Parasites
Parasites
Parasites make your computer slow, make the internet slow and cause lots of popup ads. There can be so many of these that your computer becomes almost unusable. We recommend that you run one or both of the following programs.
Ad-Aware (Green button gives free version) - A better program at removing parasites than for removing spyware. It gets rid of everything except Coolsearch and its many variations. However, it does not have an immunize function.
Windows Defender (orange button) - A new program that works well and is free to use. It is made by Microsoft. You must be running WindowsXP or Windows2000 to use the program. If you don't know what you are running for an operating system, then restart your computer. As it starts up again, watch the screen. It will tell you what you have. Or, on your keyboard, press the Windows Key and Pause Break.
SpyBot Search & Destroy - Free program. You can donate or not, depending on how thankful you are for how it works.
Where do they come from?
Where do these programs called parasites come from? Parasites are usually programs that you unintentionally install on your machine. These include games you download off the Internet, or they loaded onto your machine via music programs (especially the ones where you don't pay for the music). Ads that say, "make your internet faster," "make it bigger," "click here," "get rich," etc. Those are usually links to things you do not want on your machine. Once you get one bad program on your machine, it invites others on; and, eventually, you can't use your machine.
CoolSearch
CoolSearch is a very obnoxious set of programs. It usually shows up as MySearch bar or some other search bar that shows up on your screen. You set your web page to be something you want, and it changes every time you restart your computer. Spybot and Ad-Aware will not remove it.
About 90% of the time, a program called CWSHREDDER will usually remove it. Download and run this program. It does a good job of removing this set of programs most of the time. If you are unfortunate enough to have one of the newest versions of CoolSearch, you will probably need help removing it from your computer.
How to Prevent
To prevent parasites from getting on your computer:
Do not click on any ad that wants to make anything bigger, faster, hairier, richer....
Do not use free music downloading programs such as Limewire, Kazaa, Bearshare, Ares, etc.
Do not download games except from reputable sites. None of them are reputable.
If you have kids who click on everything, then put Windows XP on your machine and make it so only one knowledgeable person in the family can install software.
If your home allows someone to access a Hotmail or other nonChase3000 email account from your computer, make sure you have a current copy (with a current subscription) to an antivirus program.
You need help
If this is all too much for you, (or you have one of the very nasty versions of Coolsearch or some other parasite that the above tools will not remove) and you would rather that we spend our time fixing the problem, then we will need your computer at our office (and your radio card, if you are on the wireless network). We charge a flat fee of $50 to remove parasites and/or viruses.
Call us before you bring us your machine. 308 882-3000
The following are a few of the tools that Chase 3000 uses. Use at your own risk. Some of these tools can cause you to lose everything on your computer, so use only if you know what you are doing.