If your computer is having performance issues for no apparent reason, you may be the unwitting victim of spyware or adware. Both spyware and adware are malicious forms of software that basically sneak uninvited onto your computer on the coattails of other programs you choose to install.

Spyware secretly keeps track of your personal information and Web surfing habits and then forwards it to third parties with neither your knowledge nor your consent. Adware is responsible for those nasty pop-up ads that mysteriously appear on your screen even when you’re not connected to the Internet.

Adware and spyware are much different from worms and viruses, in that they influence the performance of your personal computer, by making it run slower and even preventing the programs you do use from working correctly. Adware and spyware can find their way into you computer in two ways.

1. Either as a download with freeware that you yourself install or

2. It is downloaded and installed in your computer as something else.

Although, this is no longer the case, all you needed for computer protection was virus protection. However, today, if adware and spyware get into your computer, you will find its solution by installing a good software program that will detect and remove these problems for you.

There are many free downloads online that will take care of spyware and adware problems. Here is a list of the most popular:

- Ad-Aware is commonly thought to be the most popular software for removing spyware and adware from your computer. The free version allows you to perform manual scans that will find the spyware and adware and then remove it, and they have a new version just released in 2008.

- Spybot-Search & Destroy (Spybot-S&D) is another removal program that scans, searches, destroys, and even shreds to securely delete the affected files. It also includes a certain feature that immune the system and block the installation of software with spyware contents.

- Spyware Blaster is popular for many online users, since it is user friendly and effective in stopping an installation of these types of hazardous programs, before reaching your computer.

- Windows Defender is the free spyware and adware protection software offered by Microsoft. It does a good job for a free program, but you have to verify that you are running a licensed version of Windows before you can complete the download.

Installing more than one kind of protection program is an advantage for your computer not only because of its functions and capabilities, but also because it is free.

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