You need an anti-virus program on
your computer. Remember, you are doing this for the good
of everyone you know, and everyone they know, not just for you. Several A/V
companies feel so strongly about this that they offer a free
version of their programs. Take a look:
The Free AV's listed have all been tested and work well depending on your needs and operating system compatibility.
Avira AntiVir Personal Anti-Virus for Home Users
My Free Antivirus - Vista Compatible
Comodo Firewall and Anti-virus Award winning; in many Top 3 lists.
Free firewalls, another necessity to help keep you and your pc safe. Windows firewall is not enough preotection.
Important Firewall Installation Tips Before installing personal firewall software on a Windows XP computer, be sure that the firewall built into Windows XP is turned off. It may be turned back on to run side by side with the Firewall you choose, but never run more than one firewall at a time (with the exclusion of Windows own).
Online Armor Free Edition has a built-in host instrusion prevention system. It also has a limited form of keylogger detection and includes protection against script/worm attacks. In addition, it features self-protection against tampering and termination attempts by malware. Performed well in independent leak tests.
Comodo Firewall and Antivirus Award winning -in many top 3 lists.
PC Tools Firewall Plus FREE advanced technology designed especially for all people, not just experts. Intelligent automatic protection without all the questions.
ZoneAlarm Free Personal Firewall. A long-time favorite of many.
By PC ToolsThreatfire Can be used conflict-free alongside existing antivirus and security solutions. Free for home/non-commercial use. Behavior-based protection guards against unknown threats, intuitive interface suitable for novice to expert users. Out-of-the-box protection pre-configured for optimum protection. Reviews
Free Security tests
Norton Free Security and Virus scan; works only with Internet Explorer.
Audit my PC Security tests for your Computer.
Panda Security Advance Scan 2.0
TrendMicro Housecall Free Computer Scan for Trojans, Virus and Worms as well as firewall security.
Free PC Audit is a freeware system, hardware and software information tool. It extracts details of all components of the PC, shows installed software with version and product key. Free PC Audit does not require installation and can be used as a portable application. It can be run from a removable storage device such as a CD-ROM drive, USB flash drive, flash card. This professional tool is designed to collect and present the maximum amount of information possible about computer's hardware and software which makes them suitable for users searching for driver updates, computer manufacturers, system integrators and technical experts as well.
Malware, Spyware, Adware, Trojans, Worms, Anti-Rootkit, Script Removers
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a surprisingly effective freeware anti-malware tool. Real-time protection is restricted to the paid version, as is the scheduler for updates and scans. Overall, though, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a responsive malware remover that does what it should with a minimum of fuss.
SuperAntiSpyware will remove spyware, adware, rootkits, and a host of other despicable files from your computer.
SpyBot Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies.
SophosAnti-Rootkit 1.3.1 scans, detects and removes any rootkit that is hidden on your computer using advanced rootkit detection technology.
What is a root kit and why do I need to get rid of it? Wikipedia gives this definition: "A rootkit is malware which consists of a program (or combination of several programs) designed to hide or obscure the fact that a system has been compromised. Contrary to what its name may imply, a rootkit does not grant a user administrator access as it requires such access to execute and tamper with system files and processes. In other words, administrator access must already be obtained. An attacker may use a rootkit to replace vital system executables which may then be used to hide processes and files the attacker has installed along with the presence of the rootkit itself."
Technical Forums for Computer Fixes and Spyware information and "How to stay Safe"
The folks at these forums will help you after you have followed their instructions which may include downloading two or three recommended programs for cleaning things up and creating a log for them to see where the problem is. HOWEVER. Please Read what to do before you ask for help in any of the forums. Some of these may inlcude "Hijack this" "CCleaner" and a couple more that they particularly like to work with. These sites are safe and extremely helpful and have saved many a computer user a lot of repair bills and saved many a headache—and then taught the user how to stay safe. But you must read what they expect first and follow the directions.
Use our list or research your own, but make sure you do research, if you don't know others who have used these forums, verify their authenticity before asking for help.
Bleeping Computers Forum can help fix your computer and tell you how to protect it before you have problems.
Spyware Info Forum can help fix your computer and tell you how to protect it before you have problems.
MalwareBytes Org Forum can help fix your computer and tell you how to protect it before you have problems.
Wilders Security can help fix your computer and tell you how to protect it before you have problems.
How to GEEK Want to know how something works or why a process is running or how to disable it? Ask the How to GEEK!
Vital Security Org This is a blog-style information site that is extremely informative about what is happening in the security world for computers.
Spyware Warrior Forum Help with Spyware, Hijacking & Other Internet Nuisances
Rogue Anti-Spyware This site has not been updated in a while but it is still a very valuable resource in identifying to what lengths these spyware, adware and malware companies have gone without concern for anyone. They also still have lists that indicate some of the companies that have been honest and above board from day one. Use them. We do.
Fix it Software for your PC
StartEd Lite is a tool that helps you to control your Windows startup process. It recognizes startup programs which are either obsolete or memory hogs. You can safely disable such items in order to increase your computer's performance. StartEd Lite detects also more than 150 Trojan Horses, the most destructive and dangerous species of computer viruses.
AML Free Registry Cleaner will safely clean and repair Windows Registry problems with a few clicks and enable you to enjoy a cleaner and more efficient PC.
Hijack This is a small program that is run to create a log that can be used to help identify items that should not be on your computer or in your registry. Extremely useful in detecting, worms, viruses,trojans etc that you can then submit to any of the GEEK forums for computer help.
CCleaner Another cleaning program for your PC that will be recommended to run before asking for help in the Geek Forums.
UNINSTALLERS
Revo Uninstaller helps you to remove any unwanted application installed on your computer. With its advanced and fast algorithm to scan before and after uninstall you can remove unnecessary files, folders and registry keys left in your computer after you have uninstall an application with its built-in uninstaller. From Major Geeks: "With its unique "Hunter mode" it offers you some simple, easy to use but effective and powerful approaches to manage (uninstall, stop, delete, disable from autostarting) and to get information about your installed and/or running applications."
Uninstaller-ONE FREE FIX Having trouble uninstalling a program? Do you have programs that you cannot get rid of from your PC? Is your computer become slower and slower? Did you often receive unexpected errors? They can be fixed!
UNDELETE - FREE Data Recovery Programs
Eraser is an advanced security tool that allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns. Works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Windows 2003 Server and DOS.
From Major Geeks
Data Recovery is freeware and written by TOKIWA to undelete accidentally deleted files even from recycle bin. DataRecovery doesn't assure that all files deleted can be recovered successfully—it mostly depends on your system/configuration.
In case of accidental deletion of files on a NTFS file system (used by default in Windows XP, 2000 and NT) FreeUndelete is the utility to help.
Avira UnErase recovers data that has been deleted from the hard drive either accidentally or as a result of a virus infection, an uninstaller or defective software.
DiskDigger is a utility for recovering deleted or formatted files from any storage media connected to your computer, including all types of memory cards, USB drives and internal or external hard drives. Works on Vista 32 and 64 bit
Restoration is an easy to use and straightforward tool to undelete files that were removed from the recycle bin or directly deleted from within Windows, and we were also able to recover photos from a Flash card that had been formatted.
