Adware Removers Online

Detecting Spyware

Spyware is a threat to any computer that is used to surf the internet. Spyware is software that is installed on a computer without the user's knowledge or consent. Spyware, may as it name suggests, spy or collect personal information, but spyware may also take control of the computer by installing other software or redirecting the browser. For this reason, it is important to know whether your computer is infected by spyware.

Some symptoms of spyware infections are slow performance, unwanted pop-ups, unwanted change in your homepage (hijacking), and new and unexplained toolbars in your browser.

There are many paid and free programs and websites that allow you to scan your computer for spyware, and most of the programs will also remove the spyware from your computer. When choosing a program or website, be sure to choose a well-known one. There are spyware removal programs and detection sites that will actually install spyware instead of removing it.

If you choose to install a program, your first step is to install the program. There are many such programs that are free, and thus they are a good place to start. This article covers two of these programs: Spybot - Search & Destroy and SUPERAntiSpyware. You can download both of these programs from their respective websites. Download the executable file to a directory on your hard drive, and when the download is complete, double click the file to install the program.

Run the program once you have installed it. The first step that you should take is to update the program definitions, most programs will do this automatically the first time that you run them.

Spybot - Search & Destroy:
In the main window of Spybot - Search & Destroy click "Search for Updates". The available updates appear in the form of a list. Check off the items that you want to update. It is normally best to select all the items. Once you have selected the items, click "Download Updates". When the update finishes, click the "Search & Destroy" icon, to move to the scan screen.

At the scan screen, click the "Check for Problems" button. Spybot - Search & Destroy scans your computer for spyware. When the scan is complete, if Spybot - Search & Destroy found spyware, click the "Fix selected problems" button to remove the spyware. You are done checking for spyware on your computer and cleaning any infections that were found.

SUPERAntiSpyware:
When you run SUPERAntiSpyware, you are asked if you want to update the definitions, click "Yes" to automatically download the appropriate updates. In the Main Menu of SUPERAntiSpyware, click "Scan your Computer". Select the drives that you want to scan, you should normally select all your hard drives, select "Perform Quick Scan", "Perform Complete Scan", or "Perform Custom Scan", and click the "Next" button. The program will scan your computer. This may take some time. When the scan is complete, if SUPERAntiSpyware found spyware, you will see a report, click ?OK? to view the items found. Select the items that you want to remove and click "Next". You are done checking for spyware on your computer and cleaning any infections that were found.

If you prefer to use an online scan without installing another program on your computer there are number of trusted sites, this article covers TrendMicro HouseCall and ewido anti-spyware online scanner. Most of the online scanning sites require Internet Explorer and are unable to perform a scan if you are using another browser. The TrendMicro HouseCall website works for Mozilla Firefox as well as Internet Explorer.

TrendMicro HouseCall:
Using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox access the TrendMicro HouseCall web site. Click the "Launch HouseCall" button.

Click the "Results" tab to view the results when the scan has finished. If the scan found spyware on your computer, a list is displayed. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Clean now" button to remove the infections that were found. You are warned that the selected items will be removed permanently; click "Yes" if you are sure that they are infections. You are done checking for spyware on your computer and cleaning any infections that were found.

ewido anti-spyware:
Using Internet Explorer access the ewido anti-spyware online scanner web site. Click the "Scan Now" button in the "Scan your computer now online and clean it for free!" section. The results of the scan appear on the screen as the scan progresses. You can pause the scan by clicking the "Pause" button. When the scan has finished, if the scan found spyware on your computer, select the items that you do not wish to remove and click the "Remove Infections" button. You are warned that the items selected will be permanently deleted; click "Ok" to continue with the removal of the files from your system. You are done checking for spyware on your computer and cleaning any infections that were found.

If you use more than one anti-spyware program or web site, do not be surprised if each finds different infections. This happens often, and it is for this reason that many people choose to use more than one anti-spyware program or web site. Happy spyware hunting!