Here are several free software programs that we have used and recommend for removing those
unwanted ads, cookies, pop-ups, spam, spyware and viruses. Most of them if not free are shareware or inexpensive.
With the ability to scan your RAM, registry, hard drives, and external storage devices for known data-mining,
advertising, and tracking components, Ad-aware SE easily can clean your system, allowing you to maintain a higher degree of
privacy while you surf the Web.
AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home
users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing
the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free
is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).
Take the power of Google with you anywhere on the web. The Google Toolbar enables you to search the web
from any site, block unwanted pop-up ads, fill in forms with just one click, search within the pages of any site and highlight
the words you searched for on a page. The Google Toolbar is free and installs in just seconds. Get one click closer to the
information you want to find.
Norton AntiVirus 2005 automatically keeps virus definitions updated to provide continuous Internet and e-mail
protection. It combines virus-detection capabilities with updating and scanning technologies to make it easy for users to
secure their systems against malicious code. Norton AntiVirus also is an integral component of Symantec Norton SystemWorks
2005 suite. 15 day free trial, $49,95 to buy.
SpamBayes will attempt to classify incoming email messages as 'spam', 'ham' (good, non-spam email) or 'unsure'.
This means you can have spam or unsure messages automatically filed away in a different mail folder, where it won't interrupt
your email reading.
Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer.
Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer
with other users. Modules chosen for removal can be sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete elimination
from your system. For advanced users, it allows you to fix registry inconsistencies related to adware and to malicious program
installations. The handy online-update feature ensures that Spybot always has the most current and complete listings of adware,
dialers, and other uninvited system residents.
An effective and easy-to-use firewall program, ZoneAlarm does a great job of keeping your PC safe from a
variety of threats. ZoneAlarm makes configuring a firewall, which sounds like a daunting task to the majority of computer
users, incredibly easy with a wizard.
