Common Name is adware. To remove the adware, you should follow the
instructions provided by Symantec.
You need to learn about things like adware and spyware. They are a whole new
class of threats to your computer. They are different from viruses, so
antivirus software won't catch them, although Symantec is starting to endow
Norton Antivirus with anti-spyware technology.
Adware, spyware and similar exploits are types of malicious software that
can get installed on your computer when you accept something "for free" from
the Internet. Once they get into your computer, they can be awfully tough to
get rid of.
Imagine a magazine advertisement that keeps track of what you've been
reading and reports that information - without your knowledge or consent -
back to the publisher. That's adware. Spyware does the same thing, but
there's no ad: The mere act of opening the magazine sets off the spying
activity. And that's just the beginning. Browser Helper Objects can 'hijack'
your browser so that your home page is changed to something you don't want
to see. Then there are key loggers, that record everything you type,
dialers, joke programs...the list goes on and on.
The only way to prevent this stuff from getting onto your computer is to
employ the same caution and skepticism that you use in everyday life. If
someone handed you something 'for free' you would say "what's the catch?" If
someone gave you a contract to approve, you would read it before accepting
it. You need to be just as careful on the Internet. That's why kids are the
prime victims for this scumware: They're naive and easily taken in.
What to do if this garbage gets onto your computer despite your best efforts
(and warnings given to your son)? There is some excellent software that can
remove these problems from your computer, and they often work. But you need
to understand that the idiots who write the spyware, adware, etc., don't
care if their masterpieces uninstall cleanly, and sometimes removing them
makes your computer unusable. So prevention is much better than cure.
Well, I've certainly taken up a lot of your time. For a well-known and
effective adware/spyware remover, try Ad-aware 6 by Lavasoft:
www.lavasoftusa.com
Rocky
dbrady7 said:
Thank you Rocky,
I'll try this when my son gets off of his computer. Earlier I ran a
virus scan and defragged his computer. I am using McAffee virus scan. I
went into the Add/Remove programs and didn't see anything that looked
unfamiliar. I will check again before I download anything. Do I install
adware.commonname then uninstall it?
