Back in the day when I started doing this site and offering PC support for clients locally and over the Internet. There was little to no need for any type of virus protection. However times have changed greatly. Today we need multiple applications to keep our pc’s running smoothly and our private information safe.
Here is a list of applications that are FREE and if used properly and often will keep your pc running.
- CCleaner - http://www.ccleaner.com
- Ewido - http://www.ewido.com
- HiJackThis - http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/
- Spybot Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/
- Adaware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
A little note about each of these applications:
CCleaner: Temporary file remover, keeping your system clear of any extra temp files is important. Many virus’s and other nasty little files are usually stored here first in your system. The Windows diskcleanup is nice however it’s just not enough to remove most of these files from your pc.
Ewido: Hands down my latest favorite for removing unwanted software and other bad items from your PC. Much faster than Adaware, and more indepth than spybot. However one of the most improtant notes about all these programs is they all do something a little better than the other applications in their class.
Hijackthis: This program is hard to use if your unaware of how to use it properly… Which is why there are a number of forums on the Internet that will allow you to post your log from this program and the sites users will tell you which programs/lines to remove using Hijackthis. I recommend 2 such forms
1. http://discussions.virtualdr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71 <-direct link to the hijackthis forum.
2. http://www.suggestafix.com
Spybot S&D / Adware: Simply classic spyware & adware removal programs. I am shocked that some other larger company has not sucked up either of these programs.
As time & demand allows I will write up detailed infomation on features and operation of these programs.
My personal thank you to all of the creators and staff of these apps that allow us to use these programs for free.