Anti-Virus/Anti-Adware

[DoubleDown]

What do you use?

Anti-virus: Sophos Anti-virus Version 3.90.0
Anti-adware: Ad-Aware SE Personal, Build 1.05

[GrannyMae]

you NEED to add these 2 imho

spybot search and destroy

and

Windows spyware protection

both free

[mcb]

microsoft antispyware. granny's link.

[DoubleDown]

good call -- i actually had this annoying Aurora AdWare junk pop up about 1/2 an hour ago and while reading your post was actually in the middle of running a scan via Windows AntiSpyware (Beta 1) that I came across in another forum

will add the spybot S&D as per your suggestion

not sure where i ended up with this pesky Aurora business from. I'm assuming it was from some torrent I might have d/led. Altho- most torrents I grab are TV shows/movies and I have not encountered spyware in the past.

[blaze666]

spyware doctor is pretty good as well. but spybot s&d is free, and about the same quality. or you could get about 4 different ones, because all the spyware scanners catch different programs, so you need different scanners to catch all of them. i think.

[JAque]

Most of these products are very good ,free and necessary.

Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites by Eric L. Howes will let you know what is legit and what is not.


FREE Spyware, Maleware, ADware scanner/removers and other utilities
AdAware SE
Spybot- Search and Destory
Spybot - Search and Destroy DSO Exploit Fix 1.3.1 TX
a-squared (a²)
Micro$oft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta)
CWShredder
CWShredder (Last Merijn Version) 159.1
HijackThis

FREE AntiVirus Software
AVG AntiVirus
Avast!
AntiVir
Bit Defender Ver.7
FREE Firewall Software


Sygate
Kerio Personal Firewall/ Limited Edition
Zone Alarm
OutPost Firewall 1.0
Tiny Personal Firewall

Security Scans/Port Scanners


ShieldsUp (GRC)
Sygate Online Services (SOS)
Audit My PC

FREE Online AntiVirus/Malware Scanners
HouseCall
Panda ActiveScan
RAV AntiVirus Scan
Bit Defender
Symantec Security Check
TrendMicro-Europe for Firefox

JAque

[BluffTHIS!]

Read PC Magazine's article on rootkits and the associated links showing how hard and cumbersome they are to detect and you won't feel secure even with all those programs.

link

[FishHooks]

What exactly is adware?

[JAque]

" Generically, adware (spelled all lower case) is any software application in which advertising banners are displayed while the program is running. The authors of these applications include additional code that delivers the ads, which can be viewed through pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. The justification for adware is that it helps recover programming development cost and helps to hold down the cost for the user"

JAque

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

This is all you need (coming from a seasoned techy):

ZoneAlarm (free version)
Ad-aware
Spybot
Nod32 (Best antivirus out there, IMO, will cost you though unless you want to acquire it by less-than-legal means)