TechTips

Finding and removing adware and spyware infections requires special programs. Only recently have traditional antivirus vendors begun to offer their own products to deal with these other types of malware.

Free Safe Solutions

One excellent source of spyware detection and removal is a toolbar provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or an Internet Web portal such as Yahoo.com. These providers offer toolbars, a special web browser add-on that adds more search options and other features. Some of these toolbars now include a web-based detection and removal program.

Depending on whether you are using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser or the popular alternative Mozilla browser, Firefox, the tool bar will include a link to McAfee or Norton where you can run a scan of your computer.

Searching the Internet for “toolbars” will locate other web-based solutions from reputable vendors. Be sure to research them to make sure they offer the solution you are looking for.

Two excellent spyware and adware detection programs are available for free from the Internet. Both of these programs are updated regularly so they can find and remove the latest threats to your computer.

Ad-Aware SE Personal is well-known for performing comprehension checks for malware components and is very successful in removing them. It has several options for configuring how you use it.

Spybot-S&D performs very comprehensive search and destroy scans of your computer. It is very user friendly. You can select the types of files that you want to leave on your computer, such as cookies, which are often identified as “spyware components”, even though they are how your personalization settings are remembered for your favorite websites, among other things. Spybot S&D also can be set to immunize areas of the hard drive that are prone to infection from malware.

For best results, run both of these programs on alternating days. Run the web-based scans from the browser’s tool bar during computing sessions.