Free Spyware Removal – Don’t Believe the Hype!

Are free spyware removal tools really effective at removing all the spyware on your computer?

Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Would you walk through a wall for a friend, and if you did, you would feel confident that you could remove all the bricks on your own. The same logic applies when it comes to removing spyware from your computer. Many on the market today are very ineffective at doing this.

Recent surveys have revealed that 80% of all computers connected to the internet are infected with spyware. It is estimated that 90% of all PCs have spyware. If you are using the Internet these days, you are definitely susceptible to spyware.

The paid options are effective at removing most of these threats, but they are expensive. You can bet your bottom dollar that a good spyware removal tool will cost more than you ever bargained for. But is it worth the money? Let’s take a look at a few options:

avg free spyware removal software – don’t believe the hype!

WillAvg free spyware removal software earn stealth software? Will AVG Free offer nothing but flat-out false positives? That’s scary but true. Software that is this expensive shouldn’t be swapping your logs, it should be Pricedness.

Looking at the above list you have two choices, you could go with software that is very similar to Norton or McAfee. Or you could choose something in between. For $29.95 you can get AVG Anti-Virus, which is just about average. For $59.95 you can get Norton Security. Both are good choices. What is different is the fact that one is free and the other is a paid upgrade. So, let’s go over what the free version of the two choices is.

IVE Free has both an anti-virus and anti-spyware program. Its website describes it as “Free anti-virus software to detect and eliminate viruses on your computer.” Then it goes on to say that users who have purchased the software will be automatically provided with updates, but that the updates are stopped cold. “Manual updates are a must,” they say. In reality, there is no way you are going to receive updates because the updates are never stopped. “Free” does not mean “free” in this case, it means “free” to those people who know how to pay.

McAffe is viewed as slightly better than AVG Anti-Virus, but not by much. They quoted a price of basically $29.95 for the Pro version, which includes internet protection and two extra digital signature services. This price includes worldwide shipping and handling. One would think that a company that makes spending money from their customers would make sure that everything was very reasonable. But even at free prices, customers are usually bundled with among other things, anti-virus software. AVG Free’s website describes it as “Free anti-virus software to detect and eliminate viruses on your computer.” Then it shows a bunch of disclaimers, including one saying that users who have purchased the software will be automatically updated “on the hour”. One would think that a company that makes spending money from their customers would make sure that the deals are valid and would explain a few things about the program to new customers. But just like with IVE Free, things just don’t seem like they are in order on this free program.

The program itself is decent. The one weak area is the help and FAQ, which is a bit fuzzy and doesn’t really seem to want to provide real answers. They will ask you to “register” by answering a few questions. After you register, you will receive emails from them, according to their rules, but they never actually let you in on the site. They will send you a link but leave the actual site code somewhere so that you can’t actually find it. In fact, the only thing you really have control over is the URL. The rest of the code is held by the marketing company, which means that they may change anything as they wish. Plus, they have access to your email address, which gives them the ability to send you spam as well. This can be an advantage to you, in that they don’t have to target you specifically. They could send a spammer to your email address, and you would not even know about it.

The way to avoid getting scammed is to do some research before you invest your hard-earned money. Read up on the top programs to avoid predator scams. You will save yourself a lot of hassle.