How to Get Rid of Adware and Spyware Threats

Getting rid of adware and spyware is important, since these unwanted programs can pose a serious threat to our personal privacy. Many forms of adware and spyware are specifically designed to prevent de-installation or to reinstall themselves later. Most anti-adware and anti-spyware programs will only detect some of the adware and spyware threats that you have installed on your computer. Therefore, it's a good idea to attack adware and spyware from multiple angles. The best way to complete get rid of adware and spyware threats is to use several different software programs to detect and remove them.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Download and install Windows Defender if you are running Windows. This program is free to use if you have a valid copy of Windows on your computer. Run a complete scan and follow the instructions about any items which are high risk.

2. Download and install Ad-Aware. Ad-Aware is a completely free program which detects both adware and spyware on your computer. Real-time protection is available with the paid versions of the program. Run a full scan using this program as well. Click the tabs at the top to view the threats which have been detected. Select whether you would like to ignore, remove or quarantine them.

3. Download and install Spybot Search and Destroy. Run a complete scan of your hard drive by clicking the Search and Destroy button and selecting Check for Problems. When the scan is complete, review the results and select the action you would like to take for each adware and spyware threat.

4. Visit the Trend Micro Housecall website. Click through the pages to add the necessary software to your computer and run a complete scan. The Trend Micro Housecall online scan is a free powerful adware and spyware solution that can detect undesirable programs and registry entries and delete them for you. This scan can take a long time to run, so let it run in the background while you do something else. If the Trend Micro software cannot remove the adware or spyware automatically, click the link provided for instructions on how to remove it manually. Run the Trend Micro scan again to ensure that the adware and spyware were properly deleted.

Tips & Warnings

• Only download software from trusted sites, such as CNET and Softpedia.
• Some programs may detect adware and spyware that has been backed up by another program. Be sure to check the location of the supposed threat before removing it.
• Create a system restore point and back up your registry before making any changes to your system registry.

Resources

• Ad-Aware at Download.com
• Spybot Search and Destroy at Download.com
• Windows Defender
• Trend Micro Housecall Free Online Scanner