Spyware sucks. It nearly took over my computer when I was up at college. You won't believe how many popup ads and IE toolbars I had to wade through before I figured out how to get rid of it. It really pisses me off at how low some people are at stealing your computer's resources for their own crappy software.

In any case, there are two programs out there that can help get rid of spyware on your computer: Ad-Aware and Spybot - Search and Destroy. Working together and updated, they detect all forms of spyware on computers. Of course, the best way to get rid of spyware is to stop it getting on your computer in the first place, and there's a almost foolproof way I discovered: never use Internet Explorer.

All the anti-Microsoft sentiment notwithstanding, IE is really buggy browser that's a system-level application, meaning people can easily hijack the browser and mess with people's settings. To stop this, people need a browser that's a user-level application, meaning the worst that spyware can do is not cause the browser to work anymore (and thus they're rarely targeted by spyware).

If you haven't already, I seriously recommend switching from IE to another browser (my personal favorite is Firefox). Ever since I switched from IE to Firefox, I haven't gotten single piece of spyware on my computer. It was that much of a difference. ^_^

PS - Those pictures kick ass.

Hey, say hello to Oscar the Grouch next time you go to Sesame St. LMAO... im only playing LOL. no your absolutly right about sometimes finding some real gems people get rid of. I LOVE auotmobile junkyards!!! OMG sometimes they have the best stuff, if you know what your looking for, and can put an odd part to some cool use. plus you can get some parts literaly DIRT cheap. i needed an air intake hose for my truck, $70 from toyota, $15 for that part, plus a radiator cap, an awesome rear view mirror from a 4 runner, and a clock for my dashboard. bucket seats from texas for $100. just keep a pair of laytex gloves with you, sometimes you never know what you'll find.

Arxane-
Hey, thanks for the tip! I'm going to look into it. I've heard other people talk about it as well, and it comes highly recommended. I really don't want to have to mess with spyware or buggy browsers...Microsoft ticks me off...you think with all the money they rape from their customers, they'd give us a product that was worth a crap...You know, I had that Spybot Search and Destroy on my computer, but was a bit confused on which items should be deleted. Some of the messages I got when I ran a search said that if I removed certain spyware, it could effect certain programs (Like Microsoft Works). Though the guy at the computer place told me just to get rid of anything that pops up...*laughs* He too recommended the Ad-Adware, so I'm going to install that this weekend. Thanks again for the advice and thanks for the compliments on the pictures! ;-)

I'm surprised my cousin hasn't posted yet, telling me once again why Mac's are better than PC's. *laughs* I know your reading this Jeff...(ha ha) You can say it..."I told you so"...LOL

Evil Smiley...so you're back for more, eh? Did you just akin me to Oscar the Grouch? That's not very nice!!! LOL

Ha ha! Yes, there's nothing wrong with going through the trash, just so long as you're not eating what you find, right? ;-) It's amazing, actually, what people throw away sometimes. I've seen perfectly good furnature sitting on the side of the road, appliances, pictures, etc. People should recycle that stuff to discount stores like Goodwill...

Hey, how come you haven't sent me any new pictures? Been too busy? I have a package in my closet I need to send you...*laughs* It's like a year over due! Sorry...LMAO Take care, I'll catch up to you later!

Microsoft Works has spyware? Since I've never used the program, I can't say it that's true...but I digress. When Spybot mentions that removing some things could affect programs, they're more often than not talking about programs that have spyware in them. The most common example of this is, of course, KaZaA (not KaZaA Lite); the free version has spyware on it, which is how they make their revenue. If you remove the spyware, the program itself won't work. Basically, there are freeware and shareware programs out there that use spyware to make their revenue; once the spyware is removed, they don't work anymore, and that's more or less what Spybot is warning you about.

Yeah, apparently it does...which ticks me off...I don't remember what the spyware was called, but SpyBot told me if I deleted it Works may or may not spellcheck any longer. We all know I need spell check, so I left it alone...;-)
But I suppose that doesn't matter much anymore, considering Works doesn't even WORK on my computer right now...*sigh*

I don't use Kazaa anymore. I had it on my old computer and I didn't like it much. I switched to Bit Torrent instead and am much happier.