Removing Spyware and Adware

Spyware/adware is different then a virus, in that it does not replicate itself in spread. Spyware and adware infect your computer for the purpose of tracking your habits, recording what you do online, and maybe passing the information along for the purpose of targeting you with popups or other things. Meanwhile, it significantly slows you down and makes using the internet a pain.

There are dozens of programs to get rid of spyware, including lots of fake programs that are actually harmful themselves. You can get sufficient protection for free, so here are the top free anti-spyware programs:

MalwareByte Anti-Malware
MalwareBytes has become known for catching infections that other programs miss, and so has become very popular. However it only scans "on-demand" (not real-time protection), and can be lengthy.

Lavasoft AdAware
PCTools Spyware Doctor
AdAware and Spyware Doctor are both great programs, and are easy to use and understand, providing real-time protection along with on-demand scanning.

SuperAntiSpyware
SuperAntiSpyware is another very popular program, but if offers many more options and settings, making it a little complicated for the average user. If you know what you are doing, it is great.

When using any of these programs, it is important to keep them updated. Before running a scan, use the programs update feature so it is best equipped to find and remove problems. You should scan with one of these every few weeks.

Reccommendation: Unless you are up for the challenge of using SuperAntiSpyware, I would suggest you use one of AdAware of Spyware Doctor. In the case that your computer is having problems, and neither of those are working, use MalwareBytes, which you can download now, or download when you have that issue.