My collection of links to freeware tools everyone should have in thier computer maintenance collection. I’ll try to keep this page updated as links change or die. Have a suggestion for a must-have freeware tool? Let me know.
Anti-Virus
Avast Home Edition My choice for free antivirus is Avast Home Edition. It’s free, maintains itself with updates and doesn’t bog the system down.
Stinger – a standalone quick-scanner is good to have if your machine is disconnected from the internet, or so infected that installing new software is impossible. I’ve never seen Stinger actually find anything, but it’s often-updated, free and it just might be what you need to get your machine under control so you can install other tools.
Spyware Tools
I’ve yet to find one program that does it all. Thus I use a few different programs, usually in sequence. I’m always surprised when one program finds something that another has left behind. Anyway, the selections are: Adaware, Spybot Search and Destroy and a newcomer (to me, at least) Malwarebyte’s Anti-Malware. Adaware is starting to get a bit bloated, but the smart-scan feature is good for catching obvious infections. Spybot takes forever to run, but I like the immunization feature and the tea-timer for IE. Anti-Malware is new (to me), but I used it recently to dig out a particularly bad infestation and it worked great.
Specific tools
Sometimes you need the right tool for the right problem. There have been a few really popular spyware infections going around. If your computer starts acting wonky and the above solutions don’t do it for you, try one of these:
ComboFix – also a multi-infection cleaner, Combofix is a little more severe in it’s tactics and a little more complicated to use. Be sure to read the guide on the download page.
VirtumundoBeGone – Virtumundo is a royal pain in the ass piece of software that goes by many names. The links on this page will walk you through installing the tools needed to rid yourself of this particular pest.
HiJackThis – not an automated tool, HiJackThis requires you to think a little about what you see. Running HiJackThis allows you to see all the internet workings of your Internet Explorer browser and other internet options. You have the option of undoing or deleting any setting you see – so be careful that you don’t remove something you need!
Other Important Links
Please, please, please get rid of Internet Explorer! Use Firefox. The evidence is overwhelming.
Have more than one computer hooked up to the internet? Home network, small business? Take a look at OpenDNS. OpenDNS allows you to specify community-maintained DNS servers (the computers that translate an internet address like 64.233.167.99 into a human readable address like google.com). Not only is it faster than most Internet Provider DNS servers, but you can also create a free account and filter internet traffic allowed on your machine or network. (I personally, filter known Spyware and Phishing sites. But you can be as lenient or secure as you wish.)