Suzi's Diary Date has some good info on detecting/removing spyware and other trojan software. She has a lot of good links. I've used both Spybot and Ad-Aware and recommend them. Besides the info sites that Suzi links to, I've found Doxdesk to be of use.
As Suzi and others point out, there are other products going around that are scamware disguised as scamware-busters, such as Spy Wiper. If in doubt, ask a knowledgable friend, read neutral review sites, and/or read the EULA.
I saw your comment at Xrlq about AdAware's free version not stopping spyware in real time or stopping spyware cookies. I highly recommend SpywareGuard, real time protection, in combination with SpywareBlaster which blocks active x installations and spyware cookies. Both are free. Links are on my site to download them.
Posted by: suzi at December 3, 2003 09:07 AM