To be absolutely safe from spyware, run anti-spyware software. In fact, you should use more than one program because no single piece of anti-spyware can catch all the different kinds of spyware. I use at least two anti-spyware killers on my computers, and on work computers you would benefit from three or four programs.

You can find both free and for pay anti-spyware tools. The best of the free tools include Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy. But there’s one problem with free detectors: they won’t prevent you from getting spyware in the first place. That’s because they don’t include real-time protection. In other words, they can’t detect when spyware tries to infect your PC and then stop it. They can only scan for spyware and kill it after the act.

You should seriously consider paying for software with real-time protection. Disinfecting your PC of pests after the fact, doesn’t always work. Ideally you want to stop the infection before it occurs. The money you spend now could save you a lot of grief and heartache down the road.

Most anti-spyware killers let you download a free, trial version before you decide to buy. Try some out to see what you like and which fits your budget. Systweak Anti-Spyware is free to try and $3 to buy. It provides real-time monitoring for spyware, adware, and other malware at the lowest price anywhere.