Considered that spyware can pass your confidential information on to identity theieves, as well as slowing down or even damaging your computer, protecting your computer against it is highly important for any and all computer users. With dozens of anti-spyware programs available on the market, how do know which is the best spyware remover software? What are the criteria for evaluating the different anti-spyware programs? This article will seek to explain what to look for in a good anti-spyware program, and offer suggestions as to the best ones.
What to Look For In Spyware Remover Software
1. Effectiveness
You want an anti-spyware program that will find and remove every possible threat from your computer. Some spyware cleaners catch more threats than others. You’ll want to get a spyware remover that looks for and removes all of the following:
· Spyware
· Adware
· Malware
· Cookies
· Trojans
· Worms
· Rootkits
· Keyloggers
· Browser Hijackers
· Dialers
2. Real-Time Protection
Anti-spyware programs need to be proactive. Some spyware removers (often the free ones) only search for and remove existing spyware on your system. The problem with this is that it only finds the spyware AFTER it’s already on your system. Some spyware can do a lot of damage in that time.
The best spyware remover software will prevent spyware from getting on your computer in the first place. This is called real-time protection. The anti-spyware program runs silently in the background while your computer is on, looking for any suspicious activity and blocking potential spyware.
3. Feature Set
Some spyware removers (often the free ones) merely find and remove spyware, nothing more. The best spyware remover software will also provide extra features making it quicker and easier to protect your computer. Must-have features to look for include:
Automatic Updating. This keeps your spyware remover program up to date on the latest spyware threats. When you have to update your anti-spyware program manually, it’s easy to forget.
Scheduled Scanning. This lets you set the spyware remover to automatically scan your computer for threats on a regular basis, and at times when you aren’t using your computer. Again, when you have to run an anti-spyware program manually, it’s easy to forget.
Start-Up Monitor. This allows you to see all the programs that automatically launch when you turn your computer on. In addition disabling many harmful programs here, you can also disable harmless but annoying ones that cause your computer to take forever to boot up.
4. Simple and Easy to Use
Having a great spyware remover is useless if you can’t figure out how to use the darn thing. The best spyware remover software is quick and easy to install, simple and intuitive to use, and avoids the heavy technical jargon that leaves non-techies confused and frustrated.
5. Customer and Technical Support
Free anti-spyware programs, with a smaller budget and fewer employees, provide notoriously bad technical support. Generally, if you can’t find the answer you’re looking for on their website’s FAQs or in the software’s help files (which may or may not actually be helpful), you’re out of luck. Paid spyware remover software generally provides better customer and technical support, including email and phone support.
Another important choice you must make is if you want to use a free anti-spyware program, or paid or subscription anti-spyware programs. In general, paid anti-spyware software companies, with larger research and development budgets, are more thorough, effective, and feature-rich. Free anti-spyware software is usually not as effective and contains fewer features, but… well, it’s free!
For example, one of the most popular free anti-spyware programs, Spybot Search & Destroy, doesn’t catch nearly as many potential threats as some of the best paid spyware remover software does. It also offers fewer features. Although it includes real-time protection, both automatic updating and scheduled scanning—crucial features to protecting your computer—are unavailable.
For paid programs, the best spyware remover software includes Spyware Cease and XoftSpySE. They catch some of the largest numbers of spyware threats, are loaded with helpful features, are easy to use, and offer full customer and technical support. Spyware Cease in particular provides great value for your money, at a relatively low cost of around $30.
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