What is spyware? What does it do? Why would anyone install it willingly on his computer and what different types of spyware removal tools do we find? Let us briefly look at the answers to all of this.

The arrogance of the distributors of spyware is clear from the fact that they mostly install this on your computer without your knowing it having given your permission. The mildest form of spyware is the so-called ‘aware’ programs. Their only purpose is to monitor every website that you visit and then display advertisements to you which are related to the subjects that you were browsing.

If you suddenly experience pop-ups inexplicably appearing all over your computer screen, you should start to suspect a spyware/aware infection. Another tell-tale sign is when your computer becomes slower and slower – when you type something there is a lag before it appears on the screen.

Websites offering free screen savers and wallpapers, online games websites, P2P download sites, adult sites and crack sites are just few examples of websites where you have a high chance of picking up spyware.

A lot of spyware is installed with your consent! When you sign up for many online email services (yes, including the big names), somewhere in the fine print is a short clause authorizing them to scan your emails and sell that information to advertisers. If you use one of these services and you discuss something with your friends via email, you might soon start receiving ‘commercial email” about the subject.

More serious forms of spyware will actually log every single keystroke you make on your computer. One can easily understand why this is so dangerous. If a person could install such a keystroke monitor on your computer, he could easily capture personal information such as your online banking passwords and use that to empty your bank account! Stealing your personal tax information by using one of these could also have disastrous results for you.

Standard anti-virus packages were not designed to pick up and destroy spyware. Very often you will find spyware is programmed in such a way that it hides itself in your computer’s operating system or poses as a completely innocent program. You will need software that was programmed specifically to locate and eliminate spyware. If you use your favorite search engine you are sure to find numerous free and commercial spyware removal tools. Before using one, first read a couple of reviews – it could actually be installing new spyware on your computer at the same time it is deleting others.

First close your browser and disconnect from the Internet before starting the scan. If the program picks up spyware or adware, it will ask your permission to remove it. Unless you have a very good reason not to do so, say “yes” to allow it to remove the spyware from your computer.

Spyware removal is not something you should do one a year, or even once a month. If you knew how many websites were trying to install spyware or aware on your computer during a normal day’s web surfing, you would actually do it on a daily basis. Once a week is the absolute minimum.