Fortify Your Computer : 1 : Antivirus & Antispyware
- Grab the RSS feed and read our posts in your leisure
- Drop a comment on this post
- Follow author on Twitter | FriendFeed
It’s near mandatory for all Windows users to have a set of strong security tools on their computer, especially if the comp is connected to the internet. However most of the security resources (i.e. antivirus, antispyware, firewall etc.) available over the net are either non-free or fake. The non-free or premium
products are available in trial versions, which consistently peck you to buy the full version and lock themselves up after 15 or 30 days. Fake products (? read Smitfraud) are dangerous, as they will actually add to the viruses and spyware present on your computer! One more option is getting a cracked version of some licensed software (via torrents or p2p networks), which is illegal and also carries a high risk of giving you some virus. We are left with one last choice – use free or open source tools. Even if they are not conspicuous, high quality and completely free security tools do exist! I have compiled up some such free antivirus and antispyware tools in this post. A later post will cover free firewalls, safe web surfing tools and tips for strong security.
AVG Free Edition The best thing about AVG is that it is extremely light on your system resources. This solid antivirus has received five star ratings from editors of CNET and Softpedia and is a must-have on your PC. Home | Download.com | Softpedia Available For: Windows Vista/XP/NT/2000/ME/98 Available For: Windows Vista/XP/NT/2000/ME/98/95 Available For: Windows Vista/XP (Genuine Only) Available For: Windows Vista/XP/2003 Server/2000 (Version 1.9 is available for Windows ME/98) A-Squared Free Edition
AVG’s free antivirus solution is the one-stop solution for viruses, worms and trojan horses. The cosmetic looks of AVG aren’t great, but are simple enough for the most novice users. AVG has all the features you would expect from an antivirus:
Avast! Home Edition
If the simple interface of AVG didn’t impress you, Avast! most probably will. The default media player skin of Avast! is a bit confusing, but there are about 50 more skins available to choose from! And Avast! isn’t just about skins – it has the most powerful real time protection of all antiviruses, free or paid. The virus scanning engine is no let down either and has better detection rate than AVG, Norton and McAfee. Spyware and rootkit protection are included as well. Avast! carries a boutique of features, but the lack of proper organization may leave you somewhat confused. Free registration is required every 14 months. Home | Download.com | Softpedia | Skins | Registration | Features
Windows Defender
Windows Defender includes real time monitoring, a feature absent in most free antispyware utilities, in addition to a powerful spyware scanner. It is pimped up by the new-age-Microsoftish-look, and fits perfectly into your Windows Vista or XP desktop. High detection rates, a system monitoring add-on (Software Explorer), and features like scheduled scanning+auto updating have made WD my favorite antispyware utility. Home | Download.com | Softpedia | Features
Spyware Terminator
Windows Defender doesn’t work properly on pirated copies of Windows XP or Vista. If that’s the case with you, Spyware Terminator will be a noteworthy substitute. ST includes a whale of features – a 12-shield real time protection, HIPS (? read this), daily updating, boot-time scanning and scheduled scanning. It can even double up as your antivirus by integrating the open source ClamAV engine into it’s database. While ST has almost everything better than WD, installing it will also give you Web Security Guard and the Crawler toolbar- two crappy and resource hogging add-ons for Internet Explorer. The good news is that you can uninstall both these crapware from Add / Remove Programs (Control Panel) and still keep your ST.
ST is recommended to everyone who wants super strong spyware protection for free.
Home | Download.com | Softpedia | Features
Spyware and other types of malware are growing by geometrical progression today. It is not possible for a single antispyware (be it the costliest one out there) to be able to detect and remove all types of malware. It is, therefore, advisable that you keep a secondary antispyware on your computer – you can use it whenever you feel your computer is slowing down or is acting abnormally. A-Squared Free is a good option for this purpose. This no-hassle antispyware has a strong scanning engine that will weed out some of the toughest malware from your computer, which may have given WD or ST the slip. A-Squared doesn’t run in the background – so no questions of your computer slowing down! Home | Download.com | Softpedia
Available For: Windows Vista/2003 Server/XP/2000/ME/98
[Note]
You should use only one antivirus to prevent driver conflicts. Also, use A-Squared with either Spyware Terminator or Windows Defender.
>>>Next on ‘Fortify Your Computer’ : Firewall & Safe Web Surfing
