Spyware is known to be applications that run on a computer to collect and send out to intruders information on your web surfing and computer usage habits. It can be installed along with free downloads you agree to or it will infect your system by downloading itself while you surf through certain web sites. Spyware can cause your browser to crash and/or the start page to change without your permission. Pop ups and span emails can result from spyware. All of these side effects eventually slow your computer's productivity.

Allowing spyware to continue to run on your computer will only cause more serious problems with time. Ridding your computer of current spyware infections will almost surely improve its speed somewhat. To clean your system of spyware start by closing all open applications and going to lavasoft.com to download your personal Ad-Aware spyware software.

Download the program into a place on your computer where you can easily access it. If you do not have a constant internet connection remain online while you install Ad-Aware and scan the system. Go through the normal installation and agreement processes. Upon installation the program should automatically update your definitions and once this is completed you may run the scan.

The Ad-Aware spyware scan will last from a few minutes to half and hour or sometimes more. The length of the scan depends on how large your hard drives are, how much spyware is found and how fast your computer works. It is best to leave the computer be while the scan is running as it will complete faster without trying to scan while other programs are running.

As the scan goes on your will see each infected file detected. Once it is complete a list of all spyware found will be presented along with description of the type of application it is. With this you can decide individually how to deal with the spyware applications. A few clicks around the list of found spyware will show you more detailed description so you may make an educated decision.

Ad-Aware will sometimes come up with false positives--that is files identified as spyware that are actually legitimate programs on your computer. This should not occur very often, however it shows you should look carefully through the produced list so as to not remove wanted programs. If a file is identified as spyware and you decide it is harmless and should be kept you can click to have that application ignored it that scan and all others. To remove other spyware files select them on the Ad-Aware list and click next so each file will be removed or fixed.

If you had serious and noticeable spyware problems before running the free Ad-Aware scan you will most likely notice an improvement in your computer's functioning immediately. Ad-Aware is one of the top spyware scanning tools available and works equivalent to many programs you purchase. No program, including Ad-Aware, will catch all spyware threats. Because of this it is wise to run more than one scanning program. Another free spyware tool such as Spybot Search and Destroy will work well with Ad-Aware so that one may catch something the other does not.

If you have exhausted all your free spyware solution tools and still have bad spyware problems try purchasing reputable software that may provide deeper help or protect actively as you surf the internet. Another way to educate yourself on what to do would be to visit help forums and explain your problem thoroughly so someone can possibly provide assistance.