- 1). Check the icon tray located on the task bar at the bottom of the computer screen and verify that all icons present are legitimate (programs that either came pre-installed on your system, or you installed yourself). Search for any that are not legitimate by using any of the search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) to verify what they are and that they are not harmful to your computer. If you find something that doesn't belong, call your IT professional and ask that she handle the task of removal.
- 2). Click on "Start" and then hover over "All Programs." Delete any obvious programs, such as those with the letters VNC either before or after the program name, or programs named LogMeIn and GoToMyPC.
- 3). Look for any other programs you do not recognize as legitimately pre-installed or installed by you. Be careful! There are thousands of different programs used for remote access. If a program name seems suspicious in the slightest, look it up at Software.Informer.com or GearDownLoad.com. These are great guides to almost all currently known remote software programs. Here you will find specific information on what each of these programs does when it is installed on your computer. Do not delete any program unless you are absolutely sure it does not belong there. If you have any doubt at all, call an IT professional.
- 4). Survey all open ports by clicking the following: "Start," "Control Panel," "Windows Firewall" and "Exceptions." You will see a list of programs, some of which have their boxes checked and some don't. The checked boxes are open ports; unchecked boxes are closed ports. Open ports allow access to the computer. As in Step 1, using a search engine, research any names that are not legitimate. If you find any programs that are not legitimate, call an IT professional to have him "uncheck" the harmful programs.
- 5). For Windows XP users, hold down the buttons "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" at the same time to activate the Task Manager. The only names that should be present under the label "User Name" are "Local Service," "Network Service," "System" and your own personal name.
For Windows Vista users, hold down the "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" buttons at the same time, then click on "Start Task Manager" to activate the Task Manager. When it opens, click on the "Processes" tab. Again, the only names that should be present under the label "User Name" are "Local Service," "Network Service," "System" and your own personal name.
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