HELP FILE

Q I accepted a free, three-day trial of "MoviePass.tv" and installed its software without reading the fine print. I didn't cancel within that period, then kept getting a video clip asking me to buy a $29.95 "license" to make the reminders stop. I paid. Was acceding to this extortion my only choice?

AAbsolutely not. From all the accounts that I've seen, this program is no different from any other piece of spyware trash and deserves the same response -- an eviction by any suitable anti-spyware tool.

If you're running Windows XP, try Microsoft's free beta-test release of Windows Defender ( http://www.microsoft.com/defender ). Other free choices -- which also run on pre-XP systems -- are Ad-Aware ( http://www.lavasoftusa.com ), Spybot Search & Destroy ( http://www.spybot.info ) and Spyware Doctor ( http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor ).

I've found a few different Web sites offering advice on expelling MoviePass in particular; the most useful, comprehensive advice seems to be at http://profend.com/answers/moviepass.html .

As for the money this reader paid, it's not necessarily lost. Ask your credit-card issuer to contest this charge. It wouldn't hurt to file a complaint with your state's attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission ( http://ftc.gov ), either.

I don't mean to nag, but all of this trouble could have been avoided with a single Google search. Nine of the first 10 Google search results for "moviepass.tv" are complaints about this program -- you can't get a much stronger warning than that. Doing even the quickest research can spare you days of computing heartache.

That advice goes for whatever kind of computer you run. But in Windows, which normally places no restraints on any program's actions, be especially careful: Don't install a strange program that hasn't been recommended by a source you trust. The price of being wrong is too high.

-- Rob Pegoraro

Rob Pegoraro attempts to untangle computing conundrums and errant electronics each week. Send questions to The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 orrob@twp.com.