Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Just about all of us have probably been hit at one time or another by a virus, trojan, or ended up with that dreaded blue screen of death.  It’s certainly not fun when it happens.  These days, simply running Norton in the background often just isn’t enough.  Thankfully, there are several really good programs out there to download (free!) that help us to protect our computer from any nasties trying to worm their way in.

Some favorites that are really worth a try:

Ad-Aware 2008

This perennial favorite of many is an anti-spyware program.  Keep in mind that the free version does not detect viruses, so I wouldn’t really suggest using this as a first line of defense.  That said, I still put it on the list since there have been times it picked up things that other programs missed.  For what it is meant to do it does a good job.  It scans your RAM, your hard drives and external storage devices, and the Windows Registry.  Ad-Aware looks for what the program name suggests—advertising, data-mining, or tracking components.

It is easy to use; scanning and deleting any corrupt files is done with a few simple clicks.  My one complaint is that scan time in the ‘08 version seems to take much longer than previously.

Ad-Aware 2008 (22.7MB): Download

SpyBot Search and Destroy

Spybot has been around a long time; it’s one of the original anti-spyware programs.  Even more than just the “scan and find the adware and other naughty modules” feature of the program; I like the other goodies they package in.  One handy thing it offers is the ability to check the system registry and what apps are showing up at system start-up.  You can then get rid of any you don’t want.  They also offer a Secure Shredder to totally destroy files and a Hosts File which blocks adware from even hitting your system.  I know of some people that find that feature a bit annoying; I deal with it for the fact that it really does keep me from having to deal with a lot of extra junk hitting my system.

This is a nice program because it is good if you aren’t especially familiar with running spyware scans.  It is very easy to operate and user-friendly.  For those who know what they are doing, it also offers an “Advanced Mode” with some extra options.  It is one of the faster scans out there and has over 30 language options, so international users aren’t left in the dark. 

SpyBot Search and Destroy 1.6 (14.38MB): Download

Avira AntiVir Personal

The latest version practically has more numbers behind it than my social security card.  8.2.0.334 for the curious among you.  (That’s the version number, not my social security number to clarify).  Avira is probably one of the best free anti-virus scans out there.  It runs a very thorough system check for both malware and viruses, with a just as thorough quarantine.  This is in spreadsheet form and gives the option of either scanning again, deleting, or restoring files and more.  It allows users to pick their scan too which is nice: full system scan, a customized scan, or they even have pre-loaded scans you can choose from.

The one con to the program is it has its own occasional ad pop-ups/placements.  The program isn’t lightning fast, but it isn’t a total dog either by any means.  It does have a “real time Guard protection” running in the background, as well.  Although some may not like the idea of that just on principle, it really doesn’t affect system performance. 

Avira AntiVir Personal (23.96MB): Download

Avast Home Edition

Ok, now this one does have more numbers to it than my social security card.  Version 4.8.1229.80923.  Now if you can get past that, Avast is really a great program.  The creators say the latest version is even better than the previous editions at finding trojans, rookits, and backdoor viruses.  They are also proud to boast that they are a “complete ICSA & Checkmark certified antivirus, Checkmark certified anti-spyware & anti-rootkit package.“  The program really does earn its stripes.

The on-demand scanner is easy to operate.  You pick what you want it to do and press the Play button.  It also has an on-access scanner, which will scan most e-mail clients, IM services, P2P, Network traffic, and more.  You can adjust the sensitivity level for these scans to set it just the way you want it.  The “standard” scan runs fairly quickly, though the boot scan took longer.  However, you do have the option to skip this.  They offer up some nice cleanup tools if anything is found on your system as well.

Avast Home Edition (26.19MB): Download

Trend Micro HijackThis 2.02

Warning: Use this program with caution!  This one is not really designed for the novice.  A Hijack This scan lists the contents of core areas of your Registry and hard drive.  It picks areas that are used by hijackers as well as legit programmers.  It doesn’t search out certain programs or URLs; it picks the way the hijackers make you hit their site.  Because of this, you will see files that you do not want to delete on the list.  Lots of what you see is just going to be customizations.  This is not one of those programs where you run a scan, check the box for what all comes up and simply hit delete. 

If you are not sure what you are looking at after you run the scan, save the log.  It saves it as a text document for you, and you can either ask someone who is King Geek, or go to a forum (like castlecops) and post it there to get some feedback before you wipe something you need.  Hijack This is really a program to use when you have something down deep in your system that you just aren’t having any luck removing with the standard spyware removal process.  It’s definitely powerful, so use with care.

Trend Micro Hijack This 2.02 (793.3K): Download

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed