| Free Online Virus Scanners |
| Housecall | Trend Micro- Free. Will actually clean the infected files. |
| Symantec | Symantec- Free. Scans your restore area too. Provides details and instructions for manual removal only. |
| F-Secure | Scan your computer with the F-Secure's Online Virus Scanner, free. The size of the download package is less than 4 megabytes. |
| Panda | PandaSoft- Free. Panda won't actually remove the infection, just tell you about it. |
| McAfee FreeScan | McAfee- You'll need to create a free account the first time. Checks C: drive only. |
| Trojan Scan | Online site finds known trojan signatures on your PC.
Each of the free external scans above require small, temporary downloads. Be sure to turn off any onboard scanners before visiting the above two links, to avoid conflicts. |
| Free Online Parasite Scanners |
| Dox Desk | Dox Desk's free external scan. Will help identify and remove the annoying Gator/Xupiter/IEPlugin.exe toolbars. |
| Free Online Security Testers |
| Shields Up! | Free external scans, they offer a variety of tools - no downloads required. The Gibson Research Corporation also offer lots to read while performing the scans - a very informative site for beginners learning about their computer's loopholes. Un-Plug n' Pray, DCOMbobulator, Shoot the Messenger, LeakTest |
| PC Pitstop | Free external scans, they offer a variety of tools: Disk Fragmentation Analysis, System Resource Analysis, Device Driver Analysis, CPU Benchmark Test, Video Benchmark Test, Memory Benchmark Test, Detailed System Inventory, Spyware Check, In-Memory Virus Check, Internet Download Performance, Internet Upload Performance, Internet Ping Test, Internet Security Test. Very Informative site, a must read for any computer user. |
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| Free Virus Scanners |
| AVG Free Edition | Free anti-virus program for Windows. This unlimited time, fully active scanner also handles incoming and outgoing email attachments. Auto-updater and some frills not active in the trial version. |
Antidote Super
Lite Version | Freeware version. |
| Anti-vir | Free anti-virus software for Windows. Detects and removes more than 50,000 viruses. Free support. |
| Avast! | Free anti-virus program for Windows 9x/Me, NT/2000/XP. The home edition is free for non-commercial users. |
| FProt | Free anti-virus software for Linux and DOS (personal use). Evaluation version for Windows. |
| HouseCall | Trend Micro HouseCall Browser Plug-In - provides direct access to their FREE on-line scanning services right on your browser. (Netscape 3.01+, Explorer 3.0+) while scanning your drives - provides an external, second opinion. |
| Free Adware/Spyware Removal/Clean Up/Prevention Tools |
| Ad-Aware | Ad-aware is produced by Lavasoft. It is free to download, install and run as long as you'd like. Be sure to update it manually once a week since new definitions are coming up all the time. Ad-Aware is a trusted company which makes the removal of many malicious hidden programs quick and easy. You can create a quarantine anything which you'd like to ensure isn't connected to something vital (Kazaa stops working if the adware is removed - use KazaaLite instead) |
| Spybot - Search & Destroy | Similar to the above and available from CNet this one gets good reviews and may find items the above didn't (and the other way around too). I prefer Ad-Aware for being simple and visual, I keep SS&D for a backup check. |
| HiJackThis | Scans and reports known hijackers, parasites and other unwanted guests. If you've ever had your homepage, default search, connection settings or other tools altered without your say-so, HiJackThis can help get them back. HijackThis Quick Start Guide. Free download from Major Geeks: here. Take your log file to TomCoyote's Forums or Castle Cops (both staffed with trusted, free, volunteer helpers). |
| SpywareBlaster | Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted pests. Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox. Restrict the actions of potentially dangerous sites in Internet Explorer. Free download can help keep your system spyware-free and secure, without interfering with the "good side" of the web. |
| BHO Demon | Another free defender that will help alert you if an unwanted BHO (Browser Helper Object) shows up. Many ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted pests hide themselves as BHOs. |
| RegProtector | Small, free, easy to set up. Just make sure you read over the read-me files and spend a little time figuring out what each item in your systems tray does before you run it, so you will know which ones to shut off for good. Registry Protector 2.0 will tell you whenever important changes are made to the registry, allowing you to remove malicious keys before they settle in. |
| RegSeeker | RegSeeker is a handy tool for managing several popular registry items and searching the registry by keyword. It offers quick access to Startup Entries, Uninstall Information, Color Schemes, History items (URLs, Recent Documents etc) and IE Favorites. The program also includes a registry cleaning feature that finds invalid and unused registry entries, allowing you to delete them. RegSeeker can automatically create a backup before deleting any registry entries. Editing the registry can cause problems - always make backups and research before removing questionable entries. |
| Host Files | Small, free, easy to set up. You can use the HOSTS file to block ads, banners, cookies, web bugs, and even most hijackers. This is accomplished by blocking the Server that supplies these little gems. Speed the loading of web pages by not having to wait for these ads, banners, hit counters, etc. to load, keep web trackers from following you by blocking them. Using HOSTS to block MSN ads. |
| Free Virus Prevention |
| Bootminder | Prevents infection from boot-viruses through floppies. Created by Freebyte. |
| AnalogX | AnalogX Script Defender protects against script viruses (e.g. Visual Basic Script, Java Script). Gives a warning when scripts are executed. |
| VCatch | Free. VCatch will check all the files sent or downloaded to your computer. When VCatch detects a virus it automatically deletes the infected file and notifies you. Works with: Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, Netscape Messenger, Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, ICQ, Napster, iMesh, Gnutella. Automatic update whenever a new virus is discovered. |
| Free Firewall Software |
| Download ZoneAlarm | www.zonelabs.com has a free (for home use) version of its corporate firewalling software. Works on most computers to insure that all your ports are closed (so hackers can't use them against you). Allows you to lock your internet connection while away from keyboard and includes a stealth mode.
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| Sygate Personal | Free for personal use. All kinds of no-nonsense tools.
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| Pop-Up Stoppers |
| Google Toolbar | Available free from Google.com. Prevents pop-ups easily but has added features: Search the web from any site, fill in forms with one click, link a weblog to the page you're visiting, restrict your search to pages located in a specific country, search just within the pages of a site, highlight search terms on a page, customize the layout of your toolbar.
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| No Ads | Free. Comes highly recommended. You may decide which windows to allow. It does not interfere with the reply box here at MSN. Tested with Internet Explorer, Netscape, AOL & Opera.
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