Free Anti-virus Programs Worth Their Weight In Gold

Who doesn't like something for free? That's a rhetorical question. We all like freebies. Especially when they are great freebies.

There are a plethora of free anti-virus programs available, but knowing which to use and which to stay away from, is difficult. Many sites claim to provide free anti-virus software, but in actuality are malware programs themselves. How do you know who to trust and who to protect against? There is no easy way to find this out. You have to find someone you know and trust to give you the heads up.

Finding the right software for you, can be difficult, but I have two names for you. There are two names that provide antivirus software worth more than their weight in gold. It's important to have the name of two of the most trusted programs around when struggling to remove a virus or malware from your computer.

The First name is Microsoft. Your thinking, "Oh, no you didn't!". And I am saying "Yes, I did."
Microsoft Security Essentials, released in late 2009, is free and easy. Lightweight enough to run on older machines without paralyzing their performance. It's adept enough to handle most viruses and malware in the wild today.
Probably the best part of MSE is how simple it is to use. The user interface is really clear, with large buttons for the most basic functions. Very nice for someone who is not computer-savvy. There’s no professional version you can upgrade to. It’s even allowed for use in business situations. So, one size can fit all.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials.

The second is Malwarebytes. The malware software that bytes back. No matter what your default anti-virus, you need Malwarebytes too. It doesn’t run in your system background and constantly protect you, so you will need to run it manually when you run into a problem.
The interface is simple for beginners and robust enough for pros. Malwarebytes will usually take care of what other programs can’t. I have personally saved more than a few computers by running Malwarebytes. I keep this one on my flash drive, so I am ready to go, when I need to fix a computer. It's also free and easy to use.

Download Malwarebytes.


Obviously there are other programs out there. Others may argue that something may be better than what I have recommended here. I'm not going to argue. I'm just going to say, here are two great programs for getting rid of virus and malware that are worth their weight in gold, and not just because they don't weigh anything!
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Does My Computer Have The Flu and How Do I Treat It?

I don't know, does your computer have virus symptoms? Use this information to diagnose and prevent infection of your own computer. Or, you could ask using "please".  :?)

Common malware infection symptoms may include:

• Your computer seems significantly slow.
• Home page in web browser changed automatically.
• Strange problems within Windows – things just don’t seem to work normal.
• Unknown icons on your desktop.
• Excessive pop-up activity.
• Unusual messages that display warnings on your screen and prompt you to immediately purchase random software to clean-up the problems.
• The connection lights on your high speed modem blink excessively, even though your not using the internet.
• Common items such as the start button, mouse pointer, desktop icons, etc disappear from the screen. 

Preventative steps include:

• Install a proven security software suite.  When shopping for security software make sure that it includes firewall protection.
• Run a complete virus scan on the computer weekly.  This operation is performed through your security software, many of which also offer the ability to schedule automatic scanning.
• Make sure that the virus definitions for your security software are up to date.  Most security software is setup to automatically update the definitions, but some require user initiation of updates.
• Be sure to renew your security software subscriptions.  If you purchased your security software, the subscription is typically valid for one year, at which time the subscription must be renewed, or the software will fail to work properly, thus leaving your computer system vulnerable to malware attacks.
• Run Windows Updates. This can be setup to happen automatically or manually. Either option is the user’s choice, but the updates need to be downloaded and installed. These updates can close the door to many potential threats to your computer’s operating system and programs.
• Be careful and cautious with Internet use. Clicking on every “free” offer that is available will put you at risk for malware infections. Freeware software not only gives you “free” use of the software, but can also initiate “free” excessive pop-ups and other malicious activity that the user is commonly unaware of. It is always good practice to purchase needed software from a trusted vendor.
• Caution should also be practiced when opening email. Only open email or except attachments from trusted sources, and delete any items that you are unsure about.

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