Yup, I have to agree with ultra_phoenix. Spybot is cool! I just downloaded it around 2 weeks ago after seeing it mentioned in PC World.

PC world ? What did they say about SpyBot ? Just curious...

PC World just mentioned the URL to download Spybot. They mentioned it again in the July issue on page 86: PepiMK Spybot Search & Destroy (free, go to find.pcworld.com/35417). Rids your PC of sneakly software that companies use to monitor your Web use.

I concur. A number of recent aussie and New Zealand computer publications have also been recommending spybot.

I used Addware 6, but after downloading spybot and running it, I found and removed a number of spywares and addwares that adware had failed to.

Spybot search and destroy

I use both Spybot and Adaware (if I feel like waiting for it to do its stuff--quite slow). Both find stuff the other leaves behind.

But I have the queasy feeling they are probably behind the curve. Spyware is getting cleverer the experts say, and who has the resources to fight it.

Can you hide from Bill and the government? Windows XP is rumored to be full of spyware. If you update, a copy of your registry goes the other way. Office products put a code in every file you write.

I use spybot also, and it works perfectly...

And if windows xp was full of spyware, I think more people would be protesting already... Maybe later they'll start to protest...

Sorry, but I finally got a computer after a 20 year sabatical. (back in my day it was all punchcard).
Anyway, I know vaguely what spyware is, but how is it applied?

With Windows XP...everytime you update...you send back info to Microsoft...plus they throw in some spyware. With freeware or shareware there is almost always spyware included...tracking your cookies and sending that info to whoever wants it. The worst of the spywares come from Peer to Peer networks...like Kazaa...Imesh...and Limewire...but...if you want free music and movies...you give them info about yourself in exchange. Commercialism at it's best. The weird thing is that with Spybot...it warns highly of not removing Microsoft's Internet Explorer's spyware...gee...I wonder why?...but it works the best for me.

I just downloaded spybot and used it. I could not believe how much spyware stuff I had on my computer.

Is there a way of running these spyware killers and still be able to have file sharing programs like Kazaa? Every time I run one, I have to re-download it. I have tried to go through the list of applications that come up and exclude the ones that I think are associated with it, but have failed to see anything obvious.
I have both ad-aware and spybot loaded, but am reluctant to run them.

Peace,
BG

Never use Kazaa!!! Use Kazaa lite, it's got the spyware removed.

However, real men use bittorrent.

Yeah. You have to buy SpyHunter to use the Remove function in the program, which sucks. It's not hard to find all the spyware from the list and delete it manually though. But it could take some time if you found a lot of spyware. A tip is to use adaware or something else to remove most of it first and take the rest manually.