Our Top Picks for Free Anti-Spyware Downloads
Okay, folks. It’s time for the mega-list of spyware programs download for your PC. There are a lot of factors that went into this list, such as effectiveness, reputation, size, and usability. While there are certainly a lot of great spyware programs out there that didn’t make this list, we wanted to list a few of our favorites.

SpyBot Search and Destroy
We’ve talked about SS&D many times at PCTechBytes. We like this because it’s free, works well and has an immunize feature that automatically blocks known bad guy sites. It installs and updates easily and did we mention it’s free?

Adaware Free
Adaware from Lavasoft has been around for a while and does a good job–usually. While none are 100% effective against spyware, Adaware is a great anti-spyware program to run in addition to Spybot Search and Destroy. It has a clean interface and updates and removes files with only a few clicks.

CWShredder
CWShredder from Trend Micro specializes in removing the insidious Cool Web Search spyware that burrows into your browser and litters it with nasty links and virtually renders your web browser useless.

Windows Defender
Okay. I know. It’s Microsoft. But, hey, it’s free and runs by default in Windows Vista. That alone was worth a mention here. Getting at least SOME barrier in place for normal users is a must. Windows Defender doesn’t bog your PC down too much and just sits there catching most spyware that tries to infect your PC. It’s also available for XP, for those that do not have or want Vista.