Now that you know what spyware is, how it gets onto your
computer, and the security issues it can create, you probably
want to remove this dangerous pest. You can do this in
two ways: manually, or by using an anti-spyware
program.
Manual Spyware Removal
Sometimes it's pretty clear that a certain program
is spyware. In this case, you can try to remove it manually.
For Windows users, you can remove specific applications by going
to your control panel (in "Settings") and selecting the
"Add/Remove Programs" function. Once there, you will see a list
of programs. Click on the program you believe to be spyware and
select "Remove". Make sure to restart your computer after the
removal to be sure all changes required for the spyware to be
removed are complete.
Unfortunately, most of the
time removing spyware is not this easy. If you uninstall
the program the spyware came with, it doesn't mean that
the spyware will be uninstalled too. Also, many spyware
programs are invisible, meaning that they won't show up in
your program list. Spyware can also disguise itself by using
dozens of different file names in different locations, or even
by generating random names so it's not as easily detected. Even
if a spyware program appears on your program list and you can
uninstall it, not all traces of the program are always removed.
In this case, you should use an anti-spyware program.
Spyware Removal Using an Anti-Spyware Program
The first rule of removing spyware by using a
specialized program is to not rely on anti-virus programs.
Because spyware is different from viruses, you need a
different program to remove it. We suggest using the spyware
removal program XoftSpySE from Paretologic, one of the most
trusted spyware applications on the market.
Start
by title="Download a Free Copy of XoftSpySE Now">downloading the
latest version of XoftSpySE, which you can do from the
Paretologic website. This ensures the program is up to date on
what spyware to look for and how to find it.
Next,
exit all browser windows and programs that you have
running. This includes email. You should also disconnect your
computer from the internet. These functions impede the
functionality of the spyware remover because it can't scan files
that are in use for spyware. The more activity you have going on
in your computer, the more likely it is that spyware is open and
working too.
Once everything is exited and you are
disconnected from the internet, run a scan using
XoftSpySE.
After you run a scan using your
anti-spyware program for the first time, restart your computer
and run a scan again. This ensures nothing was missed the
first time. Let the program remove any additional spyware files.
If suspicious files were found during the second scan, restart
your computer and run the spyware remover again. Keep repeating
the scan-restart-scan process until your XoftSpySE cannot find
any more spyware.
If you repeat this process three
times and your spyware remover keeps finding spyware, or if your
program can't find any more spyware but you think there's still
some left, you can then attempt a scan with a second piece of
anti-spyware software, at this point a freeware application
should do the trick,
title="Download SpyBot Search & Destroy" target="_blank">SpyBot
Search & Destroy is the leading freeware spyware removal
program and running it after doing a series of scans with
XoftSpySE will rid your PC of any remaining spyware.
title="Download a Free Copy of XoftSpySE Now">XoftSpySE and
title="Download SpyBot Search & Destroy" target="_blank">Spybot
Search & Destroy together, read
.html" title="Why you can't trust one spyware removal program">
"Why you can't trust one spyware removal program".
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