Spyware has become quite a big problem these days, from crazy popups, to browser hijackers (forcing your browser to go to certain sites), to tracking where you go online. It's pretty insane how crazy it's gotten. But where you have technology, you will always have people trying to exploit it to make a quick buck.

To give you a little insight, the reason companies make spyware is so they can "spy" on you, see where you go, and then give you a popup that is promoting something that you are more likely to buy, rather then giving you a random popup. Spyware can also just force your browser to go to certain websites (hoping you'll buy something). Another thing it can do is put a threat on your computer, and then give you a popup for software to get rid of that threat. The sad thing is, the software they offer is bogus. It won't get rid of the threat they gave you. Some of these guys are just ruthless.

As you can see, the main goal for the spyware makers is obvious...dinero...cold hard cash. They are just doing it to make money. That's all. Nothing personal (yeah, right!).

So, I am writing this to help you rid your computer of these threats and to protect it from future ones. I made a video that walks you through the whole process, step-by-step (see below). But finish reading what I have to say first so you have the knowledge to protect yourself and help others do the same.

Of course nothing is going to be 100%, as there is always new spyware being made, and sometimes it slips by before the anti-spyware program companies have a chance to update their database (and before you have a chance to update your copy of the anti-spyware program), but we can certainly protect you from the vast majority of it. And, below, I will mention things to avoid doing that will keep spyware down to a bare minimum.

Just know that sometimes the infection is so bad that you're better off just backing up your data (if you don't back it up on a daily basis already), format your hard drive, and restore you computer to the way it was when you first bought it with either the restore CD that came with the computer when you bought it, with a restore fuction usually activated by hitting F10 or another key on your keyboard as it boots up, or with a Windows Operating System CD like Windows XP or Windows Vista. You'll know when it gets to that point, because it will be almost impossible to do anything with your computer, or it will be incredibly slow.

Although spyware cannot be avoided 100% (other than just not going on the Internet), there are certain things that you can avoid doing that will help dramatically in preventing your computer from getting infected from spyware.

As you'll notice, many of the things I mention below are the same things that I mention on my hub How To Speed Up Your Computer By Removing Viruses. That's because the same types of companies create spyware as well (the types of companies that will do anything for money).

Here are the things to avoid doing to prevent your computer from getting infected with spyware:

1. Avoid going to porn/adult websites
2. Avoid going to gambling websites
3. Avoid going to warez websites (if you don't know what these are, you're better off not knowing, and whatever you do, do NOT go see one. Your computer will most likely get infected. If you do know what these are and you frequent them, tisk, tisk!)
4. Avoid going to websites that are not well-known that offer a free screensaver
5. Avoid going to websites that are not well-known that offer a free game

I know if may be difficult for some of us to avoid some of these things, but it's about discipline, people! Get your fix offline if you have to. ;)

With that said, scroll down, hit the play button on the video, and enjoy!

After you do all of this, if you have not already, go to my hub, How to Speed Up Your Computer By Removing Viruses and do what I suggest in that video as well.

Just remember, if you already have an anti-virus program on your system and you want to use the one I suggest because it works very well, it's free, and you don't have to pay to renew it each year, make sure you uninstall the one you have on your computer now first. You can't have more than one anti-virus program installed on your computer. It will hurt the system.

And with regard to how often you should run these anti-spyware programs, you should run them either once a week or once every other week, depending how much you use your computer. Consistency in maintenance is key in keeping a smooth running system.

Enjoy your new computer!

Ian Brown owns and runs a computer tech business in Los Angeles and services all types of clients from residential to small business to celebrities. If you have a need for his services, feel free to contact him either through Hubpages or via his website, www.ianbrown.cc.