Dealing with Spyware

Another reader Chris writes: I have an anti-spyware program on my PC called Spy Sweeper. It is always telling me that I have spyware program called Network Monitor. Spy Sweeper tells me to delete it manually but I keep getting an error message. Any advice would be helpful.

First off I am not a huge fan of Spy Sweeper, and while it has a reputation for finding a good percentage of spyware apps, it has been known to have trouble actually removing those apps. Whoops.

Personally, I use Ad-Aware and Spybot in tandem any time I suspect a spyware infestation. Install them both, and run them in sequence. They're both free, so you have nothing to lose. Give them both a try and see if they can't knock Network Monitor off your machine. Network Monitor is not a particularly troublesome piece of spyware, so removing it should be relatively easy for most anti-spyware applications.

No matter what anti-spyware application you use, it's important that you're updating it properly with the latest definitions. Every anti-spyware application has an "Update" button or menu item, and it's up to you to make sure you run these updates every time you run a scan. It's the same as with anti-virus applications: If your definitions file is older than the virus you're trying to hunt down, the software won't recognize it as malware.