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 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, 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.
For more detailed information on running XoftSpySE and Spybot Search & Destroy together, read Why you can't trust one spyware removal program.