1. What is the difference between Spyware, Shareware and Freeware?

2. What is a tracking cookie? Are they bad?

3. What does it mean when someone pings your computer? Is it bad?

4. Is it safe to delete registry keys for PurityScan, WhenUSave and SaveNow? Ad-Aware finds these 3 everytime I scan and it quarintines and deletes them but when I scan after getting back on the net Ad-aware finds them again.

5. How do you make desktop wallpaper?

6. How do you take a picture of your desktop?

I won't answer ALL the questions, but here goes...

1. What is the difference between Spyware, Shareware and Freeware?
Spyware is bad for your computer. Think of it as something that tracks the sites you visit. They take the information from the sites you visit and send you junk mail about it. Anybody who wants to elaborate on this subject some more, please do so.
Shareware is a program you have to pay for, like say Photoshop. You get a X-day trial to try it out but then you need to pay to get the fully registered version.
Freeware is absolutely free like Pop Up Stopper (a program that kills popups). Doesn't cost you a thing to use it. :D

2. What is a tracking cookie? Are they bad?

3. What does it mean when someone pings your computer? Is it bad?

4. Is it safe to delete registry keys for PurityScan, WhenUSave and SaveNow? Ad-Aware finds these 3 everytime I scan and it quarintines and deletes them but when I scan after getting back on the net Ad-aware finds them again.
Sounds like spyware to me...Delete them.

5. How do you make desktop wallpaper?
There are many ways to do it. If you have a small, cute picture you want to make as your wallpaper, right-click on it and click on "Set as Background". If you go to your desktop and right-click on it anywhere and click on "Properties", a menu will appear and you can click on "Desktop" and there should be something there that says "Position" with a drop-down menu below it. There are three options - Tile, Stretch or Center. There's always a little monitor near the top of the menu in every tab you go to, so you can preview what the picture will look like tiled, stretched or centered on that little monitor. Or you can gather up many pictures and have someone make you a really cool wallpaper. :D

6. How do you take a picture of your desktop?
There is a key next to the F12 key on the top of your keyboard that says "Print Scrn/Sys Rq". When you're at your desktop, hit that button It captures a picture of your desktop. Now, click Start > Programs > Accessories > Paint and hold down CTRL + V to paste the picture into Paint. Now save. :D Easy as that.

Originally posted by Blair_Warner02
1. What is the difference between Spyware, Shareware and Freeware?

2. What is a tracking cookie? Are they bad?

3. What does it mean when someone pings your computer? Is it bad?

4. Is it safe to delete registry keys for PurityScan, WhenUSave and SaveNow? Ad-Aware finds these 3 everytime I scan and it quarintines and deletes them but when I scan after getting back on the net Ad-aware finds them again.

5. How do you make desktop wallpaper?

6. How do you take a picture of your desktop?


For questions 2 and 3, I would use this program called Zone Alarm to find out whether they are bad or not. The program sends you a message telling you whether or not the tracking cookies and pings are bad or not, and it will in most cases automatically block it for you. :)

1. What is the difference between Spyware, Shareware and Freeware?

- PZelda gave a good description for Shareware and Freeware so I won't answer those but as far as spyware, it is pretty bad for your computer... Some of it isn't too harmful just tracks your internet usage while others can do things such as use your modem to dial out to long distance costing you hundreds without you knowing (These are generally called dialers), They can take over your Internet Explorer, Making their homepage as your homepage and putting bookmarks to their site all over yours... and etc...

Many of todays big programs come with spyware including Kazaa Media Desktop, iMesh, Morpheus, etc..



2. What is a tracking cookie? Are they bad?


-Generally just tracks your internet usage, What sites you go to and such, most of the tracking cookies it found are probably ones like "Doubleclick" "FastClick" etc.... Safe to delete...



3. What does it mean when someone pings your computer? Is it bad?


-It just means they are trying to check if your computer is online...



4. Is it safe to delete registry keys for PurityScan, WhenUSave and SaveNow? Ad-Aware finds these 3 everytime I scan and it quarintines and deletes them but when I scan after getting back on the net Ad-aware finds them again.


-It should be ok, You can always make a backup of the stuff incase something goes wrong or post your log file at www.lavasoftsupport.com they are pretty helpful. Ad-aware is a very good spyware removing program though it has had problems in the past with removing certain things that left users without a net connection... I use both Ad-aware and Spybot...

5. How do you make desktop wallpaper?

-PZelda gave a good answer

6. How do you take a picture of your desktop?


-PZelda gave a good answer









If you want to know what the spyware it found does... you can try these sites...



www.spywareguide.com
http://doxdesk.com/parasite/
http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm


They have good descriptions...


Amp made a good suggestion of getting a firewall... Firewalls look at the incoming and outgoing traffic for any sign of hackers and if so blocks it... Zonealarm is a good firewall for someone who doesn't understand a whole lot about computer security and just wants to download and install something and let it do its work... (Though even some computer professionals use it) For something more advanced i recommend Sygate Personal Firewall.




As far as savenow keep coming back, Do you have Kazaa?