This article will approach this subject differently. Sort of like the ‘Art of War' against Spyware, I will stress that the best way to get rid of Spyware is to never have them get into your system in the first place. It all begins with you and how much you want to protect your computer from being invaded in the worst possible way - through software programs and malicious viruses designed by pirates and criminals to destroy your system. The best offence is a good defence, and a good defence will show you how to get rid of Spyware forever.



The first line of defence is your surfing experience. Make sure that surfing is safe for you and anybody else using the desktop. Microsoft has put in place quite a few updates and features in its browsers - in fact, most advanced, modern browsers have the function to filter out the nonsense from the legitimate. Turn it on. Don't turn it off because you think it's cumbersome. How cumbersome do you think it will be, when you pull out your hair looking at your computer that refuses to turn on? Go for the medium to high security settings and watch out for rogue pop-ups and questionable download sources. Find out about a program before you start to download it from the net.

The second line of defence is the anti-virus programs. Major anti-virus programs are equipped with 24 hour redline defences, they scan and watch your activity, check your emails and scrutinize every bit of data that comes through the cyberspace pipeline down into the desktop's memory banks. They also scan every programme before they are extracted and installed. These are your guardsmen, the warriors stationed just outside your castle, checking papers and watching out for any signs of invasion. Treat it well. Constantly update it and it will be armed well to deal with anything that tries to and comes through your gates.

Check, check and recheck. I'm not saying go mental and hunch in front of your computer day in and out watching out for the elusive quarry, but once in a while have a look at the programs that are installed, do a quick scan with your software. Sometimes the human eye can see something your defensive programs cannot. Use the internet as a research tool to find out the good and bad.

Turn on your firewalls – use the exceptions utility for programmes you use and know can be trusted. This is the difference between privacy and someone from Nigeria emailing you about a chance to collect money from a lottery you have never heard of from a bank you've never seen. Or a strange contact list suddenly erupting from your messenger service inviting you over for a good time.

When all else fails, get a good remover and cleaner software. There are a lot of excellent pieces of software running around the net, dedicated to wiping out Spyware from everyone's lives. The best thing is - most of them are free and even if they cost - the price is reasonable and the results far outweigh the pittance you have to shell out. They also act as a watchful eye over the net, working together with your anti-virus software, a tag-team, a winning combination – ensuring you to be rid of Spyware forever.