It doesn’t take long for a friend, coworker, or family member to give me a phone call and ask me to help them with the current problem they are having with their computer. They know I love a good challenge.
Generally speaking, a great deal of the problems they have are due to some sort of spyware or virus having a jolly-old time with their computer. In this day and age I feel that running one virus program isn’t enough. The number of viruses, spyware, and malware running amok through the internet is insane; and relying on only one program to protect you isn’t enough anymore (IMHO).
Here is a list of all the programs that I use to keep my system clean. These are all FREE, which makes it even better!
(product descriptions are quoted from the creator’s site)
Ad-Aware SE Personal
“Our free anti-spyware version provides you with advanced protection against spyware that secretly attaches and takes control of your computer, resulting in aggressive advertising pop-ups, sluggish computer activity, even identity theft through stolen bank details, passwords, and credit card account numbers.”
A-Squared Free
“…it is a full tool to clean your computer from Malware. Not only Spywares, as detected by classic Anti-Spyware programs, but also especially Trojans, Backdoors, Worms, Dialers, Keyloggers and a lot of other destructive pests, which makes it dangerous to surf the web.”
A-Squared HiJackFree
“a-squared HiJackFree is a detailed system analysis tool which helps advanced users to detect and remove all types of HiJackers, Spyware, Adware, Trojans and Worms.”
AVG-Anti-Virus Free
“AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is one of the most popular solutions to provide basic security protection on home and non-commercial PCs.”
AVG Anti-Spyware Free
“AVG Anti-Spyware Free is a free anti-spyware protection tool developed by GRISOFT for home use”
AVG Anti-Rootkit Free
“AVG Anti-Rootkit is a powerful tool with state-of-the-art technology for detection and removal of rootkits. Rootkits are used to hide the presence of a malicious object like trojans or keyloggers on your computer. If a threat uses rootkit technology to hide itself it is very hard to find the malware on your PC. AVG Anti-Rootkit gives you the power to find and delete the rootkit and to uncover the threat the rootkit is hiding.”
CC Cleaner
“CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!”
Spybot Search&Destroy
“Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware.”
SpywareBlaster
“SpywareBlaster can help keep your system spyware-free and secure, without interfering with the “good side” of the web.
And unlike other programs, SpywareBlaster does not have to remain running in the background.”
SpywareGuard
“SpywareGuard provides a real-time protection solution against spyware that is a great addition to SpywareBlaster’s protection method. “
Windows Defender
“Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it’s detected and minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.”
And that is all of them. Whew! I know it seems a little “excessive” but hey, I have not had a virus problem with either my computer or my laptop for years. However, I need to stress a few things to you.
1) Even after you install these programs it doesn’t mean your troubles are going to go away. One of the first ways to prevent virus/spyware/malware issues is safe computing. By safe computing I mean:
- using a web browser like Mozilla Firefox, instead of Windows Internet Explorer.
- being extremely careful with any files you are downloading. (If you install AVG Free on Windows, it will create an option in your right click menu to scan whatever file you click on.)
- be careful with any email attachments you receive in your emails. Most web based email programs (Yahoo! Mail, MSN Hotmail, etc.) will scan any attachments before downloading them to your computer. If you are using a non-web based email program (ie. MS Outlook), be careful with any attachments you receive and scan them before opening them.
2) Because all of these programs are free, they lack a lot of ‘automated’ features. AVG Anti-Virus Free is the only one that will automatically update it’s Virus Database, all the others you will have to do manually. This manual update is quite simple though, one click of a button and voila! What the manual update also means is that you will have to set up a schedule for yourself so that you can ensure you have the most update versions running on your computer. I created a folder on my desktop and put links to all the programs in that folder. This way at the end of every two weeks I just go into the folder and run each program and update them one by one. Some of them like the AVG family of programs, or the A-Squarred programs will tell you that the program needs to be updated, as well as let you know that you should scan your system as well. For me, once I have updated the programs I will generally scan my system at that time.
3) Be diligent about this stuff. I can’t stress the importance of updating the programs and scanning your system. I have always looked at it like having a car. If you want to prolong the life of your vehicle you have to take care of it: oil changes, brake changes, tire rotation, filter changes, etc. Your computer is the same, the biggest difference is that it doesn’t cost you anything.
I realize there are a lot of programs there, and if you choose not to download them all that’s ok, but I would recommend you at least download the AVG family or programs, as well as SpywareBlaster. However, I encourage you to download them all. It is better to be safe than sorry.
cheers
Jonesy
(I will update this post if links to the programs change, or I find additional life savers out there). Updated July 8, 2007 - The Ad-Aware link will take you to the new 2007 version.
