There are several different free adware and spyware scanners, but Ad-Aware is one of the simplest to use. Just install it and run the scanner every week or so to make sure that any spyware that sneaks onto your computer gets removed.

There are two types of spying programs: Adware and Spyware. The only difference between the two is that Adware is something you agreed to install at some point while Spyware never asked for your permission (you have to read all that small print when installing programs you know).

Anyway, regardless of how you got it, some software tracks your online activity and more and then sends that data back to some marketing company somewhere so they can add it to your profile. If you want to prevent that from happening, installing a spyware scanner is the best way.

Note that some anti-virus programs will scan for spyware, but leave adware alone but because ad-ware is technically legal. That's why you need to install and run a spyware scanner now and then.

Currently, we recommend Ad-aware spyware scanner.

There are several different free adware and spyware scanners, but Ad-Aware is one of the simplest to use. Just install it and run the scanner every week or so to make sure that any spyware that sneaks onto your computer gets removed.

Zap the distracting stuff and save ink too

Using Nuke Anything, you can adjust the page you're currently viewing by removing ads, pictures, or almost anything else that you don't want to see. Not only can you use this for better viewing of really cluttered pages, but you can also make the print view far more clean so you don't waste ink by printing stuff you don't want/need.

Click on the picture below to see a sample of a page before and after using Nuke Anything:

A page before and after the cleaning process. Just point, right-click, and remove

Blocks tracking cookies from the major advertisers online

If you were aware of the many companies that track you around the web and use the profiles they build on you to send you targeted advertising, you probably didn't know that you can opt out of this tracking one at a time with many of those companies.

How convenient.

While I suppose it's very nice that these companies will stop taking your private browsing habits from you without your knowledge or permission if you go through their hoops to stop it, there's a much easier way. A privacy-minded geek helpfully compiled a list of all the opt-out cookies that the ad networks look for to flag you as someone who shouldn't be tracked.

Further, he modified a free Google app that restores certain cookies after wiping your cookie files to preserve the opt-out cookies. So install BEEF TACO and you will better avoid being tagged and tracked like an animal online.

You can install BEEF TACO here.

Prevent ads from annoying you and taking your bandwidth

Having an effective ad blocker is a great thing. Not only do you not see those extremely annoying and sometimes inappropriate ads on pages, since your browser never downloads the graphics for them, the page will load faster, you don't waste ink when you print the page, and the web bugs and cookies planted by ad services to track you are defeated as well!

Further, there are many cases of people buying ad space and then delivering malware through the ads. Because the people who show the ads don't review or approve each one, the chances for abuse are high.

Bonus: Why sites that say adblocking is hurting them are full of it.

Free, open source alternative to IE

Since Firefox first came out, it has been hailed as being better in security and features than Internet Explorer by every person and website I know. I've been using it a while now and found it to be the case.

Most importantly, you can install plugins that improve Firefox's security and functionality. If something bugs you about the way IE works, you're stuck, but with Firefox, you can often find a modification to fix it.

AVG free anti-virus

STOP!

Due to rampant privacy invasion, I no longer recommend the AVG anti-virus. At this time, the best free anti-virus available is Avast which can be found here

People quickly get overwhelmed at how hard it can be to keep your computer safe, but rest easy; It's not as bad as people say. First, make sure you have your computer security software set up correctly. Then learn how to use the computer and Internet safely and you'll usually be fine.

Encryption made easy

In cases where your computer is stolen or if you are worried about anyone you know accessing certain folders and files on your computer, you might want to protect them behind strong encryption.

Truecrypt lets you create an encrypted file container that works like a folder, but looks as if it were a file full of random data. To use the encrypted container, you select it in Truecrypt, enter your password (which should be a very strong one), and the program will "mount" the file as if it were a removable hard drive on your system.

While mounted, you can copy files and folder to and from your "drive" and organize them as if it were a second hard drive or thumb drive plugged into your computer. When you're done, you "dismount" the container and it returns to its strongly encrypted state while looking like a simple file full of random data.

It's easy to set up and use as the documentation is very straighforward and includes a step-by-step walkthrough with pictures.

Pros

They are a convenient way to buy something for someone while allowing them the freedom to choose the specific items. As a gift-giver, your greatest goal is to find someone the perfect item that you're sure they'll like, but this is hard to do unless you know the person very well.

However, giving plain cash is often considered very bland as it takes no thought to give someone money. Also, when given money, a responsible person may feel obligated to spend it on other things such as rent, food, bills, etc. rather than something for themselves (which is the point of gifts).

Enter the gift card. If you know a store that has items that your recipient would like, but not the specific item(s), buying them a credit gives them the flexibility to choose what they wish, but not to spend it on something you didn't intend. For many gift givers, this is a great solution.

Cons

As with rebates and warranties, gift cards are money you give stores something for nothing immediate in return. A store gains revenue for as long as it takes the recipient to use the card which may be only days, but could be as long as months or years.

A lot of people lose or forget about gift cards. Some gift.

In most cases, the recipient will buy something worth more than the card's value since no one likes to lose money. But in other cases, people will use most of the value and eventually forget about the few cents to few dollars left on the card (bonus for the retailers!). Add to all that the fact that many people lose cards and you can begin to see why gift cards are so common now.

Beware!

All of the above are reasons why it's good for stores to offer gift cards and that's only assuming that they're playing fair. Make sure it doesn't have any of these "gotchas" before you buy it (and don't rely on the salesperson's opinion, read the terms).

• Expiration dates: It's easy to misplace a gift card for a while or lose track of time and not make it to the target store for many months. If the card expires before the recipient can use it, the company keeps the money and no one gets anything out of it.
• Restrictions: You'll need to check the legal terms to see if the card can truly be used for anything in the store or not. Perhaps it's only good on purchase of home theater items (which could make it useless to a recipient who wasn't planning to buy any of those kinds of items).
• Refundable: Most gift cards are non-refundable, but what if your recipient is in the military and moves far away from any of that store's outlets? And what of the case where they spend all but a few dollars. Will the store give a cash refund for trivially small remaining balances?
• Usable online: If the store has an online presence, can the card be used the same way there?

• Fees and declining balances: This is complete bull. There is no reason to ever charge a fee for giving a store money. If there are any fees on purchase or use of a card, don't buy it, no matter how small the fee.

  A lost card will almost always require a fee to reissue (which is okay considering it's your fault for losing it, but that assumes they'll even reissue a lost card).

In Conclusion

If you're going to buy a gift card, understand the risks. If your goal is to give a gift to someone, but it ends up being something they can't or don't use, it's no gift at all.