911? Help! When Xp Police Antivirus Isn't Helping

There are lots of different security applications out there to help you keep your computer safe. As it gets harder and hard to protect your machine from difficult programs, lots of new security software hits the market place. Regrettably, however, some programs have names that make them sound much stronger than they are, and many of them arent as good as you might hope. XP Police Antivirus is one of these, and if its installed on your computer, your best bet is to remove it as soon as possible.

A Guide to XP Police Antivirus

XP Police Antivirus is rogue antispyware. It uses lots of different tactics to help convince you that you must purchase the whole version of the program. Typically installed through the Zlob Trojan, it can be tough to figure out exactly where you got this program. In most cases, it installs itself on your machine when a site asks you to download a file so you can view the site correctly. This allows it to slip through a tiny hole in your system. If you do have it installed, youll probably notice at least a few different indicators.

The Virus Scanner: This is the most notable feature of the program, and the application window it uses during the scan looks rather authentic. Most users report that it looks a bit like Windows Defender. At the top, there is a shield filled with the typical Windows colors. You may also see the XP Police Antivirus headline at the top. The left side of this program shows several buttons including ones with labels like Home, Scan, Update, Settings, and Service. You might also notice a button that you can click to activate real time protection against any problems. The scanner portion of the window shows a progress bar and the list of infected files. In most cases, this list displays some fairly scary file names. Please remember, though, that the results of this kind of scan are fictitious. XP Police Antivirus finds the same results on every single computer it scans, and simply removing the program will likely keep you safe from any of the file names listed on the scan results.

The Advertisements: While XP Police Antivirus is installed on your computer, you will probably see lots of security warnings. Most of these take one or two different forms. Several will probably look like a typical pop up advertisement that you might see while online. The difference with these, though, is that they can occur while youre on or offline. Most of these messages say Security Alert or Update Virus Protection Software Now. They usually also include a message to let you know what kinds of things can happen to your computer should you choose not to update your level of protection. Clicking anywhere on the ad only takes you to the home page for the program, and once there, youll be asked to buy the full version.

This, however, isnt the only type of ad you may see. You may also notice an ad that looks like a Windows Notification Balloon. The goal here is to convince you that your system has serious problems, and this is the tactic that usually works with novice computer users. They typically say something like Spyware Warning or another frightening headline, then they ask you to click on the ad itself. As with the other type of ad, though, clicking leads you back to the programs home page.

Altered Browser Settings: XP Police Antivirus can also change the settings you have on your browser. When you first load your browser, you may notice that it has a different start page than it once did. You may also notice new bookmarks both in the bookmarks menu and along the top of your browser. Additionally, XP Police Antivirus can redirect you to the home page for the program at any point in time as you browse. Because it can do this, it can also keep you from reaching legitimate antivirus or antispyware sites that could potentially remove the program from your system.

Poor Computer Performance: One final thing you may notice with this program is that your computers performance isnt what it once was. Everything from starting a program to trying to browse while online may take quite a bit of time. XP Police Antivirus can not only eat your bandwidth, it can also use computer resources you need for the programs you click on.

If you do have XP Police Antivirus installed on your computer, your best bet is to remove the program as soon as possible before you experience any serious problems. While advanced users may find it fairly simple to remove manually, removing XP Police Antivirus with the help of a respected antispyware solution is the best option for inexperienced computer users.