The two best (and free) spy-ware removal programs I use are the Yahoo Toolbar (IE plugin) or Lavasoft’s Adaware SE for Opera or Firefox users.

Both work well and which one you use is mostly a matter of preference.

The Yahoo Toolbar’s Anti-Spy runs in less than a minute and catches 98% of all spy-ware. I use it the most frequent (about once a week)

Lavasoft’s Adaware SE uses reference files to find even very new spy-ware programs developed and has caught every piece of spy-ware I’ve seen. Reference files are updated weekly and you should always update them before scanning your computer. It scans deeper than the Anti-spy and can take quite a bit longer, but I run it at least once a month.

Editor’s Note: Another program I use that compliments Lavasoft’s Adaware is SpyBot Search & Destroy. One of its best features is ‘Immunize’, which blocks many of the holes Microsoft has left for spyware to exploit.

Categories: Software