Most of us are aware of “cookies” that get attached to our PC as we surf the Internet but are you aware of other various gremlins such as spyware, adware, trojans, keyloggers, registry keys, dialers and other parasites that can be a threat to your PC?

A cookie is a small data file that certain Web sites write to your hard drive when you visit them. A cookie file can contain information such including a user ID that the site uses to track the pages you've visited. But the only personal information a cookie can contain is information you supply yourself. A cookie can't read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. Even though most cookies are harmless, some people prefer to eliminate cookies from their hard drive so that sites won’t know that you’ve visited before.

Spyware along with Adware is another matter entirely. These are files that are installed on your PC without your knowledge. They allow companies to monitor your Internet browsing patterns and even allow companies to inundate you with annoying “pop up” ads!

I became aware that something was wrong when my Yahoo browser start page was hijacked and another browser page appeared when I went to the Internet. I quickly changed the browser start page back to Yahoo using Tools, Internet Options, Change Start Page. Yahoo remained for the rest of the day but when I restarted my PC the next day and clicked on the Internet, the other start page appeared once again. Each time I restarted my PC, the other Internet browser start page would appear.

I did some research on the Internet and discovered that a parasite had been placed on my PC and the only way to find and get rid of it was to use a spyware program. I chose SpyHunter as it allowed me a free download to scan my PC to detect parasites such as cookies, spyware and adware programs plus a host of other gremlins. Of course, the free download only detected the parasites. I had to buy the complete program for $29.99 to actually remove them.

Spyware can track your surfing habits, send this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, alter important system files — and can do this all without your knowledge.

How do you know you have these parasites? If your PC seems to be running much slower than it should; if you see excessive popups, new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn’t install, if your browser crashes or if your browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware.

The problem is, spyware parasites aren’t typical virus signatures that Norton or McAfee antivirus programs will find and remove.

Figure 1

SpyHunter scans your PC much like your antivirus program does but seems to be much faster. It quarantines infected files and lists the parasites allowing you to review each one before checking off for removal. You can update the program to add to its database of over 200 spyware products. Although Figure 1 shows SpyHunter found 35 cookies since my last search, in prior scans it detected parasites in Memory and in my Registry. In other words, it pays to scan frequently.

SpyHunter, V 1.5.81 from Enigma Software. It works on Win 98, ME, 2000 and XP. Download the free scan of your system. If you don’t like what it finds on your PC, then you have the option of buying the full version and keep those parasites out of your PC.