How to Detect Spyware on a PC

Detecting and deleting spyware is an easy process.

Spyware is software that does things such as advertise, collect personal information and change your computer's configuration without your knowledge or approval, according to Microsoft.com. Spyware, and its cousin adware, can potentially harm your computer beyond use and lead to identity theft, so keeping on top of spyware protection is just as important as making sure you've got anti-virus protection. When it comes to spyware protection, there are a number of paid and free programs that will easily and quickly detect and delete any spyware you may have on your computer.

Things You'll Need

• PC with Internet connection

Instructions

Installing Spyware Protection

1. Decide on a spyware protection program, whether it is a free or paid version. If you're running Windows Vista and later versions of Windows XP, you have spyware protection in Windows Defender. If you choose to use Windows Defender, you may skip ahead to Section 2.

2. Navigate to the website of your chosen spyware protection software and go to the download page. If the product costs money, pay for it and then download. Otherwise, simply download the program.

3. Open the downloaded file once it has finished downloading. Follow any onscreen instructions to complete the installation of your chosen Spyware blocker. You may be required to restart your computer after installation, depending on the software.

Detecting/Removing Spyware

1. Open the start menu and choose "All Programs." Scroll through the list and look for your newly installed spyware protection if it didn't automatically start after installation. Open the spyware program once you find it in the list of installed programs.

2. Look for a button that will say something similar to "Scan" or "Scan your Computer". Once you click the button you may be presented with options such as "Quick Scan," "Full Scan" and "Custom Scan." Run a quick scan first, if your program has it, to quickly get rid of anything it detects.

3. Wait for the quick scan to finish before deleting, disinfecting or quarantining the infected files. Click the "Scan" button again and this time run a full scan. This scan will take much longer than the quick scan, but it will detect any spyware the quick scan missed.

4. Delete, disinfect or quarantine any files your program returns as spyware. Restart your computer and go about your normal browsing to make sure the spyware was successfully removed.

Tips & Warnings

• While spyware protection is important, there are other forms of malware that can potentially be even more dangerous than spyware. For solid PC security, you should have adware and spyware protection, an anti-virus program and a firewall.

• For even more spyware protection, try using Windows Defender in conjunction with another free spyware scanner for spyware protection from two angles.

References

• Microsoft Security: What is Spyware
• Home Net Help: The Spyware Threat

Resources

• AVG: AVG Free dlwonoad
• Spybot: Spybot Search & Destroy download