Ad Aware is used for email. You need spam blockers for that. Ad Aware will remove adware and spyware that is installed on your computer as you surf the net. You update it and run it periodically.

Bob, if I am mistaken here, please forgive me.

Lavasoft AdAware is used to detect spyware/malware etc.
It scans your computer. (not e-mail)
There is a free version, and it is very popular.
You update it every so often, and scan when you wish.
Otherwise, it does not run in the background.
I should say here, that if you wish to pay for
additional 'extras', it is a different story.

Hope this helps...
txKen

Three letters make a lot of difference. I meant to have the word 'not' between is and used in my post.

thanks to you both and now, do you have a suggestion for free spam blockers? I have AVG downloaded also. As long as I'm confessing my ignorance, what do I have with AVG? I thought sure one or the other would stop the annoying spams. thanks again for your wisdom and help. BT

Consider also a free firewall like ZoneAlarm. As for Spyware programs (free) some of the ones most recommended are Adaware2007, Spybot Search and Destroy and SuperAntiSpyware.
These programs must be downloaded then updated before each use (every week or two weeks depending upon how much surfing you do). SpywareBlaster is another great spyware utility which you download and update and it will run in the background and stop "a lot" of the spyware from downloading. You still must update it for new signatures every few days

Are you using outlook express? Web mail? Let us know what you use to read your mail and maybe someone can help with the spam.

Never used a spam blocker but I understand they can be entertaining when they start blocking your regular emails. Perhaps it is the way some folks set it up but they seem almost as much of an issue as the spam itself for some users.

AVG stops viruses and some Trojans but not SPAM.

As far as I know the only way to stop SPAM is to get a new e-mail address from your internet provider and not give it out to ANYONE... Seriously... No matter what I try I still get SPAM on my dial up account but have yet to receive any on my cable account and that's because I only gave it to one very savvy computer user... I use a free web mail account ( HotMail ) for anything that requires an e-mail address such as GW or registering software... If I start getting SPAM there I just close the account and open a new one...

Rita

How you get SPAM...

To begin with the bad guys send SPAM because that's how they make money, it's their job, it's how they make a living... We're talking millions of dollars here... A lot of spammers are very good at what they do and work extremely hard finding viably e-mail addresses.

First off they have programs that search the internet, day and night, 24/7, checking every site and web page for anything that resembles an e-mail address... If you've posted your e-mail anywhere on the internet it's on a SPAM list somewhere... When I say anywhere I mean anywhere, on your own web page, in a Guestbook, on a forum post, MySpace, a blog, anywhere it can be seen it can be grabbed by a spammer.

They also have programs that generate names for e-mail addresses, anything that can be found in a dictionary, telephone book, lists of baby names, lists of nick names and such... Anyone who has an internet connection can get a list of all the internet providers in the world... So all they have to do is tell the program to use those names with those providers... Instant SPAM list.

Years ago my dial up provider gave their customers FREE web sites... To keep track of all the sites the provider used the customers e-mail addresses as the site names and then posted the list of the sites on the home page... Instant SPAM list.... ( Fortunately they've seen the error of their ways... lol )

Ever sign up for anything FREE on the internet or even registered purchased items and they asked if you wanted to be on their mailing list... Yep, instant SPAM list... Well not all the time but if you don't specify what kind of mail you want from them your address can end up on a SPAM list ( especially the FREE stuff ).

Ever get a Forwarded e-mail from a friend with a zillion e-mail addresses in it that tells you to add your name to the list and send it to 10 of your friends... Yep, and if you Forward it, you just created another SPAM list.

Ever get mail and you weren't quite sure who it was from or the Subject sounded interesting so you Opened it anyway.. Yep!!! You just added your address to an A #1 golden SPAM list because they know it's a good address and they can sell it to other spammers.

Those are a just some of the ways they get your address...

Form those with Vista Home (me) having problems downloading Zone Alarm, switch to PC Tools Firewall Plus (free). A smooth download, works well.

I yell at my FIL and a good friend who send me Hallmark or whatever greetings. No matter how much I ask to NOT DO THAT TO PEOPLE they just don't get that its NOT OK to give someone else's email out to these places. 'I've never had a problem with it' they say.

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