I have unwanted links and toolbars on my browser. I tried deleting the links from my favorites list and removing the toolbars, but they keep coming back. Your system is infected with spyware. Spyware are applications that perform surveillance, affect your privacy and cause system harm. Some variants collect data from you and send the information to third parties. Get a reliable anti-spyware application and launch a scan.   I ran a scan with my anti-spyware, and it didn't detect any applications, but my system seems infected by spyware. What do I do? First off, not all anti-spyware applications actually perform the way they are supposed to. Of the over 200 anti-spyware applications in the market, only a handful actually detect and remove spyware, prevent real time threats, and offer reliable updates and support. A lot of the applications being marketed as anti-spyware products are either bogus applications or are actually spyware themselves, so be sure to check the leading IT magazines and sites which anti-spyware tools are reliable. Second, check to see if the anti-spyware tool you are running is updated. Your anti-spyware is largely dependent on its definition updates. Third, unlike in the anti-virus industry, no anti-spyware application currently has 100 percent detection and removal. It is important to find an anti-spyware application with extensive customer support for instances when removal requires assistance.   My homepage is redirected to another website. When I set my homepage back, it still goes to another website. How do I fix this? Your system is infected with a browser hijacker. It is a type of spyware that attempts to take control of your search page, error page, or in your case, home page. The application redirects your home page to a pre-determined location, usually to one of their sites or a site of an affiliate, some of which monitor surfing habits. They designed the variant you have to keep you from restoring your previous settings, so you will continually land on the sites they want you to. To remove this from your system, download a reliable anti-spyware application, and launch a full scan.   Are free versions of anti-spyware software reliable? There are a number of free anti-spyware applications that are both reliable and well-received by the anti-spyware community. Some may be effective in removing spyware. However, free anti-spyware software rarely have the same feature sets as their paid counterparts. Some free versions have good detection but do not offer real time threat blocking. Others do not provide regular updates. It gets difficult finding support for some free security tools. The best-reviewed anti-spyware applications are paid versions.   I always get pop up advertisements even when I'm not connected to the Internet. Why is that? You may have adware installed. Adware is a type of spyware that provides some form of advertising, often through pop ups or banner ads. It can download ads and store these in your computer and display them even when you're not online. Launch a full scan from a reliable anti-spyware program to remove it.   How do I know if I have spyware in my system? While some spyware like browser hijackers make their presence known, most try to embed themselves onto your system and perform their tasks quietly, rarely showing obvious symptoms. One indication you have spyware on your system is reduced internet speed. Spyware consume resources to perform their functions. Another is a continual display of ads. You may find items you do not recognize on your favorites list. Further, some applications run erratically when you have spyware on your system. The key thing to remember is that while symptoms of spyware do not mean you have spyware installed, it's always best to be certain and launch a scan.   How do I prevent spyware infection? Install one or more, preferably more, anti-spyware applications, update them along with your operating system constantly, increase your browser security settings, read, or at least skim through, the End User License agreement before you install anything, surf only through sites you trust, and be especially careful when running Peer-to-peer applications.