You can find almost anything online these days, some for a fee, but most of them free. This is true for firewalls, antivirus software, and adware/spyware blocking programs. These programs keep computers safe from malware and help prevent spybots and trojans from sending our personal data back to their makers. These programs are fine and dandy if you don't mind that they're pretty expensive ($39 a year at McAfee and Norton for basic anti-virus software, the security internet suites can easily run an upwards of $70) and slow your computer down to turtle speed with all the extra addons and 'intrusion-detecting-virus-scanning-database-blocking-popup-alerts-that-annoy-the-hell-out-of-you-and-show-up-for-no-reason' , or you can use free software and achieve some of the best protection you can get for less headache and less cost.
Antivirus programs
avast! is the best antivirus program I recommend. AVG Anti-Virus free Edition v4.7 is also available. Both are compatible with Windows 98 or later, and Vista as well.
avast! Antivirus features:
Standard shield provides real-time protection
Instant messenger protection with IM shield
Protective P2P shield
Internet mail for email protection
Protection for Microsoft Outlook/Exchange
Protect your web traffic with Web Shield
Protects your network from well-known network worms
Audible alarms
Boot-time scan
A GUI that can be completely customized
Surprisingly, avast! It isn't a resource hog and the only window that appears is the one located above the icon for the task. This tells you that an update has been installed. Avast! Avast! receives updates almost daily, so you can rest assured that your virus database is up-to-date. It is compatible with avast! The antivirus software detected 95% of all the viruses and earned the second highest ranking, the Advanced designation.
There is one downside to avast! The downside to avast! Avast! Avast! is a free and effective antivirus software that offers excellent protection.
Anti-Virus features by AVG:
Periodic scans
Email scans
Ability to heal infected files
To protect infected files, use Virus vault
AVG is not a resource hog either, with its minimum system requirements of 16MB RAM and 20MB hard drive. AVG scans take an average amount of time compared to other antivirus programs. AVG also doesn't use too many system resources while scanning. AVG AntiVirus was rated the best antivirus software by AV Comparitives, detecting 97% of possible viruses during its test scan.
Spyware/Adware Removal
Lavasoft's Ad-Aware 2007 Free or Microsoft Windows Defender 1.1 are good options for antispyware protection. Both offer the best spyware and malware detection, and they are very easy to use.
Features of Ad-Aware 2007:
Windows Vista Compatible
You can customize your themes
Repairs damage left by malware
Tracks of internet surfing by Erases
Support from the worldwide security volunteer network and free software updates
Ad-Aware 2007, which has been downloaded more than a quarter of a million times, received a rating of 4 stars from a Download.com Editor's Review. It takes only 3 minutes to run a smart scanner on my computer Qnap españa
Windows Defender features:
It is extremely easy to use, with a simple interface
Updates automatically downloaded and installed
It uses very little system resources, so it can do normal scanning tasks.
Protect your web surfing data with real-time protection
Microsoft Windows Defender is a powerful spyware detector. What makes it even more impressive is the free, real-time protection. This feature is not available in most free software and you will have to pay for it. It only works with Windows.
Firewalls
ZoneAlarm Firewall Pro and Comodo Firewall pro are two of my favorite firewalls. ZoneAlarm is easier to use and install, while Comodo Firewall Pro has all the features a power user needs for managing his network and monitoring his firewalls.
Comodo features:
Host Intrusion Prevention System is used to prevent malware from installing and to protect files.
Advanced Network Firewall Engine prevents programs from connecting to internet
Application Behavior Analysis to detect suspicious application activity
A whitelist for nearly one million trusted applications
Comodo Firewall is for people who want the best firewall possible and want to have all options and settings available for a network monitoring application. PC World Australia says that Comodo Firewall performs better than many paid-for alternatives.
ZoneAlarm features
Inbound intrusion detection system
Outbound connections can be made by a variety of programs
Compatible with Windows Vista
Zonealarm is easy to install and use. It won't be noticed unless you have something unusual going on with your firewall. A pop-up window appears in the taskbar when a new program attempts to access the internet. After accepting or denial, you can choose to check a box to stop it asking again.
These programs can all be used to make your computer and network more secure from hackers, intruders and viruses. Each program has its own features and offers different protection levels. Before making a decision, make sure you do your research. You should not have more than one antivirus program or firewall installed on your computer. This can lead to conflicts. You'll do better if you grab more than one of the spyware removers or detectors. They all detect different types of spyware so you will want to ensure you have several good programs.
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