How to Prevent Dialer Downloads and Remove Dialers from Your Computer

Computer dialers are a type of spyware that can be quite vicious. While some are relatively docile nuisances, others can be actively doing harm by stealing your private information from your computer. Dialers come into your computer through pop ups and unknown websites. Usually, you can get the hint that something is not right when a browser window is difficult or impossible to close. Sometimes, it will ask you to wait an exorbitant amount of time for the window to open. If this is an unfamiliar website, you should assume it is up to no good and take action to stop a potential dialer download. If the download completes, you will want to be aggressive in stopping the dialer and removing it from your computer.

Stop dialer downloads by breaking the internet connection.

The easiest way to stop a dialer from downloading is to disconnect the internet connection. You have some choices regarding how to do this. If your computer has a button to toggle the internet connection on and off, push it immediately. You can unplug the network or phone cable form your computer. In some cases with wireless connections, you may need to unplug your modem or router. Another option is to turn off your computer. Most personal computers can be shut down by depressing the on and off button and holding it down for about five seconds.

Use anti-virus and spyware programs to clean dialers from your computer.

If you are able to stop the dialer download, you will need to clean up any residual material that it may have left on your hard drive before allowing your computer to reconnect to the internet. If the dialer has completed its work, the clean up is about the same. By following these steps, you will be able to restore your computer to normal functionality.

You may need to download free anti-virus and spyware programs from another computer.

If you do not have anti-virus and spyware programs already loaded onto your computer, you will need to access the internet by means of another computer to download the files that will put these tools on your computer. Put the files on a compact disk or jump drive. Start your computer in safe mode and move the files to your hard drive. Open them and let the files install the programs. Once the programs are installed, run them to isolate and remove the offending dialer software from your hard drive.

Always update your anti-virus and spyware files to keep protection maximized.

Once the dialer files are cleaned up, restart your computer in normal mode. If you have just installed your anti-virus and spyware programs, run the programs to update their files. Run both of them again to do more cleaning on your system. Your computer should now be safe to use for surfing the web. Make sure to keep your anti-virus and spyware programs monitoring your system to prevent future infections.