Introduction

Spyware is a broad category of software that is installed on user's computers without their knowledge and consent. The purpose of spyware is financial gain, whether it's by creating popups to scare you into buying a product, advertising affiliate links, redirecting you to a paid porn site, or collecting your surfing data for market research purposes, etc.

The purpose of a virus would be to do something annoying or destructive on a system. This is often an attempt for fame or for 'kicks'. Spyware's objective is not to cause damage but the more spyware there is on a system, the more problems it can cause for the user even if it is not the the intention of the spyware.


The guide will cover the following topics:

Do you have spyware? - You will learn how to spot spyware without having to dig too deep into a system. A quick browse will be enough to spot many spyware programs.


Preparing to remove spyware - There are a few things you should do as good practice and to save you heartache in case something goes wrong. There are also things you should do or you would not be able to remove the spyware properly. This section is IMPORTANT. Please make sure you read it before beginning to remove spyware.


Software downloads - It is near impossible to do everything without the use of some tools. Download the tools so you can use them later on in the spyware removal procedure.
Deleting spyware - Here, you will learn how to begin Deleting spyware.


The Windows Registry - You will learn how to remove spyware from the Registry.


Start from fresh - There are times when it is quicker to perform a 'fresh' install of Windows if there are too many problems or problems that cannot be fixed..


Restore your settings - If all went to plan, this would be where you put all the settings back to the way they were.


Prevent spyware - Best way to deal with spyware is to prevent it from infecting your system in the first place. This section will tell you what you could use, keep an eye out for, avoid, etc.