Spring Cleaning Your PC by Jason Levine

Now that you've made sure that only the programs you want to launch are launching at startup, it's time to clean up any spyware that might be infecting your computer. Some programs come with hidden "extras;" programs that you didn't ask for. Sometimes these programs can be kept off your system by choosing a "custom" install, and sometimes the installer just puts them on your system whether you want them there or not. These spyware applications can track your movements online and report back to the spyware authors. Needless to say, this can be a big security problem and any Spring Cleaning wouldn't be complete without removing these parasites.

First you'll need to get a copy of the latest version of LavaSoft's Ad Aware. Ad Aware is a freeware application that can safely remove these nasty spyware components from your system. They have a "plus" version available for $15. If you like the free application enough, I'd encourage you to purchase the plus version. It'll help support a good application.

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Once you download and install Ad Aware, you'll need the latest reference file. Like viruses, new spyware components are constantly being made and the Ad Aware developers keep a reference file that lets the Ad Aware program know just what to look for and remove. They've even made a free application that will update Ad Aware for you, RefUpdate. Whether you install the reference file manually, or via the RefUpdate program, make sure that reference file is updated before you run the program.

Now that Ad Aware is on your system, launch it. Make sure all the checkboxes under "Selections to Scan" are checked, except for any removable drives. Now hit the "Scan now" button and wait for Ad Aware to scan through your system. When it's done, hit the Continue button. If you're spyware-free you'll get a congratulations message otherwise Ad Aware will list all of the spyware components that it can delete for you. Check them all and click Continue again. Your system is now cleaned of spyware.