The recent surge in the spread of spyware – malicious software which can transmit personal information from your computer – means that security is now of paramount importance. Developer AVG has long been a name associated with free anti-virus software, but there is now also a free anti-spyware tool from the same company.

Before continuing, though, note that although AVG Anti-Spyware is free, it will initially install as a 30-day trial of the premium version of the program. At the end of this trial period, certain features will be disabled, such as automatic updates and resident protection. As such, it is important to set up a scheduled scan and also to regularly check for updates manually.

Click here to see a step-by-step guide to installing and enabling AVG Anti-Spyware