Adware normally pops out advertisement windows and redirects search engine results to adware sites. For adware to accomplish this, it overwrites some of the settings and values in the computer system registry.

If this seems like a daunting task to novice computer users, they are also advised that adware uses resuscitators or programs that keep adware active and running no matter how many times it has been ""deleted"" from the system.

For users that have to go through the adware removal process, there are some guidelines and steps that can simplify the task. Removing adware is similar to removing computer viruses. For a user to remove an adware, the first step is to identify what it is he or she has to deal with. Adware, like computer viruses, affects computer systems in different ways and creates or modifies different registry variables and values.

Most anti-virus and anti-spyware software, provided that they are updated, are able to detect and identify adware residing on a computer system. Although some anti-virus software is able to do this task, users are advised to use anti-spyware software to perform removal, as they are written especially for this purpose. Before using the anti-spyware program to perform a scan of the system, it is best to close all other programs and disconnect the computer from the Internet. After this, perform a system scan and the anti-spyware will try to detect and remove adware from the system. Once the scan is completed, reboot the system, and, after startup, rescan the system again; complete these steps until all the adware in the system has been removed or at least detected.

Some adware are more difficult to remove than others; this is because of the aforementioned resuscitators. For pesky adware, it is advised that the user visit anti-spyware support pages, which provide step-by-step information on how to modify the system registry and remove the adware. Before editing the registry, it is good practice to create a backup and to reboot the system under its safe mode. This would ensure that only the basic system processes are running in the background, giving the user and the system access to delete the registry entries created by the inactive adware service.