I've come across many people who struggle with spyware. Almost all of the time, the users have no idea how the spyware got into their computer systems, and have no idea how to stop spyware. This article will run through the various steps that anyone can take to stop spyware.

1. Make sure your system is staying current with all the operating system updates. Windows will automatically download and install updates if you allow it to, and you should. Without your needing to keep track of what new updates are available, this is as convenient as it gets. Windows will download the updates in the background and when it's ready, install them to keep your computer current. Staying current will reduce the chances that a malicious program can exploit previous security flaws that could have exposed your system.

2. Install a good anti-virus program and ensure that it's constantly being updated. A good anti-virus program will help you by detecting already existing virus and spyware, as well as stop them as they come in. Many people forget to keep the anti-virus updated; they assume that it's enough to install the software. Not so. Keeping it updated means that it can keep up with the latest virus and spyware. If it's not updated, it may not be able to detect them.

3. Get your firewall up. Newer versions of Windows come with a firewall that greatly increases the security of your computer. A firewall will block inbound network-based attacks. This is especially important nowadays because most computers are connected to the Internet. When connected to the Internet, it is possible for anyone to attack your computer and plant spyware or other types of malware on it. A firewall will greatly increase the difficulty for them to do this.

4. Stop using Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer is often targeted by malware on the web. For example, when you use Internet Explorer to browse certain web sites, a script will run and Internet Explorer gets infected by spyware. Because of how it's designed, Internet Explorer is easier to exploit and many spyware take advantage of this to get into the system. To make things worse, Internet Explorer is closely integrated with Windows, so exploiting Internet Explorer means its trivial for the spyware to reach the rest of Windows from there. You can consider using Firefox or Opera as excellent alternatives to Internet Explorer.

5. Use more than one spyware cleaners. When you use spyware cleaners to clean your system of any spyware, be sure to use more than one cleaner to ensure a more complete coverage.

6. Optimize your Windows registry. Spyware programs usually write entries into the Windows registry in order to do their dirty deeds as well as avoid detection. Spyware cleaners will be able to weed out these entries but the registry is likely to need maintenance or optimization after that. You can use registry cleaner software to automatically maintain and repair errors in the registry in order to avoid Windows errors caused by errant registry entries as well as improve general system performance. It's important to choose a good registry cleaner because the registry is an integral and crucial part of the Windows operation system.