Don’t Click No! How to Safely Close those Pop-up Windows

Even though you are probably very aware of the dangers of viruses and spyware, it is possible that you are downloading those very things onto your computer without even knowing it. As you surf the internet, you surely have encountered pop windows. Most likely you simple close them and keep going on with what you are doing. However, what you may not know is that closing those windows may be the worst thing you can do. The people who create pop up windows are sneaky and are certainly not out for your best interests. In many cases, what you think may be a simple move to rid yourself of an annoyance is really a way for you to end up with a virus or spyware on your computer.

You will find that many pop up windows and ads look like they are standard windows boxes. They have in them a message or alert and likely a button at the bottom. It usually asks something to the effect of “would you like your system scanned for spyware” and then offers you choices of buttons for “yes” and “no.” Sometimes it’s even an alert and only one “close window” button. Either way, you must be alert with these pop ups.

The boxes that show up on your screen may seem pretty innocent or even useful. Plus, you probably don’t pay it much attention because you saw that there was a way to get rid of the box quickly by clicking “no” or “close window.” The truth is that if you are getting a pop up in the first place, there is cause for concern. In most cases, those buttons are not what they appear to be. In a large number of cases, if you click either button or anything on the pop up, you will end up downloading a virus or some sort of spyware. So by simply trying to close the window, you are probably causing harm to your computer.

There is a proper way to click out of a pop up box. Many system security experts will tell you that you click on the “x” in the corner of the pop up window, instead of those option buttons it gives you. The only problem is that many of the windows will mimic that “X” and trap you once again. Remember to always be a little bit suspicious when it comes to pop up windows. Just the fact that someone is even using pop windows is reason to be very cautious of anything having to do with that window.

There is another option, and it is likely the one that will be the safest with any pop up window situation. The way is to find the pop up in your task bar. Move the curser over the window and right click it. You will get a menu and from that you can select “close.” However, from time to time you may get a pop up that is not listed in your task bar. All is not lost in such a case. Simply right click on the task bar and you will get your task manager. Find the pop up in there and click the “shut down” option for that window. This will safely and easily rid you of the pop up without putting you in danger of accidentally downloading spyware or viruses onto your computer.

We live in an age of technology. With that technology, comes danger, because as with anything there are always people trying to take advantage. Viruses and spyware are certainly no exception. Even though you are most likely fully aware of the dangers of downloading software about which you are unsure, you may still be doing it without even knowing what you are doing. Often times, those annoying pop ups that spring up all over your screen as you surf the net are actually traps. You click the button to close or to say no and actually end up clicking a link to download spyware. There are, however, safer ways to close those windows. Whenever you are confronted with a pop up window on your screen, take precautions so that you do not end up with unwanted viruses or spyware on your computer.

Registry is the database where data of programs and windows is stored. Registry cleaner is software, used to run your computer faster and smoother. Registry cleaning is very important for a smooth running of your computer system. Whenever you delete a file form your system, the registry does not remove this data. Thus, a reference to the deleted file remains in the registry. Gradually as the registry gets filled up with these databases, the computer gets slower and slower in its functioning. If the registry is not cleaned up regularly, severe damage can be caused to your computer.

Buy the best registry cleaner that is available for your computer. Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com Matt Garrett, www.registry-cleaner.org

Something Doesn’t Register – Cleaning your Computer’s Registry for Safety

Each time you put new hardware or software on your system, or you reinstall programs or hardware on your system, information about that install is placed in your system’s Registry.  The system Registry is a log of everything that happens on the computer in terms of programs, services, and processes. Even if you follow all of the recommended steps to uninstall the software or hardware in the future, bits and pieces may be left behind in the Registry. It is essential that you clean your Registry because the redundant and useless entries can wreak havoc on your system’s stability.

They can slow the overall performance, and this can mean that you will have problems installing new software or hardware. Moreover, your computer is more likely to crash multiple times if you have never cleaned your registry. You are also more likely to encounter continuous error messages. Even if you clean up the bits and pieces programs leave behind after un-installation found in the “Program Files” folder, you still need to clean up the Registry keys and values. It is not a terribly difficult procedure. It is important, though, that you be very careful while cleaning. Deleting things from the Registry is permanent. It cannot be undone. If you delete something your system needs to run, you will be out of luck in terms of restarting your system.

You can start by searching your Registry to manually delete and eliminate all entries related to a recently uninstalled application. Open the Registry Editor and click on the My Computer icon in the left panel. Click Edit and Find. Put in a word that has some relation to the program you want to be sure is gone from your registry. You could put in the name of the program or the program’s publisher. Be sure to check the box labeled “Keys, Values, and Data,” then click “Find Next.” Examine the first thing you find. If you do not need it, highlight and press delete. You will need to press your F3 key to continue. You should then repeat the process a few more times. After you have finished, a box will appear with the following message: “Finished searching through the Registry.”

If you want to fully clean your Registry, though, you must also do so during the startup process. Windows launches all .exe files during startup and uses information contained in your computer’s Registry. You can see what is running by clicking on your “Start” button. Choose “Run” and type “msconfig” and hit enter to launch System Configuration Utility. Once you’ve done that, you will see a series of tabs. Click on the “Startup” tab, and you can see all the programs that are set to run during the startup process.

Even though the actual files are stored on the hard drive, the instructions to run them are in the Registry. Even if the check to remove an application has been uninstalled, the Registry entry remains to clog your system. The best way to get rid of this is to open the Registry editor. You want to click browse to HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run. That will help you see a list of programs that runs during startup. Simply highlight the programs you no longer want running at startup. Then press delete. The programs are now forever removed.

If, however, the list of programs is pretty long, you may need to do some further registry editing to get rid of everything.There are a few other things you can check to get rid of those unwanted entries. Try HKEY_ CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Shared Tools \ MSConfig \ startupreg. Just like you did before, highlight the entries you do not want, and delete them. You might also try taking a look at the Services section of the System Configuration Utility. These list the processes that are supposed to run while your version of Windows starts.

These are not really registry keys, but they, like registry keys, can take up necessary space. They can slow down your system’s performance. If you are uncomfortable editing your system’s Registry yourself, and if you are an inexperienced computer user, you probably should ask someone for help or consider purchasing or downloading a program to help you. There are a number of shareware and freeware programs written specifically to help you clean your computer’s Registry and make the most of your machine.