Hey Guys! Im sure many of you are like me and like to keep up-to-date on the latest software and none the less... the best software for keeping your computer safe and secure to the best of its abilities.

I found this site very helpful and have tested the top 3 on each link that I am about to post. In my opinion any one of these (top 3 ) will serve you the way a security program is meant to.

Spyware: http://anti-spyware-review.toptenreviews.com/

Anti-Virus: http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

FireWall: http://personal-firewall-software-re...enreviews.com/

Also, Many people like to just buy or download a "Suite" feature that comes all in one. Personally I like to do some research and testing and it usually leads me to find that one products firewall is better then the others and vise versa on the other security features. Hope this helps you out

-Steve

TopTenReviews, IMO, should not be taken seriously and I recommend you avoid any recommendations from them altogether. They have a history of biased reporting, recommending products listed on Eric Howe's list Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products, and downright shoddy comparisons.

For past history, see this November 2004 CastleCops article showing how TopTenReviews recommended as their #1 Gold anti-spyware choice a product that was found to install its own spyware!

In the above 2007 Anti-Spyware review, there are several anti-spyware products (fortunately none in the top ten this time) listed on the Rogue List for producing many false positives as a goad to purchases - yet the reviews make no mention of false positives.

Note the 2007 Firewall review includes Sygate Personal Firewall Pro 5.5. Yet Symantec bought and scraped Sygate Personal Firewall nearly two years ago!!! See here. TopTenReviews makes no mention that Sygate is no longer available (try clicking on the buy link in the review).

Look at ZoneAlarmPro. See how it says the maker is ZoneLabs? Not so! CheckPoint bought ZoneLabs almost 4 years ago! (see here).

Note where it takes you if you click buy for ZoneAlarm - does it take you to the maker's site? No, it take you to a partner site - As do the buy links for many of the products listed.

So it is my opinion that if you want truthful, unbiased, current reviews, avoid this site.

A few months ago I trialed SpySweeper and CounterSpy on the recommendation of this site. They were more trouble than they were worth; ditched both of them.
So, yeah, I stand with Digerati on this.

I need to rephrase my comments from above a bit. I am not saying you should automatically avoid the products TTR reviews - on the contrary, many of the products under review are exceptional products and should be considered for inclusion in your arsenal of tools against malware. I use and often recommend many of the products myself.

My comments are meant to be taken against the site, TopTenReviews and not the products under review. The site is untrustworthy, and so what they recommend may or may not be trustworthy. Therefore, since the reader is unable to determine which of their reviews is unbiased or complete, none deserve attention.

Although I appreciate PaulThomas's support, Sunbelt's CounterSpy and Webroot's Spysweeper are both excellent anti-spyware tools. I have tested both and both are very able products and I would have no problem recommending either one.

However, I am not here (in this thread) to recommend one product over another, or to discuss the merits or flaws pf any product. Rather this is about TopTenReviews.

If you scroll down on the above spyware page, you will note it says they have "comprehensive reviews", and state, "We do the research so you don’t have to.™". Then what about the most widely used anti-spyware program in use today, Windows Defender? Or SpyBot Search and Destroy? Or the highly rated SUPERAntispyware? Sure, it is impossible to review all products, but any "comprehensive" review should include the most popular products, and certainly should at least mention Windows Defender.

Their AV review does not include AntiVir or ZoneAlarm AV, for examples. AntiVir has been very popular for years, and ZoneAlarm AV has been getting great reviews.

And where's Comodo Firewall, a rising star in firewalls? Or Sunbelt Personal Firewall, formally called Kerio Personal Firewall?

My advice is to read several reviews, ask the experts here and at other reputable sites, and stick with the major review sites such as:

CNET Reviews*
ZD Review*
PCMag*
PC World

* - Understand the CNet, ZDNet (and Tech Republic) are part of the same company and so many of the reviews are actually the same review. PCMag, part of Ziff Davis Media, and in spite of the name, is no longer part of CNet/ZD network so their reviews can be considered separate.

Note that user reviews as found on sites like SnapFiles, Download.com, or NewEgg are not professional reviews and should not be considered individually. However, if many users have commented, and there is a clear trend, either good or bad, then it is probably safe to use that information in your decision making process. Do not base your decision on one upset user who had problems with a program. If nothing else, the status of his computer is unknown and that alone is enough to invalidate his review.