A lot of advertising you are seeing online is legitimate, but not always. If you need to close a window, be careful because some people like to add fake “X” close buttons. Remember these keyboard commands to make sure you close a window – Control + F4 for Windows and Command + W for Macs.
If you’re not running your Web browser and are still getting pop-up ads on your desktop, you’ve most likely installed adware or it could be a virus.
What is adware?
Adware is short for advertising-supported software and it is a program that displays unwanted ads. It is a type of malicious software that allows developers to send ads to users in an intrusive way. Some versions also have the ability to track your browsing history without your knowledge – and you definitely don’t want that! Getting rid of it isn’t easy and once you have got it on your PC it can be very annoying.
Symptoms include:
- Slow Internet
- Problems getting to certain pages
- You may find that unknown plugins, files or toolbars are installed on your device
- Your homepage may change without your input to something you haven’t seen before like a fake google page (This can be very dangerous as it may display a fake search result for your online bank)
- Not to mention that a high number of pop-up ads will reappear after being closed and this is regardless of you being on the internet or not
Is there a solution?
There are many tools out there that promise to clean up everything but their effectiveness is often far from satisfactory. So what can you do?
You can try running a full scan with credible antivirus software first and if your software doesn’t find anything a complete system reinstall may be necessary. Yes, it might take a long time, but it may be the only reliable way to remove adware or spyware. This is always a last resort though, contact us before making this choice.
Quick advice!
Remember to back up all your personal files. Always have an active, automated and monitored backup in place. Make sure you have confidence your data is safe.
If in any doubts talk to us - we will identify the problem and advise on the correct solution in no time.
Contact me if you would like to discuss anything mentioned in this article kamila@octagontech.com or 01522 797520.
Kamila
