HATE spyware! HATE malware! HATE viruses!

I clean infected machines for a living.

The software I use all the time is ScanSpyware (you can download a demo that detects spyware but doesn’t remove it). It is better than Microsoft Antispyware, Ad-aware and Spybot combined.

For removing really stuborn spyware I use HijackThis. It is not the easiest program to use but it is highly effective. I haven’t encountered a spyware that couldn’t be removed with HijackThis so far. You can find a very good tutorial on how to use it here

Also it is advisable to boot from Safe Mode when scaning for spyware. Some spyware will automatically “regenerate” if removed from Normal Mode.