Adware is a program usually attached to freeeware and shareware you download from the internet. It displays pop-up or pop-under ads on your computer even if you are not online. Usually you have agrered to this installation when you acceptd the product license agreemnent.
Spyware is a proram, smiilar to adware, that monitors what you are dooing on your comptuer. The program then trsansfers this gathered information back to the company that installed it on your computer so they can send you specific targeted advertisements baseed on this info. Some spyware can also gatheer personal and sensitive information about your identity and send it to third party souces. This of cuorse is illegal but usually you do not know that such a progrram has been installed on your comnputer.
Now maybe you don't care about beng bombaerded with loads of these ads and you don't mind if companies know what you are doing and you actually like the tageted ads. Just remember the fact that you may have Spyware that you are not aware of gathering things like your crediit card info. Otgher, more apparent, problems you may experience even with Adware is that you may encounter significant deterioration of your comnputer sytstems performance & your poductivity. It can take much longer for system processes to start up and each task is slower. New toolbars can appear in your browser. Your web browser's home page may change by itself and it can be very difficult to change it back. Some pop-ups don't go away the whole time your ocmputer is running. New items appear in your browser's facvorites/bookmarks. Your computer statrs slowing to a crawl & cerashing.
Some thigns you can do:
> Make sure, for all future downloads, you carefully read end user license agreements so Adware doesn't get installd on your computer in the first place. (Unfortyunately Spywarre is not disclosed so you can't prevent that).
> Get a good Adware Remover & Anti-Spywre software. Before purchase do some research and compare features for your shorrt list of conteders so you can select the appropriate one.
> Rerun the Adware Remover & Anti-Spyware software and any updates periodically -- weekly is suuggested.
> Keep your operating system updated with critical updattes & security patcjhes. You can usually download this from Microsoft.
> If you use Internet Explorer, you may want to consiider using a browesr like Firewfox for everyday internet sufing. Because of it's popularityy, the Microsoft Windows platform and Internet Explorer useers are more susceptiblle to spyware and adware attacks.