Top Five Free Antivirus/Antispyware Software

When it comes to protecting their computer from malicious software, many people turn to free security programs instead of paying for one. Although they save you money, free antivirus/antispyware programs do not provide the same level of protection as a paid security program, and you also sacrificing customer support, which is invaluable if your chosen software is unable to remove an infection. On the other hand, of you have multiple computers in your house, it may not be worth putting a paid security program on them, depending what you use each computer for.

Here are the top five free antivirus/antispyware programs that I have seen in my job as a computer technician. Please note that all these programs are for home use only.

Spyware Doctor Starter Edition

Spyware Doctor Starter Edition is the cut down free edition of Spyware Doctor and is good enough that Google included in their Google pack. Google pack is software that is “specifically selected by Google” for internet use.

Spyware Doctor Starter Edition edition’s database isn’t as packed as it’s paid version and it’s heuristic scanner which detects if anything suspicious is running in the background is also limited. Despite it’s limitations, Spyware Doctor Starter Edition is better than some paid antispyware programs available.

Download Spyware Doctor Starter Edition

Avast Antivirus Home Edition

Avast has a popular free antivirus program that works quite well and is light on system resources. Avast Antivirus Home Edition’s biggest problem is it’s poor user interface which makes trying to adjust it’s settings more awkward than it needs to be. You do need to register Avast Free Antivirus before you can use it.

Download Avast Antivirus Home Edition

AVG Antivirus

I’m reluctant to put AVG on this list as I have seen viruses run right past it, but it is the most common free antivirus program I see installed on peoples computers. AVG has the best user interface out of all the free security programs I have seen and it comes with many, though not very good features you would otherwise only find in paid security programs. AVG’s performance various depending on your computer setup. It may run fine on one and bog down another similar computer. Don’t expect AVG Antivirus to be able to protect your computer as well as paid or even other free security programs but it’s better than nothing and it’s large user base mean you will find plenty of unofficial support.

Download AVG Free

Spybot Search and Destroy

Spybot Search and Destroy is a basic antispyware program. While it doesn’t match Spyware Doctor Starter Edition in protecting your computer, Spybot Search and Destroy is very light on system resources. I recommend Spybot Search and Destroy if you an have older computer that might have trouble running some of the other security software. Spybot Search and Destroy provides very basic protection but that’s all you’ll need for an old computer.

Download Spybot Search and Destroy

Windows Defender

Windows Defender is a Microsoft security program that is free if you have a legitimate version of Windows. As it’s made by Microsoft, Windows Defender runs well within Windows XP, although it does have issues with other security programs or programs that needs to access advanced system files. I’d recommend Windows defender to those who only use their computer for Emails, internet and other basic tasks. Please note that Windows Defender is already installed on Windows Vista.

Download Windows Defender

Popularity: 3% [?]

WiniBlueSoft

WiniBlueSoft is just another fake antivirus program that wants nothing more than to scam you out of your money.

I have no idea what the scammers were thinking when they came up with the name “WiniBlueSoft”. Are they trying to get the User mark to thing of Winnie the Pooh whenever they see a WiniBlueSoft fake security alert popup.

“You know, this program is showing all the signs of a type rogue program but darn it, I can’t stop thinking about a beloved children’s character so lets buy it before my nostalgia wears off and I realize I have paid for the honor of being infected.

WiniBlueSoft is known to generate the following popups:

Recommendations… Windows Security Center. Your computer is infected by spyware – threat have been found while scanning your files and registry. It is strongly recommended that you disinfect your PC and activate Realtime protection against future intrusions.
Recommendation: Register the WiniBlueSoft antispyware to clean your computer and prevent new security and privacy attacks. You will be able to downloads database updates and get online protection against Internet attacks.

Spyware object detected! You are recommended to scan the whole system and remove all suspicious objects. Detected threat: Cookie: DoubleClick

Here are the manual for removal instructions for WiniBlueSoft.

Before you start removing it, Click Start > Run: Type MSCONFIG, Click OK, Uncheck “Load Startup Items“, click OK and restart your computer when prompted. This should stop those annoying popups and make life a little easier. Now click Start > Search, in “What do you want to search for?” Click “All files and folders.” Do a search for WiniBlueSoft and delete any folder using this name.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Asus Computer Gives One Long Beep and Three Short Beeps at Startup

I had computer in today that had an interesting problem. The client had brought in an old Asus computer that had data he wanted transferred to a new computer. As soon as I turned it on, I heard one long beep and three short ones. Nothing was showing up on the screen, it was blank and the computer wasn’t even getting passed post. The client had no idea how this was happened as they had been using the computer that very morning.

Checking the Asus documentation, I found beeps indicated a memory error so I replaced RAM but the beeps continued.

As there was no picture being shown on the screen, I wondered if the video card was at fault. There was no on board video, just one plugged into an AGP slot so I removed it and put in a second hand one. Sure enough, the computer booted properly with no beeps. I put the original video card back in and it also booted correctly.

I think that the video card might have become unseated when it was being transferred to where I work and for some reason, the BIOS saw this as a memory error.

So if you own an Asus computer and it gives one long beep and three short ones, it may be the video card, not the RAM.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Password Lock Websites in Internet Explorer

When children and teens access the internet, most experts urge parents to monitor what they are viewing. The problem is you can’t watch them 24/7 so how to you allow them access to websites that you have approved without having to go out and buy some expensive software.

Microsoft have a handy feature in Internet Explorer called Content Adviser. In Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options. Click the Content tab and click enable under Content Adviser.

In the Content Adviser window, click the General tab and click Create Password. Enter the details and click OK. Now every time you visit a web site, you will be asked for a password. When this happens, type it in and click the button that says “Always allow access to this website.” It will be a bit tedious at first but once you have set up your trusted websites, you will only need to enter it when entering a website for the first time and you can be sure your kids can’t access an unapproved website in Internet Explorer without the password.

This is also handy for businesses who only want employers to go to approved sites.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Windows XP Stopping Mainstream Support

Alot of websites are talking about Microsoft ending mainstream support for Windows XP on April 30th 2009.

What does this mean?

On April 14 2009 you will no longer be able to get free live support from Microsoft for Windows XP. How many of you use that? Microsoft will also only release security updates for Windows XP from April 14th as before they released both security updates and bug fixes. This is happening because Windows XP has been succeeded by Windows Vista and Microsoft wants to phase out it’s aging but still widely used operating system.

So what does this mean for those of us that still use Windows XP?

Nothing.

XP is not going to suddenly stop working after April 14 and it’s such a popular operating system that programs and drivers are still going to be written for it so you don’t have to worry about being left with an outdated computer.

You can safely use Windows XP until April 8 2014 when Microsoft retires it. That will be when you will need to look at a new computer or new operating system. In the mean time, continue to sit back and continue use Windows XP. I am.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8 had a somewhat quiet release last week. Rather than post the news on the day, I held back so people would have a weekend to install and post any troubles they had. This usually accompanies a new program release and often makes it worth installing. Internet Explorer 8 is doing much better than Internet Explorer 7 did at the same stage of release so I think that it is safe to download.

If you use internet explorer 7 or under, Internet Explorer 8 is a very important update. It comes with some advanced security features that Firefox users have enjoyed since Firefox 3 was released last year. There is no reason for Firefox users to move to Internet Explorer 8 but it is a very important update for those of you who use Internet Explorer browser. Internet Explorer 8 is free and you can download it here.

Popularity: 2% [?]

FileFix Professional 2009

FileFix Professional 2009 is the beginning of a new trend in fake security programs.

FileFix Professional 2009 will encrypt any document you attempt to open generate the following message:

“Windows detected that some of your MS Office and media files are corrupted. Click here to download and install recommended file repair application”

FileFix Professional 2009 will allow you to fix one file for free and demand you pay $50 per file after that. Sadly even after you remove FileFix Professional 2009, your files are still encrypted. Fortunately, as more people are getting hit by FileFix Professional 2009, more solutions are popping up. If you are unable to access your documents due to FileFix Professional 2009, visit FileFix File Decrypter who will decrypt your files for free.

Unfortunately their aren’t any instructions to manually remove FileFix Professional 2009. Your best bet is to find and delete any folder named “FileFix Professional 2009 ” however that wont completely remove the infection. For now, only running a program like Spyware Doctor will completely remove FileFix Professional 2009 and the Trojan that gave it to you from your computer.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed Under: Damn Headline, Damn Scams, PC Tips · Tagged: Desktop PC, Fake Antispyware, fake security alerts, FileFix Professional 2009, Fix FileFix Professional 2009 files, free antivirus scan, removal instructions, remove, scam, Trojan, Windows

Recovering Files From a Badly Infected Computer

Posted March 19, 2009 

Here’s the sad truth. If you don’t have a decent antivirus/antispyware program running, your computer is going to get infected and it may come to the point where the infection is too hard to remove and your operating system is beyond repair.

If you are reinstalling the operating system, either from a Windows CD or a factory image, you are going to loose the infection. You are also going to lose all your photo’s, music etc. So you do get your data without bringing the infection along with it?
Read more

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed Under: PC Tips · Tagged: Conficker, Outlook, Outlook Express, VistaPE, Windows

Renewing Antivirus and Anti-Spyware Software

Posted March 15, 2009 

Over the weekend, one of my neighbors called me over to help update his Norton 360. His subscription had expired so he had gone to the store and brought the program again.

Doing this was unnecessary as Norton 360 had a renewal process that he could have done online at a fraction of the cost.

Most antivirus/anti-spyware programs have a renewal option as they want to keep their existing clients. This means that you will most likely have a discount when you renew your subscription online so unless your rolling in money this recession, renew your antivirus/anti-spyware program. What ever program you are using will have all the details.

On the subject of renewing, do not use any program that automatically renews your subscription by deducting the amount out of your bank account. While this is a legitimate practice by some antivirus/anti-spyware programs, you should use the end of your subscription period to reflect on whenever whatever you are using is meeting your expectations and make your decision that way. Don’t let the company the decision for you.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed Under: PC Tips · Tagged: Norton 360, renew Anti-Spyware, Renew Antivirus

Common Problems when Manually Removing Fake Security Software

Posted March 4, 2009 

On Damn Trojan and at work, I have found that a lot of people out there use manual removal instructions to remove rogue security software (Scareware) from their computer. Using a paid antivirus/antispyware program is easier and more reliable as manually removing infections by hand but it can be tricky. For those of you insist on taking the long road, here are the most common problems I see when people attempt this.

I’ve got a list of files to delete but Windows won’t let me delete them.

That’s because you are currently running the Scareware and Windows won’t let you delete files that are already in use. Boot into Safe Mode (Hold F8 at start up, when the menu appears select “Safe Mode”) This will prevent any programs automatically loading other than those that Windows needs to run. Delete your files from there and when you are done, just reboot normally.

How am I supposed to delete this program with it generating popups every 20 Seconds?

Once again, if you are manually removing the files, you can use Safe Mode to make things easier. Some technicians advise using MSCONFIG to stop Scareware from running. I find this unnecessary as you can remove files in Safe Mode and when you restart your computer you can see if it is still running and if there is anything else you have to remove.

Rogue Program X wont let me boot into Windows. I can’t do anything.

This is a very nasty tactic that some rogue software uses. What makes it worse at that it even launches in Safe Mode, making your computer unusable. Fortunately not many Scareware programs do this as it defeats the purpose of the scam. How are you going to purchase the fake software when you can’t even get into Windows?

When I get infections like this I use a free program called VistaPE. Basically you are putting an operating system on CD that your computer can boot off. You can then view your hard drive and delete the files that way. As you are running off a CD, there is no way the infection can mess with the disk.

Follow this tutorial to make a VistaPE disk. Don’t worry about the advanced stuff. All you want to do is to be able to do view and edit the contents of your hard drive. Once your disk is made, you may need to edit the boot order in your bios to make the CD/DVD drive the first boot device. Your computer manual will show you how to do this.

I’ve deleted all the files but that Damn Scareware always comes back.

Scareware does have a habit of reappearing when you have think you have killed it, just like a horror movie monster sequel. This is happening because your Scareware was put there by a Trojan and it’s seeing that you don’t have Scareware on your computer, but it will happily provide you with one. Even if the Scareware you were infected with doesn’t reappear, you will most likely have a Trojan running in the background. 90% of computers I see with Scareware infections have a Trojan installed.

Trojans want to remain hidden so even if you suspect there is one on there, you won’t know which one it is. The best way to find out is to download and run a legitimate trial antivirus/antispyware program like Spyware Doctor and see what it finds. If you really want to, you can see if there are manual removal instructions for your Trojan once you know it’s name it’s but I hope that by that stage you purchase the software to remove it for you and any other nasty files it finds)

Please note most security software trial versions don’t allow you to install updates so you may be running a Trojan that is not in the default data base.

That’s all the tips I have at the moment, if I find any more I’ll update the article. If you have some tips or questions, leave a comment.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed Under: PC Tips · Tagged: Desktop PC, Fake Antispyware, fake security alerts, free antivirus scan, removal instructions, remove, Trojan, Windows

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