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Your computer might have some uninvited guests called parasites and add-ons . . . and Vista can help you detect them. Parasites and add-ons are programs that have been installed, usually without your knowledge, and usually through Internet Explorer, that don't benefit you in any way.
Typically, you get parasites when you download and install a free software package. Sometimes, you install the parasite as a by-product of installing a program that you really want, after clicking Yes to a warning that's longer than the Declaration of Independence. Frequently, the good program's installer has a tiny notice buried in the End User License Agreement (EULA) that says you grant your permission for the parasite to be installed.
 | Both Firefox (an alternative Internet browser) and Internet Explorer give you the tools to see what's gotten into your browser. You may have a hard time discerning which programs are good and which are bad, but at least you can see what's under the hood: |
- In Firefox, click Tools --> Add-Ons. You can click the Options button to find out more about the add-on, and click Disable or Uninstall if you don't like the smell of things.
- In Internet Explorer, choose Tools --> Manage Add-ons --> Enable or Disable Add-ons. From that point, you can see which add-ons are currently running and, by choosing to show add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer, a list of all the add-ons that have ever been run. Click a specific add-on and choose Enable or Disable in the settings box to turn off the suspect ones.
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