Spyware and other unwanted software can invade your privacy, bombard you with pop-up windows, slow down your computer, and even make your computer crash. Here are several ways you can help protect your computer against spyware and other unwanted software.

On This Page

	Step 1: Update your software
	Step 2: Adjust Internet Explorer security settings
	Step 3: Use a firewall
	Step 4: Surf and download more safely
	Step 5: Download and install antispyware protection

Step 1: Update your software

If you use Windows XP, one way to help prevent spyware and other unwanted software is to make sure all your software is updated. First, visit Microsoft Update to confirm that you have Automatic Updates turned on and that you've downloaded all the latest critical and security updates.

Top of page

Step 2: Adjust Internet Explorer security settings

You can adjust your Internet Explorer Web browser's security settings to determine how much—or how little—information you are willing to accept from a Web site. Microsoft recommends that you set the security settings for the Internet zone to Medium or higher.

To view your current Internet Explorer security settings:

For a step-by-step guide to adjusting your settings without blocking content from sites that you trust, see Working with Internet Explorer 6 Security Settings.

If you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and you use Internet Explorer to browse the Web, your browser security settings for the Internet zone are already set to Medium by default. Internet Explorer in Windows XP SP2 also includes a number of features to help protect against spyware and many other kinds of deceptive or unwanted software.

Step 3: Use a firewall

While most spyware and other unwanted software come bundled with other programs or originate from unscrupulous Web sites, a small amount of spyware can actually be placed on your computer remotely by hackers. Installing a firewall or using the firewall that's built into Windows XP provides a helpful defense against these hackers. To learn more about firewalls, read Frequently asked questions about firewalls.

Top of page

Step 4: Surf and download more safely

The best defense against spyware and other unwanted software is not to download it in the first place. Here are a few helpful tips that can protect you from downloading software you don't want:

Top of page

Step 5: Download and install antispyware protection

Microsoft currently offers antispyware beta software for download; more information is available on the Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) site.

Additional security tools to help block, detect, and remove unwanted software from your computer are available from Microsofts Security Downloads resources page.