Many people ask what is spyware and how do you know if your computer has been infected?

First off spyware and adware are software programs that are made with the intention of allowing individuals and companies to spy on your web browsing activities. These programs literally invade your privacy, slow down your system and annoy you with constant popups.

Secondly, many novice and beginner computer users have no idea that their computer has even been infected or even know how it became infected. A computer can be easily infected if there is no protection, because every time a file or program is downloaded, or if a pop up is clicked on the computer is at risk of downloading a parasite.

With so many programs out there to remove spyware one can find it difficult to obtain software that is effective and is actually worth the money. To find an effective product it needs to be user friendly, have free periodic updates that are installed automatically, and great 24 hour 7 day a week technical support. So many companies claim to have the best support, but fail to produce any results when you contact them with a problem. It can be very frustrating after spending anywhere from $20 to $60 and the product does not work properly and you are unable to get any support to get the problem fixed.

Another problem that you may run in to is downloading software that does not have regular updates. These updates are crucial to keeping your computer from downloading one of these parasites as there are new ones being created all the time. Without regular updates that are downloaded and installed automatically the software is more or less worthless because your computer can eventually become infected from a new version of a parasite.

Having worked in the computer industry for nearly a decade I have downloaded, used, tested, and purchased several different programs and have found many simply do not work as promised. I would install these programs on my customer's computers and try to teach them how to use it and on many occasions the software would be to complex for them to use because they were just learning how to use a computer. I also would receive calls from my customers stating that after a few months their computer was running 'slow' again. I would then investigate and found that the software either needed to be reinstalled or there were no more updates and if they wanted the updates that had to pay for them.

So now you may be asking how you can keep your computer free of infections. To help keep your computer safe is to download a pop up blocker from Yahoo or Google or one of the major search engines. These work great and will help reduce popups and will not allow parasites to be downloaded. Another way is to keep your security settings high in your web browser. To do this you would open your browser and click on Tools> Internet Options> Security, set this to Medium or High. While you have that open click on General and select Delete Cookies and Delete Files. You should do this as often as you can this will keep personal information clear from your computer, use this especially if you do you banking and pay bills online. Then install a spyware and adware remover.

There is a program that I have had success using called SpywareRemover. I have personally purchased and have been using this software for a few months now. For the price it is a good deal. Not only is it able to remove spyware but it will also a program manager which allows you to remove unwanted programs that have been installed as well as a back up for your computer registry. You also can set it to run automatically and have the program perform a scan on a specific schedule. One very nice feature is a free download and free scan to see if the computer is actually infected then you will have the option to purchase the software. The scan is very fast but this will depend on the speed of the computer it is installed on, but it is the fastest I have used. However, there are a few problems with it.

One of the biggest problems is on their website they do not list a toll free number you can contact them by email only. If you require support you must email them and wait for a response. I did have a question and they responded within 24 hours which is the norm for most software companies. Another issue is that there is not an option for detailed reporting. I like to have an option to show a full report of what programs are installed that are infected and what files and folders have a parasite or appear to have a problem. There is a section that shows the files but a detailed report on one page would be helpful in finding the problem.

Over all this is a very fast, easy to use, and multi functional piece of software and is very inexpensive. If you want to try a free download I recommend it. For more information on this and other products go to www.officialspywarereview.com.