Free Spyware and Adware Detection plus Removal Software
February 25, 2009 Computer Safety Tip
Ad-Aware SE Personal
Ad-Aware SE Personal is a tool freely available for personal use on Windows platform machines. It scans your 
computer for surreptitious spyware programs and assists you to determine what their function is and if they are a threat to your system. Ad-Aware will delete these sinister programs from your PC. Ad-Aware has been downloaded more than 68 million times in the past year. For a review of the software you can go to Product Review: Ad-Aware.
Spybot S&D
Spybot-Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of various kinds. Spybot S&D can be used in conjunction with a program like Ad-Aware because they will often seize spyware that the other did not detect. Spybot S&D is available free of charge.
IE-SPYAD
IE-SPYAD is a Registry file (IE-ADS.REG) that adds a long list of known advertisers, marketers, and spyware pushers to the restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer to block those sites from being accessed.
SpywareBlaster
SpywareBlaster proactively protects your system to block spyware and adware from infiltrating in the first place, rather than detecting and removing spyware.
HiJack This
HiJack This will generate a report of all browser add-ons, buttons and start-up items to help you determine rogue items and remove them.
XP-AntiSpy
XP-AntiSpy does not detect or disable spyware in the traditional sense. There are services running by default on many Windows XP systems which some may consider a privacy or security concern. They can be disabled by yourself, but using XP-AntiSpy you can view and disable these services much quicker and allow you to re-enable them just as quickly if you choose.
X-Cleaner
X-Cleaner performs cookie cleaning, Internet cache cleaning, scans for spy software packages and performs permanent file shredding. This version is free, but the developer also offers a Professional version with more functionality for purchase.
