Rogue91997 said:
I have been having a prob with my computers switching
programs and open windows on me and i havent been able to
find a fix for it and both home and pro do it....is there
a way to fix this before i break it??
You're probably infested with adware and/or spyware. Here are my basic
steps for computer housecleaning. I'm including all attacks I'm
familiar with - not just adware/spyware.
1. Make sure your virus definition files are up-to-date. Ideally, you
should have some sort of auto-update enabled. These files tell your
antivirus program how to tell if something is a virus, and that
information changes whenever a new virus comes out. Then scan again.
Keep it updated! (I'd suggest daily checks, or turning on the automatic
update)
2. Go to the Windows Update page and make sure you have all of the
"Critical Updates". A whole bunch came out recently. This will help
secure your system. Keep it updated! (I'd suggest turning on the
automatic update function)
Viruses aren't the only thing that can infest your computer. Websites
often install advertising mini-programs without your knowledge. When
there are enough of these, all fighting for your attention, your
Internet access slows to a crawl or stops altogether.
3. Download and install "Spybot Search & Destroy" at:
http://security.kolla.de. Once it's installed, update, then run it. If
you have any questions about what's safe to remove and what isn't, check
back here. Once your questions (if any) are answered, hit the
"Immunize" button on Spybot S&D. That will keep some of the worst stuff
from installing itself in the future. Keep it updated! (I'd suggest a
weekly check)
4. Download and install Lavasoft's "AdAware" program - the free one.
Update, then run it. It will catch a couple of things that Spybot might
have missed. They work well together. Keep it updated! (I'd suggest
daily)
These are some of the basics. It also helps to run behind a hardware
router, and have a firewall. If your XP "Internet Connection Firewall"
isn't enabled, please enable it. I use ZoneAlarm, but the Windows
firewall is supposed to be pretty decent.
Hope this helps!
~ Rosanne
