrugging them off as a harmless nuisance. However they aren't as harmless as you may think. Spyware is saved on your computer and slows it down, not to mention it eats up your bandwidth, and if you have satellite internet that is a really bad thing since you only have a certain amount you can download/upload each month.(But thats an entirely different subject.) Spyware can also do more than just record your web-surfing habits. It also can gather user keystrokes and obtain private information like usernames, and passwords just from remembering what keys you hit, in what order, at what time. See its not as harmless as some think. It takes away from your privacy, and nobody wants to be spied on.

Hackers are yet another reason your computer may be slow. They might have found a way into your system and are storing data on it. They look for "staging areas" where they can save anything for distribution or later use. Most likely they will save data on your hardrive that they don't want to be seen on their computer. In case they should get caught by the police and have their computer searched, there will be no evidence. Though they might find a trail that leads to your system. Then you'll have some explaining to do.

There are ways to speed up your computer. You could try to clear some space on your hardrive, or run the defragmentation tool. These rarely (if ever) help. The easiest way to speed up your computer is to get antivirus/antispyware software. These programs clean out the unwanted processes on your computer while simultaneously protecting you from future threats. There is free antivirus/antispyware software all over the internet, but these don't always work. Not only that they may also contain the very threats that you want to keep out. The best thing to do would be to buy the software from a reputable source. If this still doesn't speed up your computer then you might want to consider taking it to a professional. Another thing you can do for a prevention method is to be careful of what you download and what sites you go on. Don't download music without paying for it,(again from a reputable source) Also don't visit sites with adult material. Nobody likes it when they have to get a new computer when their old one is to slow to even use. Buy yourself some protection from viruses, worms, spyware, and hackers. A good firewall will go a long way and it will definitely save you time and money down the road!

Learn more about this author, Noah Bradley.
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