There is an ever increasing threat from malicious spyware products. These programs can be designed to steal sensitive information from your computer or to monitor your movements online. But it may come as a surprise to some people that there are freeware spyware blockers that can prevent major problems like these programs. If you know where to look, you can get an excellent level of protection without having to spend any money. Here are our spyware reviews of the best products available:
Spybot - Search and Destroy. This is the classic free antispyware download that was created in the 2000. It continues to be supported by its creator Patrick Kolla who provides regular updates. In testing, it has performed well at detecting spyware and it is easy to use. The user interface is simple and the manual that is included with the product explains everything clearly. Although the product is free, if you feel you have been helped by it there is the option of making a donation. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Well Spybot has been imitated by many other companies, which is testament to how good the original product is.
SuperAntiSpyware - The free version of this software performs extremely well under testing. There was no problems getting it loaded up and there were no conflicts with existing spyware or antivirus products that were already on the machine. Although the product can be downloaded for free, there is a paid upgrade. I think this would be worthwhile to get access to real-time scanning.
Windows Defender - I'm usually wary of specialist products that are produced from Microsoft, but this antispyware program does actually perform well. If you are on Vista it is shipped automatically with the operating system. If you have an older system you can download the program for free from the Microsoft website.
It is common for people to have more than one anti spyware product on their computer. This will give you the best chance of capturing any rogue programs that try to take over your PC.
By: Paul Elms.
Spyware Reviews - The Best Freeware Spyware Blockers
Spyware Removers - Are They Any Good?
Spyware removers are big business these days. This, of course, coincides with the steep rise in spyware infecting computers. A quick check on a top search engine for the term yields almost 4 million results, which highlights the seriousness of the problem.
With so much information available on spyware removers, the biggest problem is where to start. In this article we will explore the nature of spyware, the spyware removers available, and how to use them for best effect.
Spyware, as its name suggests, is malicious software that can infect your computer and spy on your activities, relaying the information back to the source that released it. Some spyware can record your keyboard keystrokes as you type. This becomes a serious problem if it records your online banking details, or your credit card numbers, for example.
Spyware removers are programs that work by detecting the spyware and removing it from your computer system. However, some spyware can actually attack the spyware removers, rendering them ineffective. In other cases they may appear to be removed successfully, only to be re-installed the next time you switch on or reboot your computer.
Another trick used to fool the spyware removers is to employ polymorphic stealth routines. This means that the spyware can change its tactics, never acting in the same way for too long. This in turn makes the spyware removers have to work much harder, both to detect the spyware, and to keep up to date with its behavior.
As you might suspect, there are many different spyware removers available. They range from free to quite costly and from highly effective to not very effective. Surprisingly, it's not always the costly ones that perform best. In fact, some of the free ones can outperform the well-known brand names every time.
Don't necessarily go by big brand familiarity. Seek out actual independent tests performed by those with no personal agenda and nothing to gain by the outcome. This is where you will find the real truth. And if freely available spyware removers can outperform well known big brands in properly conducted tests, then you can save a lot of money, and save yourself a lot of trouble too.
Spyware removers work by scanning your computer system in search of spyware. They will then remove anything they find. However, they do not always detect the spyware every time. You should run a scan, delete any spyware found, then reboot your computer and run the scan again.
After rebooting, the program will often find fresh threats missed the first time, which can then be eliminated. Do this several times until the program reports that the computer is clean. At this point try one or two different spyware removers. It's possible that each one will find traces of spyware that the others fail to detect.
To combat the ever-increasing threat posed by spyware you need to know the nature of spyware and spot the symptoms of possible infection early on. You also need to know which of the many spyware removers available you should use. Be guided by effectiveness in properly conducted independent tests, rather than popularity.
You also need to know how to use spyware removers for the best long-term effects. Armed with this information you should be able to tackle this growing problem with confidence and success.
By: Jason Hobbs
Spyware Remover - Choosing the Right Software
Spyware is software that installs itself onto our computers without our knowledge. You have probably been a victim of spyware if you notice changes in your computer such as extreme slowness or a change in your browser settings that you have not made. Spyware can cause a lot of little annoyances to your computer and the best thing to do is remove it fast and prevent it from happening with a good spyware removal software.
Choosing a good spyware remover can take a bit of time as you want to choose one that is going to be easy to use and get the job done. The first place to conduct your research is by searching for software reviews online. Reviews can be helpful if they are written by actual users who have really put the software through its paces. Beware of the reviews that find nothing wrong with the software as they are probably only pushing the product to make a sale. A good review will point out its strengths as well as its weaknesses.
The criteria that you should use to determine whether or not the spyware software is of good quality are relatively simple. First off, is it user friendly? There is nothing worse than installing the software and being overwhelmed with a ton of features that will take you months to figure out. There are many good programs available that keep the average computer user in mind - keeping the software as user friendly as possible.
You will also want to consider how well the software runs in the background. A good spyware remover will hum along unnoticed in the background without slowing down your computer, allowing you to continue working while it is doing its job. Check to see if the software also provides monitoring for spyware in "real time." This is critical as there are new spyware programs invading the internet every day.
It will also help to find out if the spyware software has won any awards or has been recognized for its product. Any good spyware removal product worth its salt will readily admit to not being able to clean up the spyware on your computer in just one use. It may take several runs of the software to achieve this as well as several software updates. If a program claims they can achieve this after one run, they are more than likely making false claims. The software should also download regular updates at least every few days.
Customer service is also a huge deciding factor. If you run into an issue that is just beyond your capabilities, it is good to know that you can call customer service and have them walk you through your issue. A good customer support team will contact you within a matter of hours via email or by phone.
Besides installing your spyware software as a preventative measure, also remember to avoid downloading software that you are not sure of. If you don't need it or it isn't a legitimate product, chances are its only purpose is to embed spyware onto your computer.
By: Chris H.
Windows Spyware Removal
If you own a computer, then chances are you've been affected by spyware. And, if you're like me, there is nothing more frustrating than dealing with annoying pop-ups, having your home page changed or just dealing with a painfully slow computer.
The worse thing about spyware is that it's like cockroaches. Where you fine one piece of spyware, you're almost definitely going to find more. Multiple studies have shown that a computer that has any spyware probably has several and even dozens of different programs installed. This is because of the sheer amount of spyware out there just waiting to infect an unprotected computer. On top of this, windows spyware removal is notoriously frustrating, time consuming and sometimes downright impossible. Windows spyware removal has got to be one of the most difficult tasks a computer user will ever encounter.
The only way you can guarantee your computer won't get infected with spyware is if you simply don't connect to the Internet. But then what good is having a computer? The Internet is almost a necessity in this day and age. However, you can fight back against spyware and take actions to make sure you're computer is protected.
When looking for a windows spyware removal and anti-spyware programs, there are certain features you should look for.
A program should have the following features:
-Real time blocking to warn you of possibly dangerous programs as you encounter them
-The ability to schedule scans to keep your computer clean without having to watch the scan
-An up-to-date database of current spyware programs to make sure that the software is capable of detecting the latest threats
-Automatic updates so the program you run is looking for every possible threat
Finding a windows spyware removal program with these features is crucial to keeping your computer running quickly, smoothly and without interruptions. If you spend any time on the Internet, or using file-sharing programs then it is absolutely essential that you have an anti-spyware and spyware removal program installed on your machine. Without one, your computer is guaranteed to become infected and eventually grind to a screeching halt.
By: Daniel Roy