The XP Antivirus Program: Is it legitimate?

By: Wayne Davis
Submitted: 2009-02-02 14:29:20
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The temptation to buy XP Antivirus can be very high when you are fearful of a spyware infection. Don’t give in so quickly though! Make sure that you know what you are getting into, or rather what you are getting your computer into, before you purchase XP Antivirus as the bubble at the bottom of your screen is prompting you to do.

Defining XP Antivirus

Have you heard of rogue anti-spyware programs? XP Antivirus is one of them. In the vein of others like AntiVirGear and VirusHeat, this program shows the computer user fake security alert pop-ups and false system scans. The system scans show high numbers of spyware programs than are really on your computer. The goal of the fake security alerts and false system scans like these is to frighten you into buying the full version of XP Antivirus. Unfortunately, making that purchase could only lead to further problems.

How XP Antivirus Appears

XP Antivirus can become part of your computer in several different ways. In many cases, it can come with a download. Many shareware or freeware downloads come with XP Antivirus as a “bonus” download. Sometimes you will know that it comes with your download while other times you will be unaware of its presence. A visit to a questionable website can also allow XP Antivirus to download itself onto your computer. Peer-to-peer software is another way that XP Antivirus can find its way onto your computer. We have all been warned about opening unknown emails. XP Antivirus is one reason for those warnings. It can be downloaded by opening an unfamiliar emails, also.

What You Might Notice With XP Antivirus

A variety of symptoms are evident after XP Antivirus is downloaded on your computer. An individual who uses his or her computer on a regular basis will notice the symptoms much sooner than the person who rarely uses it. However, the time that it takes to notice the symptoms will not make any difference in the long run.

The first symptom you may notice is that your computer may be much slower than normal during all processes. It may be slow to boot up, slow to find your wireless connection, and slow load, open, or switch between programs.

In addition to the sluggish performance, you may be bombarded with automatic scans as well as pop-ups while you are working on your computer. The continual pop-ups can appear while you are online and offline. The automatic ‘scans’ will suggest that you have several dangerous infections and a high number of spyware programs on your computer, all of which are fake results. The whole idea is give you many reasons to buy the XP Antivirus software program.

Another symptom of XP Antivirus has to do with your internet settings and shortcuts. Your start page might be changed, and your default start page may now be blocked. As a result, you may not be able to change back to the start page you originally set for your browser. The new shortcuts, you will notice, are all for XP Antivirus or similar programs.

If I Have XP Antivirus, What Do I Do?

Once you detect XP Antivirus on your PC, you can take the necessary precautions to remove it. A lot of people choose to put forth the effort to delete XP Antivirus manually in Windows.

If you choose to delete XP Antivirus manually, begin by going to the Start menu. Scroll up to the Search button. Then click on “All Files and Folders”. A bubble will ask what you want to search for. Type the file name into the search box and click on, “Search”, and delete the files when found. Keep in mind, though, that you must eliminate all of the files, as the program does have the ability to reinstall itself.

You can also get rid of XP Antivirus by erasing it from the registry for your computer. However, be very careful if you decide to take care of the problem this way. Erasing anything from the registry of your computer can be dangerous and can royally mess up your computer if anything were to go wrong.

You can also install a trustworthy anti-spyware program in order to get rid of XP Antivirus. There are a variety of reliable anti-spyware software programs to choose from. If you are overwhelmed by your choices, you can read the reviews on all of them on the internet. If you have a fairly large social group, then you can talk to people you know about the anti-spyware program that they use. Chances are that you will hear several good recommendations on a specific program and that will help you make your decision.

You can also hire someone to erase XP Antivirus for you. There are many computer gurus who help people like you everyday with their computers. Just be sure that you don’t hand your computer over to an inexperienced user. You want to make sure that they are reputable and that they are really going to fix your computer as promised, especially since you are going to be paying them.

Article source: Expert Articles