Readers Questions.
IF01936
Q.
Should I Buy Anti-Spyware or Anti-Virus Software?
Task
Manager shows I have 50+ processes running, and I have no idea which ones are
slowing down my system. Should I regularly run SpyBot, AdAware and other
freeware, or should I pay for a supposedly better program? I read so much
negative about every program and I am quite confused about them. If they really
are worth the money, I am willing to try them. Can you give me your opinion on
the best anti-virus, anti-spyware and popup blockers?
A.
I hear from some readers who run two or three anti-virus programs, and half a
dozen
anti-spyware tools. Personally, I think that's overkill. WAY overkill. In
fact, anti-virus programs can end up fighting with each other, and cause system
lockups. And running multiple anti-spyware tools at once WILL slow down your
computer.
There are
at least a dozen highly touted
anti-virus and anti-spyware tools -- some
commercial and some free. So I understand your confusion as to which ones are
best for you. It's natural to assume that the paid-for variety is of higher
quality, but that's not always the case.
Here's my
personal arsenal against viruses, spyware and annoying popups:
--
CA Antivirus from Computer Associates
(formerly called EZ Anti-Virus). You can get a 3-month FREE trial, courtesy of
Microsoft and Computer Associates. I've used this program for several years,
with nary a glitch. Scans emails, web pages, downloads and your hard drive for
bad stuff. I dumped Norton's resource-hogging anti-virus a while back and am
VERY happy that I did.
--
Microsoft's FREE
Windows AntiSpyware does a great job of
scanning your system for spyware, and locks down your PC with real-time
prevention measures to make sure you don't get zapped by spyware again.
--
The FREE
Google Toolbar is great at blocking
annoying popups. It also adds a handy Google search box to your browser's
toolbar, and can automatically fill out web forms.
--
XBlock Systems offers an excellent FREE tool called
X-RayPC. I use it as an adjunct to
anti-virus and anti-spyware scanners, as a diagnostic tool to help identify
questionable processes on a machine. X-RayPC combines the best features of
HiJackThis and the SpywareGuide database to show you at a glance EVERY process
that's running on your machine, as well as startup programs, browser helper
objects (BHOs), toolbars and downloaded program files. The built-in expert
system gives you a Good, Bad or Undetermined rating for each, and shows the name
of the software developer so you can decide whether to keep or nuke an item. X-RayPC
is very easy to use, but since it's powerful enough to remove important files
from your computer, I recommend it only for advanced users.
Works
For Me!
This is
what works for me. They're all free, they all come from trusted sources, and
they work great. Automatic updates in each program help them keep pace with
changes in the malware universe, and I have to say the proof is in the pudding.
I do a LOT of web surfing, downloading and email handling. And so far, so good!
If you have
a set of anti-virus, anti-spyware and popup blocker tools that do the trick for
you, let me know here. If you use a PAID tool or service, tell me why you think
it's better.
It is
important to note that there is never one fix for a question.
What may work for one person might not for the next. Depending on the problem
and the way it is described by the Computer Owner there may be Six different
approaches to a positive outcome. If the first answer I give you to your
question doesn’t work let me know and I will send you another.
Just give me details.
Let me know if you need anything else.
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