How to Find Spyware On Your Computer

So you’re seeing adware advertisements pop up when your browsing the internet, and you don’t know how to find spyware on your computer. Perhaps your computer is slowing down for no apparent reason. Spyware could be to blame. Sometimes spyware simply installs a program that can be easily removed. Other times it hides on your system in hard to find places. For PC users it can even damage their operating system, replacing vital system files.

1. Look through your installed programs for suspicious spyware programs. For PC users go to the control panal and to, add remove programs.  Here you can browse through all your installed programs. Look for programs that you don’t recognize. These programs could have strange names. Names such as toolbar can also be spyware. Try not to uninstall programs that you use or know.
2. Install the following programs and run a full scan to find spyware. Programs like SUPERAntiSpyware, and Spybot-S&D, can run deep system scans of your computer and attempt to locate spyware. These programs also will stay in your task bar and attempt to protect you in the future. They will warn you if programs are attempting to open without your permission. These programs can sometimes however block programs you want from being installed.
3. Take your computer to be serviced regularly. Sometimes spyware will destroy a PC operating system, or are otherwise to imbedded to find and remove safely. It is important to take your computer to a service center to avoid these situations. They can help remove spyware and repair your computer.

Warning. Back up your important information first before you attempt to remove spyware. You don’t want to get caught with a system crash or other failure because a anti-spyware program removed or corrupted a system file.

University of Colorado Anti-Spyware Information