Avoid Spyware!!!

being a computer support representative, part of my job is to troubleshoot, fix or clean computers that are infected by spywares. Spyware are one of the reasons that make your computer run slower and they could also corrupt your data or send you a lot of spam email. If you want a complete definition of what a spyware is or what can it do you can read it here in www.wikipedia.org. The bottom line is spyware is not good and it'll execute programs that you don't need and make your computer slower. So, I have some tips on how to avoid spyware or lessen the possibility of attack.
first of all, update your Operating system. If you're using Windows Xp, make sure you have the latest service pack which is service pack 2. Also, if you see a yellow shield with an exclamation point on the lower right side of your screen ( taskbar-where the time is located) double click on it and installs the latest security updates from Microsoft. Microsoft always release an update every month so watch out for that. Secondly, have an anti-virus software running on your system. This will help you delete existing virus and prevents you from acquiring viruses. third, clean up your system by using anti-spyware programs. I personally use Ad-Aware which can be downloaded in download.com. There are also other anti-spyware programs that you can download on that site but make sure you read the reviews. AdAware doesn't give a real-time protection but it does scan your PC and delete spywares that it found. You can also clean your system by going to my computer>C: drive>Documents and settings> choose your username folder> and local settings> and delete everything inside your TEMP folders and Temporary Internet Files Folders. If you can't see Local Settings, go to tools on the top menu> folder options> click on the view tab> and select the radio button that says show hidden files and folders. Another thins you can do is to installs siteadvisor on your favorite browser. It currently support IE and Firefox. Siteadvisor gives you an idea which websites are clean when you're doing a search in google or yahoo Once installed, when you're doing a search in one of the search engines, they will warn you if the site has spyware by giving it a red mark. Lastly, don't just download free programs online. They, most of the times have some bugs that came with it.
well, hopefully I was able to help you somehow. if you have any questions, please feel free to comment.