I'm recommending this software, Spybot Search & Destroy, as a good utility to scan for spy software that may have infiltrated a system.

When I'm playing the role of free tech-support for friends and family, and I'm helping them clean or secure their systems, these are the items I recommend:

#1: Get an anti-virus program. Particularly Norton, McAfee, or AVG at grisoft.com
#2: Get a firewall, such as ZoneAlarm from www.zonelabs.com
#3: Get Ad-Aware, a free utility from lavasoftusa.com
#4: Get a spy-checker program, such as this SpyBot one, or PestPatrol
#5: Keep their Operating System updated, such as by using the "Windows Update" option in the Tools menu of Internet Explorer.

After the above 5, it's mostly a case of training, such as to remind them *don't* run executables that have been sent to them in email, and if they do have ZoneAlarm, *don't* click yes to give access to a program, if they're not already damn sure what that program is!