Back on Track

Hey guys! I just got back from my winter retreat in northern Vermont. While I was there, I noticed my friend was using his brand new hp laptop. Its a brand new machine, he got it for X-mas; and already he was pushing 17 gigs of pure pirated music. While I don't necassirly agree/disagree with any of his actions; I must say, his new computer was running like shit. The browser would take minutes to load, his IE toolbar was huge, pops-ups were hitting me constantly, and all to the sound of skipping techno(provide by windows media player(GodBlessAmerica)). So by now its obvious his computer has a few issues, nothing that can't be fixed; But the real question is: Where did these viruses, ad-bots, and sluggish tendencies come from? Well my friend had installed several programs to help him acquire his new music. These were programs like Limewire, Frostwire, KaZaa, and Morpheus. I strongly discourage these programs, they only invite spyware and other unprotected and unlimited files. You honestly don't know exactly what you are getting, and larger files could be more than you bargained for. Although many of the files are honest, you should be careful. He had other issues too, larger issues. He had used a Torrent site, along the lines of pirate bay or extremeNova, and he had accidentally downloaded a virus. The virus itself hijacked his homepage, and added toolbars. On a very positive note: All of this was very easily fixed :D Windows defender tackled a bulk of the adware, and Spybot and ccCleaner flushed out the rest. The point of this story is not about how to clean up the mess, but its prevention. Just be careful when using the web. Be smart, don't use shady deals like Frostwire, and read comments on your torrent sites. Talk to other users, know what you are getting. The Internet is a great place, full of things to gain, but don't be impatient, and rush into a snare. So now that every thing is back on track, I hope to continue writing and tackling issues into the spring.