Issue 14.14
Let me be clear before I begin. I am not talking about Google, Yahoo, Bing (though it does slow some systems down) or even Ask and Dogpile. I also am not speaking of your Internet Security search systems like Norton, McAfee or AVG since they are there to protect you from infected websites and are usually based on one of the above mentioned programs. I do like to limit the number of search engines on any browser to two or maybe three. These are legitimate search engines that help you find things on the internet by typing in search terms. The ones I see causing problems most often on my customer’s computers are those like Conduit, Babylon, DJMix and many other lesser known or dedicated search engines that focus on tv, movies, food and a host of other special interests. Some of these do not want to be a problem but are co-opted by people with evil intent. Others are blatantly trying to damage your computer or feed advertising or other information into your system. I have even seen a few that specifically inject pornography into your system and open window after window of it and it seems nothing can stop it except shutting the computer off and calling a tech to fix it.
Usually these are installed on your computer without your knowledge because, when you are on a site such as the food network or tv guide or a computer manufacturer and search the site to find information, the site installs the search engine to help you find what you are looking for. Most of these are somewhat benign, but some can be redirected to cause you serious problems and slow your computer down to a crawl. Multiple search engines often all try to anticipate your interests and tie up your resources as they do so.
Each browser has its own way of keeping track of or managing search engines. Usually you can find which ones are active in your system by going to the “tools”, “options” or “add-ons” section of their menu to find what is installed and hopefully, uninstall the ones you don’t want. In the PC world, the most common browsers are Internet Explorer (Microsoft), Google Chrome and Firefox (Mozilla). There are a few others that also have search engines, but most of them control their searches more internally. Some of these are AOL, MSN, Safari (Apple) and Opera. There are many others and I can’t even remember all of them, let alone list them, but what you have is likely listed here.
These search engines and pseudo- search engines can create real slow-down problems on your computer. If you can’t figure out how to get rid of the ones you don’t want, it is a good idea to get a tech involved. You may see a real improvement in your system if too many or the wrong kind of programs are running on your system.
Take the time to check these things out and remember to always back up anything on your computer that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 32 years, 23 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.