You Have a Security Problem - Remove Antivirus 2009 Quickly and Easily

If you've seen a message popup on your computer claiming that "You have a security problem", then you absolutely do have a problem - it is called Antivirus 2009 and it is a rogue antispyware program.

What you are experiencing is the slick attempts of Antivirus 2009, which are designed to get you to purchase their bogus software. And while there are a large number of manual fixes and claims that completely free tools like Ad-Aware or Search and Destroy can clean this nasty little spyware from your computer, the reality is that you are going to need a lot more than that to rid your computer of this spyware nuisance.

This is the reality of spyware threats today. They are becoming smarter and smarter and more difficult to remove. What makes Antivirus 2009 so difficult to remove is the fact that the software has the ability to recreate itself after a reboot. This means that you can manually delete the files, folders, registry entries, etc. all day long and every time you reboot it will be right back there again, hammering you with popups and continually downloading additional spyware by the minute.

Having said that - there is a way that you can remove it rather quickly and rather easily, without the need to post any logs to forums and without having to do any manual intervention that quite frankly, most people don't feel comfortable doing. While it might not be the answer you want to hear it is the answer you need to hear - invest a small amount of money in a proven, top of the line antispyware software.

Most spyware removers out there will allow you to scan your computer for free to determine how infected your computer really is, however this is where the freebies end. Yes, there is software that will allow you to clean your computer for free, but the reality is that these programs are nowhere near as effective as software that you might have to pay a few bucks for. I mean, if the totally free software were so effective then antispyware vendors that require you to pay for the full version and clean your computer would go out of business right?

What computer users are starting to realize more and more however, is that the freebies simply don't work. What usually happens is that users think they can get away with using a totally free software, but after they have spent countless frustrating hours trying to clean their computer, they come to the realization that they need something better and that in order to get it, they are going to have to invest a few dollars and this is exactly what happens with Antivirus 2009 as well.

Because Antivirus 2009 has the ability to recreate itself and due to the fact that totally free antispyware software does not have the ability to stop this recreation which is the root of the infection, users find themselves in a vicious loop and can never completely remove it unless they get their hands on a proven spyware removal tool. I am sure you might already know how frustrating it is to see "You have a security problem" over and over again.

But what users also fail to realize is that this isn't going to be the only time they get infected with spyware if they don't have antispyware software running on their computer that is actively monitoring for threats in real time.

So spending money now on antispyware software with highly effective real time protection will not only clean your computer from current infections, but it will block future attempts at infection before they actually make it onto your computer - saving you from the frustrations of having to deal with spyware infections every other week or more.

So if Antivirus 2009 has gotten hold of your computer and you are seeing unending popups claiming that "You have a security problem," the best thing you can do is invest in proven and effective antispyware software and if not, be prepared to spend countless hours now and in the future fighting a new breed of highly efficient spyware infections.

Internet Security - How To Avoid Being Infected With Spyware

Spyware is more than just annoying - it can cause other programs to not work properly and can cause your computer to become quite unstable. Not to mention the privacy issues it brings up.

Spyware is often installed without your knowledge or consent and in many cases can't be removed from your computer without specialized software tools. When the people that distribute it need to resort to tricking you into installing it, there's obviously very little there to warrant your trust.

The first line of defense against spyware is to be careful installing software. Know what's being downloaded. A large percentage of freeware or shareware programs have spyware embedded in them. Sometimes that's disclosed in the user agreement, but often not.

Check for "spyware free" guarantees on software you download. Obviously, anyone can say something is spyware free even when it isn't, but if a website has gone to the trouble to say so, it is more likely to be safe than if they hadn't.

How can you tell if you have spyware on your system? You may see pop-up advertisements even when you aren't browsing the web. Your homepage may have been changed without your consent. New toolbars are installed on your web browser which you didn't request. Your computer may be sluggish or mysteriously reboot on its own. Though, the last effect is usually a virus.

If you do get infected with spyware, there are ways to get rid of it. A number of companies make software designed to get rid of it. These programs will scan your computer and check through their database of known spyware for any matches. These databases get updated frequently as new forms of spyware are found.

Some of these programs are free while others will cost. The paid versions sometimes have additional features, such as automatic scheduled scans. None of them are 100% foolproof however, so it's a good idea to run more than one of them.

Some kinds of spyware are notoriously difficult to get rid of. They may make changes to your Windows files that help them hide from the scanners. On occasion, you may need to delete them manually to be sure they're gone.

Obviously, this is something that you should only attempt if you are quite knowledgeable. You wouldn't want to remove something that is critical for your computer to operate.

Once the spyware has been removed from your system, you should run scans on a regular basis to keep it clean. Whether you do this manually or use a program that does it automatically on a schedule is up to you (and your pocketbook).

And, of course, beware those tempting looking free offers. You may get more than you bargained for.