How Can I Delete Adware and Spyware for Free - Microsoft Antimalware

How Can I Delete Adware and Spyware for Free - Microsoft Antimalware
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Microsoft Products to Delete Adware and Spyware for Free

If you have been wondering “how can I delete adware and spyware for free,” there are several products available on the Internet to help. These products are not only free but also come from reputed brands. I will try to cover some of these products in this article. In this section, we will talk about the products that Microsoft created to help you with the question – how can I delete adware and spyware for free.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free product from Microsoft. People call it an anti virus but it is more than just that. Microsoft Security Essentials (or MSE for short) includes the famous Windows Defender and plenty of other antispyware software tools. It does not however, make it complex for you to handle the software. It is an install, configure and forget software. All you need to do is download MSE from Microsoft website and install it. Once installed, you will be prompted to update the virus and spyware definitions. Once this is done, configure the program for a scheduled scan and for exclusions if you wish. That is all. After the configuration, MSE acts as a real time shield against viruses, adware and spyware. It keeps a watch on all incoming connections and detects the malware at the computer port itself. In some cases, you are notified and asked if you wish to receive the data. In other cases, MSE itself decides not to allow the data packets inside and deletes them before they can enter your computer.

Note: There is a set of rogue software under the name “Security Essentials” doing rounds on the Internet. I strongly recommend that you stay away from the fake Security Essentials and only download MSE from the Microsoft website.

Microsoft Windows Defender

Fig 2 Windows Defender

Microsoft Windows Defender comes bundled with Windows Vista and Windows 7. It is available as an add-on to Windows XP. If you have a copy of the original Windows XP, you can always download Windows Defender from the Microsoft Website.

If you are using Windows Vista and Windows 7, our article on Using Windows Defender in Vista and Windows 7 helps you use the free antispyware manually. For Windows XP, you can see the Defender icon in the system tray and also in the Programs menu so that you can open it and configure it to your choices. Configuring mainly involves exclusion of files that you do not want to be checked and scheduling a scan, if you wish. Windows Defender is good software and is recommended for everyone who uses Internet Explorer.

Malicious Software Removal Tool

Fig 3 MSRT

Another answer to how can I delete adware and spyware for free is the Malicious Software Removal Tool**.** The antispyware and adware remover is also a product of Microsoft Corporation. Known as MSRT for short, you download the Malicious Software Removal Tool from the Windows Update website. The MSRT is upgraded every first Tuesday of the month. If your Windows Update settings are set to automatic, you upgrade to the new version automatically. If the Windows Update is not set to Automatic, you can visit the Windows update site manually (Tools menu in IE8 -> Windows Update) and select Custom Install. Look for Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) and download it. The tool runs quietly in the background and offers you protection against adware and spyware. To invoke the tool manually, press Windows key plus R. This opens the Run Dialog. Type MRT (skip the letter “S”) in the box and press Enter. You can see MSRT in action.

Please turn to the next page for more answers to the question – how can I delete adware and spyware for free!

Google Pack

PC Tools Spyware Doctor

Google pack is a set of programs that includes antispyware and antivirus as well. You can download the pack from Google’s website and select which components to include. Other than Google Earth, Acrobat Reader and other tools, you can include PC Tool’s Spyware Doctor and Norton Security Scan. PC Tool’s Spyware Doctor is well equipped to deal with adware and antispyware. However, if you intend to use it as an anti virus, please do not. PC Tool’s Spyware Doctor is not capable of removing any virus or worms. It focuses primarily on different kinds of adware/spyware only. Other than PC Tool’s Spyware Doctor, the Google Pack contains Norton Security scan. This too focuses primarily on different upcoming adware and spyware. For more details on Google’s Pack, please read our article Google’s Free Security Software.

Comodo’s Free Security Suite

Free Comodo Security Suite

Comodo is one of the major names in the computer security field. The company deals with creation and distribution of free and paid anti virus and anti spyware security suites and a range of other security products. Other than the free anti virus, you can download Comodo’s Internet Security Suite that contains an antivirus, a firewall, and a set of antispyware tools. Comodo Internet Security Suite is easy to install and easy to use. The free software runs in the background and you never know that it is active until you are presented with an alert about spyware, Trojans or viruses. Comodo firewall also pops up alerts from time to time. Please note that there is another product from Comodo named Internet Security Pro. This product is not free but you can use it for 30 days as a trial. However, I recommend Internet Security as it has all the capabilities to delete adware and spyware for free. For more details on the Comodo’s Free Internet Security Suite, please read our article – “Comodo Internet Security Review”.

There are many more products on the Internet that help you delete adware and spyware for free. Please check out our other articles that review free antispyware and adware removal tools:

These are just some of the reviews that I recommend. Many more reviews exist on our website to answer your question – how can I delete adware and spyware. If you do not find a review of any specific product that you would like to know about, please suggest it using our comments section.