by Dr. David

Created on: February 23, 2010

                 No one likes to use a computer that is slow, has tons of pop ups, and is unable to do simple tasks. Viruses, worms and trojans are classified as types of malware that cause all these problems. I could go on and on about what these things do and how they work, but that is irrelevant for the purpose of this article. The purpose of this article is how to prevent and eliminate potential malware and fortunately, many people have created programs to do those things.

            There are plenty of programs you can download for hundreds of dollars in order to keep your computer malware free, but there are also many freeware programs out there that do the same job as the costly programs, if not better! Here is a list of a few that I think are essential for all computers:

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

Available to download at: http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is simple to use and very effective malware detector and remover. It has been rated very highly by cnet and other reviewing sites. From personal experience this is better than every other anti-malware detector I have tried, and I have tried more than I can remember.

 AVG Anti-Virus

Available to download at: http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

AVG is another good malware detector; however, it also does many things other scanners don’t do. AVG provides protection similar to Norton Anti Virus without the 50 dollar price tag.

Sandboxie

Available to download at: http://www.sandboxie.com/ .

Sandboxie allows you to run programs at a different place in the memory so that the program doesn’t overwrite and other programs. It allows for safe web-browsing as it traps all malware so that it can be removed easily. It also allows for increased privacy and secure e-mail. Learn more at the website.

Among other things, malware can steal personal information which leads to the fastest growing crime in the world: identity theft. It is very important to keep your computer clean and the programs I’ve listed above will definitely help you keep your computer clean. Keep your eyes open because there’s new malware along with new programs designed to fight the malware being made everyday. Also be sure to frequently update these programs in order to insure optimal protection. Enjoy browsing malware free.

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