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It astonishes the number of computers which do not have protection against spyware. Estimates vary, but most authorities estimate somewhere between thirty to fifty per cent of PC's do not have a means of spyware removal. Of those that do have a spyware remover installed, most use free programs, such as Adaware and Spybot. So why do so many leave themselves without spyware protection?
1. The first and most obvious reason is ignorance. There are still many, many users who are just that - users. They don't know, or want to know about viruses, spyware and other malware. They just want to use the computer and go on to the next thing. Many have no idea whether or not their computer has spyware protection. Even some experienced users claim they never do to risky sites and therefore can never pick up spyware (yeah, right!)
2. For others, the issue is that of over choice. They know about spyware, they have looked at spyware reviews, perhaps even downloaded a free spyware removal tool but never actually committed themselves to consistently using it. To be fair some have tried out some of the (usually free) anti spyware programs and found them awkward to use, or have ended up taking up a lot of computer resource. Just recently, a friend of mine has just that issue after recently installing a well known free anti spyware application and selecting one of the options which caused his PC to slow to a crawl. Over choice and confusion can lead to our next reason for not installing an anti spyware application.
3. Procrastination is not only the thief of time in general; it can be the thief of computer time also. Not only will spyware slow down computer operations, but there is the time taken when eventually these pieces of malware have to be cleared out - and sometimes I have found they can be in the thousands. Even worse is the time taken to track down and correct theft or misuse of private information. Procrastination is certainly not worth it.
4. For some, fear of new applications can be a worry and a spyware remover can fall into that category. There can be worry about what an application is doing in the background as compared to those programs we regularly use. Some worry that the overhead - that is, the resources that the anti spyware application is using is too high and will slow down the computer. Others get confused about setting up scanning schedules or get paranoid if some spyware is found.
5. Then there are the over confident computer gurus who believe they have it all under control. Some have their systems effectively backed up with an image file and if they end up with a virus or spyware, they simply reinstall a clean system or even get another computer out of the cupboard! For most of us however, this is not the most cost effective way to remove spyware. Effective off site backups are of course essential to this strategy.
To download a spyware remover is something very simple, whether a free or paid for version. There are reasons why people pay good money for spyware applications and that will be the subject of another article.
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