Even computer techs such as myself get spyware and the occasional virus. I do a deep cleaning about once every 3 months. I try to get every possible thing cleaned off of my PC that might be reducing performance. I used software that does a tremendous job and is free. I thought I would share my regiment.

1. Remove programs that aren’t needed - Open Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and get rid of anything you don’t need. You may actually find a few spyware applications listed that will need to be removed. My rule of thumb is that if I don’t know what it is or if I haven’t used it in over 6 months, it gets uninstalled.

2. Clean the junk off - CCleaner cleans the crap off your computer such as temp files, memory dumps and other useless files. Doing this step early will prevent antivirus and antispyware software from wasting time scanning them.

3. Spyware scan - I have Windows Defender, but it doesn’t get everything. Scan your PC with Adaware and make sure it’s a Full Scan to clean spyware off of your computer.

4. Antivirus scan - AVG Antivirus is a powerful and free antivirus program. Avast! is a nice alternative. Download and scan your PC with one of these programs if you don’t already own a commercial based antivirus program.

5. Check for rootkits - Some viruses and spyware can hide from antivirus programs and spyware scanners. Check for rootkits with the RootkitRevealer.