Managing a Windows based network I have to constantly fight all the badware that comes along with Windows. Below you will find the software with links to download it. All of the tools I list are free to use, you may have to register it, but that it’s still free.
Anti-Spyware
Most people should run at least two of these once a month to help keep their computer clean
Spybot Search and Destroy
This is one of the best tools I use for anti-spyware and is fairly easy to use.
Adaware
A very well known anti-spyware tool that works good
AVG Anti-Spyware
A good anti-spyware program that is not so well known. It has a tool to scan the computer in real-time. I’ve found it to work quite well.
A-squared free
A tool that I use to find things that spybot and adaware do not find.
Anti-Virus
Everyone needs a good anti-virus tool, these are some of the best ones I’ve found and they are all free.
avast! 4 Home Edition
This is the scanner that I have installed on countless computers. It might not find all of the things some other tools do, but its ease of use
makes up for it.
AVG
One of the first free anti-virus programs I found. It does a good job finding virii, but it can be a hassle to manage.
AntiVir
I used this on a few computers for a while and didn’t like it enough to continue using it.
Other stuff
These programs are quite complex and should really only be ran by people who know what they are doing
Hijack this
Thistool will help you find anything and everything hidden on your computer. The problem with this tool is that it can give quite a few false positives. I don’t recommend this to anyone who does not knowwhat they are doing.
RootkitRevealer
Rootkits are becoming more and more frequent these days. This tool does a very
good job at finding hidden files on your computer. I have found thistool to also have a ton of false positives.
More ways to keep your computer clean
Toreally combat spyware its always recommended not to run internet explorer (IE) whenever you can. My recommendation is to run Firefox instead. There are quite a few other “alternative” browsers out there, but I feel that firefox is the best choice.
If you run a desktop based email program it is HIGHLY recommended not to
run any version of Outlook/Outlook Express unless behind a corporate firewall. Outlook has many bugs in it and can easily be exploited. My personal choice for email is Mozilla Thunderbird. I’ve been running it for a few years now and it has yet to let me down.
The final straw
If you are sick and tired of having to deal with all of this protection you can always switch to another Operating System. With Linux and OSX you do not need to worry about spyware or virii as they are secure.
