Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that most anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If your Internet Explorer suddenly gains new toolbars that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, has a changed start page, or you cannot browse webpages at all, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Most spyware runs additional proccesses on your computer that can take up memory and cause your system to be incredibly sluggish.

There are a few programs you can use to remove existent spyware and at the same time protect yourself in the future.

• Spybot-S&D: A freeware program maintained and updated with new spyware information regularly. A great tool to remove spyware from your PC, also be sure to click on the "Searh for Updates" button and then if any new updates are diplayed, make sure they are checked and then click "download updates". Additionally after you have updated click the immunization button to prevent many common spyware instances on your PC in the future.
• Ad-Aware: Another freeware program for searching and removing spyware. The interface is more user friendly, however the freeware version does not contain any sort of preventative measures against future spyware infections.
• Webroot's Spy Sweeper is an excellent product with a full-featured demo that is free to download. The free demo allows you to update your spyware definitions once. Ongoing protection and definition updates are fee-based.
• SpywareBlaster: SpywareBlaster does not clean spyware and adware from your system, but it can help prevent it. SpywareBlaster does not run in the background, so your system won't take a performance hit if you decide to install it. This program is freeware, however the automatic update feature is fee-based.
• Google Toolbar: Among its other features, the Google Toolbar includes a popup blocking feature. The Google Toolbar is freeware.
  

It is very likely that during your travels on the web you will encounter ads for products that claim to kill popups, prevent and remove spyware, and make your computer faster, all for free. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that many of the products that make these claims contain spyware themselves! The products we've linked to above do what they claim to do without installing spyware on your system. If you are ever unsure about a product, do a Google search on it before you install it. You'll find out rather quickly if it's spyware or not.