If you use the Internet, or own a computer, you have heard of spyware. You might have heard of malware or adware, too, but they are all a form of spyware. Spyware is a type of background software that runs on your computer and sends personal information to a particular computer. This is done without the permission of the computer user surfing the Internet and generally is not even noticeable until a large amount of spyware programs begin running in the background.

The type of personal information spyware seeks to gather is not harmful to a computer user. Before you panic that spyware on the Internet is going to get to your banking information, your credit card numbers or any other personal data, this is not the purpose of spyware. Instead, spyware seeks to document your web surfing habits. In worst case scenarios of spyware infection, your browsing experience can be significantly changed. You can potentially be redirected to other web sites when visiting favorite ones, your bookmarks might be corrupted with new links and even your connection could be diluted by advertising running in the background you do not even see.

Technically, spyware is legal. However, the legality of background downloads without permission of a computer owner has never truly been battled in a courtroom. Thus, spyware runs rampant on the Internet and anybody surfing without protection is in a world of trouble. If you thought you were immune to spyware or did not care about it before, knowing the trouble it could cause is the first step to admitting your computer has a problem.

Spyware is a threat, because a computer can be overrun by it. The more spyware on your system the slower it will begin to respond. Spyware never infects a computer itself; you will find multiple types of spyware - in all its various forms - when one infection occurs. Once these infections spread, they begin to take away from vital functions of your system, particularly your RAM. The less RAM you have to use, the slower your system responds until it becomes inoperable.

The biggest cause of concern when it comes to spyware lies in what it does to your ability to connect to the Internet. Since it is transmitting data to other web sites, users and computers, you are utilizing network bandwidth. Some ISPs, such as Comcast and Time Warner, have caps for how much bandwidth you use per month. Depending on the scope of the infection, you may be over clocking your usage for the month and not even realizing it. These ISPs will hold you accountable, not the spyware owners for it.

You do not need to worry about your personal information getting into the wrong hands with spyware, for the most part. If you consider your surfing habits personal habits, then spyware is a threat to you. If you do not like the idea that someone is checking up on what you do online, again, spyware is a threat to you and what you do. Since spyware, in this case, has both the ability to destroy your computer's operating system as well as release your surfing history to anyone who wants it, spyware is considered a very serious threat.

What can you do keep your computer safe?

Programs to use

The following programs are good to use for keeping a computer almost free from spyware: Ad-Aware, Spybot: Search and Destroy, Registry Mechanic, HijackThis and Your Uninstaller. Some of these, such as Ad-Aware and Spybot, come in free versions so everyone can take advantage of them. Other programs, such as Registry Mechanic and Your Uninstaller can only be used fully by buying a license to use the program. HijackThis is a free utility, however, only advanced computer users should attempt to use it in a way to free their computer from spyware.

This is a brief overview of each program, what it does and how it will help keep spyware off your system. If you are looking for more information on each program, visit their web site to learn about the download, how it will work and how much it will cost in some cases to purchase the paid version. You may find a program that works well for you and keeps your computer almost free from spyware.

Ad-Aware

Ad-Aware is one of the most popular anti-spyware programs out there. It comes in two versions: A free one and a paid one. The free one however is more than enough for most computers. It basically scans your system on some level, detects and removes all levels of spyware. The more advanced, paid, version will go to another level and detect viruses and Trojans, too.

Spybot: Search & Destroy

Spybot: Search and Destroy is another popular anti-spyware program, similar to Ad-Aware. In many cases, Ad-Aware will miss certain things that Spybot will catch and vice versa. It is a good idea to use both programs to maximize finding and eliminating spyware threats. Spybot also searches for malware, adware and data mining cookies.

By running both Ad-Aware and Spybot back-to-back, you catch the most spyware on your system. Keeping their definition files up-to-date is key to protecting a system from the latest threats. Without updating both these products weekly, you might as well leave yourself open to all threats imaginable.

Registry Mechanic

Registry Mechanic in an all-in-one, simple registry cleaner. It also repairs, optimizes, defrags and generally cleans up the registry. Without the paid version, 90% of registry fixes cannot be applied. It can do a lot of good, but if you do not know what you are doing, it can do a lot of bad, too. It allows a system restore point to be created each time it applies fixes to your registry.

You would be surprised how much your registry affects the overall system performance. By uninstalling spyware programs and other forms of invasion, you may leave behind registry keys that sit idle. Registry Mechanic will clean those up, along with any other errors and help keep things neat. It is not necessary to prevent spyware and clean it up, but it is an additional tool to help keep your overall system performing to its peak efficiency.

HijackThis

HijackThis is a diagnostic tool. It showcases different threats, hijacks and other odd anomalies roaming around an operating system. However, many advanced computer users utilize it to eliminate certain threats from their system. If you do not know much about computers, using HijackThis should be avoided at all costs. You can find a simple guide to using it and how it can fix certain browser-related issues here.

If you find yourself constantly invaded by spyware, the diagnostic nature of HijackThis can provide will help find solutions. The data provided in the log let you know what type of threats are living on your computer. It can help you track down what to do to eliminate them.

Your Uninstaller

Your Uninstaller is a powerful utility for eliminating messy software uninstalls. This is also a paid version, and without that, it cannot do half of what it needs to. Basically, it acts as a professional uninstaller from the top down. It takes a program, uninstalls it like you normally would and then goes through and cleans up the folders, files, registry edits and other useless information that gets left behind.

Again, this is not a necessary program to eliminated spyware, just another program that helps keep things running smoothly on your system. Running Your Uninstaller to uninstall a program rather than going through the standard uninstall process will help eliminate all the left over data, folders and files. This leaves few places for spyware to hide when running in the background.

Schedule to follow

One of the biggest problems nowadays is that computer users do not have the time to run the proper scans to eliminate spyware threats. They do not even have time to run simple anti-virus scans to keep their systems safe from other harm. However, anti-virus and spyware can go hand-in-hand, so maintaining a regular cleaning of your computer is essential.

Running a weekly anti-virus scan is generally considered good practice and the same could be said about anti-spyware software. If you seem to find a lot of spyware on your system during scans, running an anti-virus scan, coupled with those spyware scans, two to three times a week is a good idea until you get it under control. If that is the case, investigating your browsing habits is a good way to find out where your spyware infections are coming from. You might find yourself not visiting certain web sites or areas of the web due to the type of spyware such web sites are installing on your system.

Education is the number one priority for anybody using a computer connected to the Internet. Understanding why spyware is a threat, knowing how to combat it and preventative computer maintenance are the three keys to protecting any system from as much spyware as possible. While protecting your computer from these threats is the easiest way to keep them away, it is not foolproof by any means. Keep in mind that for every threat you eliminate, another four or five will pop up.

Constant vigilance is the only way to keep your computer almost free from spyware. Weekly, sometimes daily, scans are necessary. Keeping your anti-virus and spyware program definitions up to date are important, too. Making sure that your programs are set-up to automatically update is a good tip as well. Only by taking responsibility for your computer can you keep it protected from the threats that lie beneath the surface of your web surfing experience.

Once you understand that spyware is a real threat and you take it seriously, you will be ready to keep your computer almost spyware free no matter how often you use the Internet. If you still do not believe spyware is a threat, take the time to research the matter further on the world wide web. Read real accounts about users have battled spyware infections, the damage they did and the tragic consequences of letting spyware run rampant.

This is my personal guide to keeping my computer almost spyware free. This guide is exactly how I go about keeping my computer safe, secure and working in tip top condition. I am in no way saying this guide, or the methods, are full proof; I take no responsibility if the above methods do not work to keep your computer safe.