adware/spyware programs
 

just wondering whats the free/best option for battling these annoyances, thank you!

http://www.eset.com/

this product is one of the best i have found.. if you are Download/torrent sauve, you can get it for free.. works great!

AVG is free and it works well enough for me
http://free.avg.com/

Spybot Search & Destroy. Great app for spyware/adware.

I forget the website, but just google Spybot S&D. I run this along with AVG.. keeps me pretty safe (I think)

AVG is where its at, but needs some tweaking of you have multiple users and dont want it to scan for viruses every time you log in.

unplug your computer :) or run Linux or a BSD derivative

I run the free AVG, you can set it to run at a certain hour instead of when first booting up. Also spybot s&d and "adaware" from lavasoft.com. All these are free for home use.
You can dwnld spybot from cnet.com

It doesn't matter what antivirus you run,or what spyware prog,you use.Nothing will protect you from some of the malware that's out there.One of the best free antivirus programs out there is avast.In years gone by the biggest threats where trojans and or viruses,but that has changed to spyware.Tho some will think,what does he know ? I do this everyday,computer sales and service,it's a never ending job,but it pays the bills.

avg I would go with
that's what our computer teck guy uses so must be ok
and it's free

Avast kicks the crap out of antivirus software you have to pay good money for.But most antivirus programs won't grab some of the nasty spyware,that's out there.Try malwarebytes..amazing free scanner,and i guarantee it will find multiple nastys.

yup
 

+1 to that. Oh, and stay FAR away from anything that says norton.... FAR AWAY!

well I have tried most of the suggestions (thanks BTW) but I am still having issues. My main problem is google search result links taking me to the wrong sites. It is driving me nuts, has anyone else encountered this?

Yes it is pretty common. These google/yahoo hacks go back to 2005 so there are lots of nasties and malware that are capable of this behavior.

Goto download.com and get the anti-malware program "hijackthis". Run it and disable any BHO(browser helper objects) if that does not solve it then post the Hijackthis log to the forums, it is a simple button push from within HJT.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

I've used a lot of other programs, this one kicks the most ass.