Spyware detects and refers the kinds of adware that is secretly installed onto your computer without your consent. If you’re and  internet user, chances are you’ve come across an annoying set or two of spyware .  Like ‘adware’, spyware programs track your internet usage, collect personal information, spawn ‘pop-up’ advertisements, and may even alter your internet browser settings without you knowing about it. This is why its imperative to have a spyware remover ready to delete spyware before they can do any damage.    

Spyware programs cause your computer to slow down, and may even cause lock-ups, freezes and crashes.  For this reason I highly recommend using anti spyware programs  on a regular basis to help keep your computer running fast and free of spyware.  There are a number of spyware removers available today.

The two free spyware removal programs I most highly recommend are Spybot and Ad-Aware SE.  Both of these spyware removers are absolutely free and work very well. They do offer a more advanced removal program for a small fee, however I have personally been more than happy with just the free versions. 

Recently, Microsoft has jumped into the anti spyware business and released a free update for Windows XP, Windows 2003, and Windows 2000 called the ‘Windows AntiSpyware Beta’.  Like all beta programs, it is in its testing stage, but is intended to be released as a free product for Window’s users. One major benefit of the Microsoft spyware remover is it is often able to detect and close down spyware as it is being installed, whereas most other spyware removal programs are normally only able to catch spyware after it is already on your computer.

Be cautious when looking for a good spyware remover there are many ads for spyware removers that are deceptive, and there are some phony programs that actually install spyware of their own if you use them!  This is why, its unadvisable to use any spyware remover that you see advertised in a ‘pop-up’ add, or other flashy and obnoxious advertisement, as these are often the programs to be wary of. 

No single spyware remover is perfect; you may find better success with some over others.  A good overall strategy is run more than one program to increase your chances of keeping spyware free.  I run both Spybot and Ad-Aware at least once a week, and install updates for these programs whenever they are available.

[tags]spyware, spyware remover, anti spyware, free spyware removal[/tags]