Spyware, Viruses, & other computer problems

Computer slow? Crashing or freezing up a lot? Internet slow?
Your computer's probably infected with spyware, adware, or viruses...

Most of the time when a computer is slow, freezes up a lot, or has a lot of pop-ups, it's because of spyware, viruses, or file sharing software. These things are very dangerous, and almost everyone has some of them on their computer.

Spyware & Adware

Spyware and adware are everywhere these days. There are several ways your computer can become infected. Many free programs, especially file sharing programs, install additional programs called spyware, adware, or malware on your computer. These programs can do all sorts of bad things to your computer, including making it really slow, making it crash, making your Internet connection slow, or making programs not work. Spyware can do bad things to you too. They can install things that monitor your computer activity, steal your personal information and use that to steal your identity, and "hijack" your computer and use it to send out spam or viruses.

We strongly recommend that you use at least one anti-spyware program (preferably more than one*) and periodically scan your computer for spyware, even if you aren't having any problems. For more information, see the handout Spyware, Scams, & Other Online Hazards. For links to download several free anti-spyware programs, see our Downloads page.

*Note that although you should never have more than one anti-virus program installed on your computer at the same time, it is okay - recommended, actually - to have more than one anti-spyware program on your computer at the same time (they differ in how they define/identify spyware, so each one often finds things the others missed).

Beware of fake programs & warnings

There are companies that make fake "spyware removal" programs that actually are spyware! They try to confuse you by using names that sound like real programs (Spy Deleter, SpyKiller, Spy Wiper, etc.), or are almost the same as real programs (SpywareBlaster is legit but SpyBlast is fake). Don't use any program unless you know for sure that it's legitimate.

Avoiding/preventing spyware

Other than disconnecting your computer from the Internet entirely, nothing offers 100% protection from spyware. However, one of the best ways to protect your computer from spyware is to stop using Internet Explorer (IE). IE is less secure and more prone to threats than other web browsers like Firefox & Safari. We strongly recommend using Firefox as your primary web browser, and using IE only when you absolutely have to (some web sites only work in IE; use IE just for those, then go back to Firefox for everything else). For more information, see the handout Firefox: A Better Browser.

Viruses

Students in the res. halls are required to install the College's McAfee VirusScan and keep it up to date, which should keep you from getting most viruses. If your computer does become infected, you'll need to use VirusScan to scan and clean it. For more information about viruses and instructions for using McAfee VirusScan, see Computer Viruses: McAfee VirusScan 8.5 (Windows 2000, XP, & Vista). Even if you don't live on campus, the College's license for McAfee VirusScan allows students and employees to use it on their personal computers for free. To download it, visit our Downloads page.

File Sharing Software

File sharing programs usually configure themselves to always be running in the background, so they can use up your computer's system resources & make it slow. They may also install spyware, adware, or other bad programs on your computer. Using file sharing software on campus also violates College policies. For information, see the handout File Sharing Software, Spyware, and your Computer.

Assistance and questions

If you have any questions or need more information, contact the Help Desk at (920) 403-HELP (4357) or helpdesk@snc.edu. The Help Desk is for St. Norbert College students and employees only.

Sometimes spyware infections can be so bad that even all of the available tools can't completely clean & fix your computer. If you've tried scanning for spyware and viruses, but still have problems or signs that your computer is infected, you may need to take more extensive measures. The best thing to do in these cases is to restore your computer to its original configuration using your restore disks or other restore method provided by your computer's manufacturer. If you don't want to or can't fix it yourself, you may need to get an expert to help you:

College-owned computers: Tech Support will clean infected College-owned computers. Contact the Help Desk at xHELP (4357) to request this service.
Student personal computers: Tech Support can usually repair your computer for you for a fee. For details, see the Computer Setup and Repair Policy.
Employee personal computers: Contact the Help Desk at xHELP (4357) and ask to speak to the professional on duty for suggestions.