The definitive best antivirus/spyware removal thread.
I am starting this thread so people can link to it and find lots of helpful information and links.
Feel free to add your views,Tips and links below.
One of, if not The best bit's of advice i have received in recent times regarding security came from the owner of this site, Tyler.
He advised me and many others to stop using Internet Explorer and start using a browser with less vulnerabilities. The two that seem to be winning the race are Opera and Mozilla Firefox.
I am currently using Firefox as my main browser and it offers many benefits over Internet Explorer. Themes/Extensions/Speed, to name a few. But this thread is about security and that is where Firefox and Opera beat Internet Explorer hands down. Spyware is kept to a minimum thanks to both browsers not supporting ActiveX and VB scripting (what malware use to enter your computers and do damage...). Both browser's come with powerful popup blockers as well.
Combined with some of the security programs listed below, you should be pretty much safe using the internet.
TIPS:
Defragment your hard drive before performing any scans. This will make the scans faster.
If you suspect you are infected with a Trojan, Virus, Malware etc... Disable System Restore (Start/Right click on 'My computer'/ Select 'Properties'/Select 'System Restore'. Turn off system restore). NOTE: You will loose ALL your restore points at this stage!.
Reboot your computer and press f8 repeatedly until you computer boots to the options screen. Select 'Safe' mode. Run your scans from here.
After performing your scans you can re-enable System Restore by reversing the above instructions.
Update any program you install before using for the first time!.
All the programs listed below are free for personal use.
ANTIVIRUS:
AVG7..... This a free antivirus that will keep your system free from viruses as well as check incoming/outgoing emails for viruses. AVG7 can also be set to retrieve free updates via the Grisoft website. AVG7 constantly comes at or near the top of many polls and reviews.
Avast..... Is another free Antivirus program. I have not used it yet but i am reliably informed that it works very well with Windows XP.
Panda Active scan.....This is an excellent on-line virus scanner that can be set to scan single/multiple drives or indeed the whole system.
Housecall..... By Trend Micro is another on-line scanner. Although this scanner can not be set to scan individual drives, it does do a great job of scanning a full system.
McAfee Stinger.....Stinger is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist administrators and users when dealing with an infected system.
FIREWALLS:
Sygate Personal Firewall.....This is a free for personal use firewall. It is very light on system resources and unlike the Windows Firewall it monitors outbound as well as inbound traffic.
Zonealarm.....Although i have not actually used Zonealarm Firewall, it does come highly recommended by lots of people. Not as light on resources as Sygate but non the less an excellent Firewall and best of all it is free.
KeiroPersonal Firewall.....Kerio Personal Firewall is a smart, easy-to-use personal security Firewall that fully protects personal computers against hackers and internal misuse.
SPYWARE PROTECTION:
Spywareblaster.....Will sit in the background monitoring your pc for any spyware that tries to be installed and then stop it. This program is especially good if used in conjunction with Spywareguard. I have used these two programs together now for over a year and very rarely get infected with spyware.
SPYWARE REMOVAL:
Ad-Aware SE..... The now famous spyware removal program will scan your system and remove/quaranteen most spyware.
Spybot search and destroy..... Will pick up any spyware that Ad-Aware misses. It is recommended that you use both these programs in conjunction with each other.
CWShredder..... This a program that is specifically designed to look for any member of the 'CoolWebSearch' family of spyware. These often include search bars and porn dialers. If you suspect you have a dialer or if a search bar suddenly appears on you pc, you should run this program.
HijackThis.....This is a possibly the best program for spyware/adaware. However, it is very hard to understand. Simply run the scan and post your log and we will help you from then on.
Microsoft Software Anti-Spyware (BETA).....Removes any spyware which you may have on your system, and it also prevents it thereafter. Great software, get it while its still in BETA!
Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner 1.12 ..... Incredibly good.
Miscellaneous:
StartDreck.....Allows you to see what process is running on your system.
FreeRAM XP Pro.....This is a freeware application to free and optimize your computer's RAM (random access memory), resulting in an increase in system performance and productivity. Automatically configures itself for ease of use and also features advanced options and customizability. This program should work on all versions of Windows.
Beclean.....BeClean is the complete suite of system cleaner. It has Registry Cleaner, Internet Cleaner, History Cleaner, Temporary Files Cleaner, Disk Cleaner, Desktop Cleaner and Start Menu Cleaner.
RegscrubXP.....Safely cleans junk out of the Windows 2000/XP system registry. All changes made to the registry are fully restorable to it's original condition.
Please note: Once data is removed using these programs it will be impossible to retrieve it!. Use with care.
Ultrawipe.....UltraWipe is a utility that enables complete removal of sensitive data from the hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns while protecting your privacy and recovering disk space at the same time.
Eraser.....Eraser is a secure data removal tool, which allows you to remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it with carefully selected patterns.
Originally Posted by s7p9a2m4