Yahoo! Toolbar Tutorials

Using CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy

Installing CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy? Scanning for and Removing Spyware Restoring Removed Items Allowing Anti-Spy to Ignore Items Taking Items Off the Allow List Keeping Anti-Spy Up To Date

Installing CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy?

CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy is the Yahoo! solution for detecting and removing spyware and adware on your computer. It scans your computer to find spyware and adware and lets you decide what to remove, what to quarantine, and what to ignore.

To begin using Anti-Spy on your computer, you first need to install it with the Yahoo! Toolbar.

What Is Spyware?

Spyware generally refers to hidden programs running on your computer that track and communicate your online activities without your knowledge or consent. Some malicious spyware programs can log everything you type on the keyboard and transmit this information back to an unauthorized user. At minimum, this could be embarrassing; at worst, it could open you up to identity theft. Adware can record your surfing habits, display annoying pop-up windows, or change your home page without your consent. Both spyware and adware can drag down your computer’s performance because they run processes beyond your view.

How Does Spyware Get on My Computer?

You can unintentionally acquire spyware or adware programs when you install software from disks or download free programs for file-sharing or music-swapping. You can also install spyware without realizing it while surfing the Web, if it’s disguised as a program that is beneficial to your browsing experience. Some companies use misleading advertisements to automatically begin installing their spyware programs.

Regardless of how these programs get on your computer, they’re typically easy to install but difficult to locate and remove. Anti-Spy helps simplify the removal process, so you can take back control of your PC.

 

Here’s How

  1. If you haven’t already, install the Yahoo! Toolbar by going to toolbar.yahoo.com in your Web browser and following the onscreen instructions.

  2. Once you’ve installed the Yahoo! Toolbar, click the Anti-Spy button (Anti-Spy button), then select Run Anti-Spy.

    Click the Anti-Spy button, then select Run Anti-Spy from the menu.

    The Yahoo! Toolbar window opens.

    Note: If you’ve already installed CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy, selecting Run Anti-Spy opens the Anti-Spy window so that you can begin scanning for spyware.

  3. In the Yahoo! Toolbar window, click the Download button.

    The CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy setup wizard window opens.

  4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to install the latest Anti-Spy version.

  5. In the final window, keep the Start CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy box checked, then click the Finish button.

    Keep the Start CA Yahoo! Anti-Spy box checked, then click the Finish button.

    The Anti-Spy window opens and immediately checks and loads updates. The window remains open so that you can perform your first scan as shown in the next task.

 

What’s Next

Once it’s installed, you can run Anti-Spy from the Yahoo! Toolbar.

 
 
 

Words to Know

  • Adware: software that opens pop-up or pop-under ads when the main product is not running, or shows windows that do not appear to be connected with the application or web page that you are viewing.
  • Download: to transfer a file from a remote computer to your computer.
  • Quarantined item: a file or other item on your computer that online protection software has determined to be infected. After cleaning the infection, the online protection software modifies the item so that the file system can no longer access it. The quarantined item remains on your computer, so that you can restore it to its original location if you choose.
  • Spyware: software, typically installed on your computer without your permission, that can track personal information, serve as an unauthorized entry point for a remote user, or transmit data to an external source.
  • Yahoo! Toolbar: a customizable toolbar that allows you to use your favorite Yahoo! features from buttons on your browser.