Lets face it, the Internet is not a safe place. Not only do you have viruses and the like crawling around trying to infect you, but you have the people behind said viruses working overtime to circumvent any security you may try and install. So what can you do to make yourself safe?

The honest answer is that there is no solution or combination of such that will keep you 100% safe. However, with the right free (or paid) solutions Installed, you can balance security with memory CPU usage. You don’t want something that takes an IT guru to make work, nor do you want something easy that doesn’t give you the flexibility to change any settings. So where does that leave you? Fear not! I have some simple programs that are easy to use, and best of all, FREE!

Spybot Search and Destroy

Description: Released in the early 2000’s, this program has been one of the front runners in basic computer security. It does one thing, and one thing well. It Scans for spyware. It’s easy to install, update and use. In addition, it has a great feature, it can add entries to your HOSTS file to take preventive measures to block spyware from getting in the first place.  Includes Teatimer which advises you of changes to your system. I don’t recommend installing Teatimer if you use your system extensively. It can get annoying.

Direct Download: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

Pros: Easy to use and update. Has immunization feature for preventive action.

Cons: No automatic scans. Doesn’t like having Adaware installed. No automatic update.

Lavasoft Adaware

Description: Originally developed in 1999 for a completely different purpose, this is an EXCELLENT program to fight adware. It is chock full of easy to use features and even updates itself Automatically and can run scans automatically as well. Even includes an anti virus program, if paid for. The virus scanner is one I personally like because it also contains a rootkit scanner, however if you’ve installed these programs, you shouldn’t need to worry about root kits.

Direct Download: http://download.cnet.com/Ad-Aware-Anniversary-Edition/3000-8022_4-10045910.html

Pros: Automatic updates and scans. Has real-time scanner

Cons: Benefits greatly from paying for it. Doesn’t like having Spybot installed

Windows Defender

Description: Released in 2005, this product was actually a rebranding of GIANT AntiSpyware. However, because it’s free, this is an excellent supplement for Windows users. It sits in the background and notifies users of changes to the registry or Windows Firewall. Integrates with Windows Security Center and updates itself automatically. It even runs scheduled scans at non-peak times (or at times that you specify). All you need is a GENUINE copy of windows and this program will install itself.

Direct Download: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=435BFCE7-DA2B-4A6A-AFA4-F7F14E605A0D&displaylang=en&mg_id=10134

Pros: Free. Easy to install. Updates automatically. Real-time protection. Automatic scans

Cons: Very few options to configure right out of the box. Only works on genuine Windows systems

AVG anti virus

Description: Released to the US in 1998, this is one of the best free Anti-virus solutions, and honestly, this product is more then enough for MOST users. While I personally use McAfee, this is for business reasons and not because it is better. I do have AVG installed on quite a few computers because I don’t want to pay more to increase the size of my McAfee License. AVG however has an excellent track record of keeping up with, or in some cases beating the paid antivirus software packages. It automatically upates itself and can run scans whenever you choose. Best of all, as mentioned previously, it’s free. Although paying does have it’s benifits. In a few cases, i’ve had McAfee installed on a system and had to install AVG because I’d noted strange behaviour from the system and low and behold, AVG found the virus that McAfee missed.

Direct Download: http://download.cnet.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html

Pros: Free. Easy to use. Automatically updates. Just as good as the paid ones

Cons: Lacks ALL the features unless you pay for it. Options menu is not as easy as it could be.

Hijack This

Description: This program is great if you are an IT guru or an Average User. It gives you the tools to analyze your system. However, it does generate a rather cryptic log file which can be daunting to the average user. But rest assured, there are ENTIRE forums out there filled with people who will be happy to analyze your log file and give you instruction as to what to do next. This program, I only recommend installing if you think you have “caught something” and want verification.

Direct Download: http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/tools/security_tools/hijackthis/download

Pros: Easy to scan. Generates a very detailed logfile that most geeks can read with ease and tell you if you have a problem

Cons: Not as easy to remove things. Can be daunting for the average user.

Some side notes: Installing Spyware and Adaware at the same time may cause either program to complain that the other is installed. You can ignore this warning, however, I do not recomend running both scans at the same time. Run one then the other to make your system clean