If you have a computer that is connected to the Internet, you need anti-spyware software. If you have been online with out anti-spyware protection, you need to install a spyware remover because the chances are that you already have spyware on your computer. Some spyware you know you have because your computer starts to act funny and your browser will seem possessed (taking you to places you never asked to go). The really scary spyware is silent, and you won’t know that it is on your computer. This spyware intercepts the information you type into your computer and feeds it back to the software maker: information such as your passwords, or worse, your credit card numbers and personal information.
There are plenty of free spyware removal softwares available on the Internet. Just typing something like “free spyware removal software” into your favorite search engine will turn up plenty of options. One bit of advice is to do a little research on the company before downloading any free software. One malicious trick that is currently being played by spyware manufacturers is offering spyware removal software and when you download it, you download spyware onto your computer. If you are looking for free software, look at well-known companies with good reputations. If you ever have a popup suggest any sort of software program, do not fall for it. Just close any popup windows immediately and know that the presence of those popup windows suggests that you have spyware on your computer.
There are good places to go for free software. Maybe the best free program is called Spybot Search and Destroy (or Spybot S & D). This program runs under Windows and can be downloaded from the Spybot website. If you are going to download Spybot from the website, you might as well browse though the information on the website. It gives good information about things like the security settings that you should be using with the software for the different browsers that you might want to use.
If you have either Windows 98 or Windows XP, there is a free Windows anti-spyware program available. This program is called Windows Defender, and it is available to all Windows customers running genuine Microsoft Windows programs. To download this free program, go to Microsoft.com and select Windows Defender from the downloads link.
There are other programs available from other software companies that specialize in computer protection. The three main companies that offer free anti-virus downloads are now offering free spyware removal software. These companies are AntiVar, AVAST, and AVG. The other “biggy” in free spyware removal programs is Ad Aware, which you can download for free by going to Lavasoft.
One bit of advice if you are looking at free spyware removal software is to use several programs. Even the very best of the free programs is not that great compared to the commercial, or for pay, programs. However, because different strategies are used to detect and remove spyware, the effects of using several different softwares is additive. That means that if software A picks up spyware 1, 3, and 5 and software B picks up spyware 2, 4, and 6 by installing both softwares onto your computer you will be able to detect spywares 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The “cracks” that spyware programs can slip through are pretty big when using free software. Patch up those cracks with other software programs. It can’t hurt, and might protect your computer from infection and your identity from being stolen.