Ty's Tech Blog

With all of the spyware, malware, Trojan horses, viruses, etc. it is a constant struggle to keep your computer protected and running efficiently. However, because of good Samaritans and some for-profit companies, software is available to help us stay protected from these daily threats.

There are literally HUNDREDS of programs available that claim to fight off the demons of e-mail and keep your computer running like the day you bought it. The problem is, only a very small percentage of these programs actually do what they say and some of them are even viruses themselves!!!! So I thought I would share with you my favorite programs for helping keeping my computer running smoothly.

Anti-Virus Protection
I have always been a fan of Norton Anti-Virus, but I have avoided the “SystemWorks” version. Their all-in-one packages seem to cause more problems because out of the box they are OVERLY sensitive to potential threats, therefore slowing you and your machine down. So if you are going to spend money on an anti-virus program, stay with the basic Norton Anti-Virus software. Pricing for this software is around $40.

If you don’t want to spend money on anti-virus software, there are two programs out there that are FREE and do a pretty good job of protecting your machine.

Avast AntiVirus – Home Edition (Click Here to Download Avast AntiVirus) is one of the best free software packages out there. The other is AVG AntiVirus (Click Here to Download AVG AntiVirus). There is NO excuse to not have an anti-virus software package on your machine. I have given you two options that cost you NOTHING to download and install. But with ANY anti-virus program, make sure it is set up to automatically update. Your software is worthless if it isn’t kept up-to-date.

Spyware/Malware Protection
It is always a good idea to occasionally run spyware searches on your computer to clean up any potential problems on your machine. I use three programs to efficiently clean my machine and all of them have FREE versions that work just fine.
MalwareBytes (Click Here to Download MalwareBytes)
SpyBot-S&D (Click Here to Download SpyBot – S&D)
AdAware (Click Here to Download AdAware)

Each of these programs searches for potentially damaging viruses and spyware, but if you run all three, you are likely to catch everything that is on your computer. Again, make sure you update your software before you run the software.

Clean-Up Software
I use two programs to clean up my computer. I run these FREE programs about every month.
ATF Cleaner (Click Here to Download ATF Cleaner)
Ccleaner (Click Here to Download Ccleaner) NOTE: THIS PROGRAM IS PRETTY INTENSE AND CAN CAUSE SOME PROBLEMS IF YOU AREN’T CAREFUL. SO IF YOU RUN THIS PROGRAM, PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL. MY BEST ADVICE, WHEN IN DOUBT, DO NOT TAKE ACTION ON AN ITEM.

So there you have it. These are my weapons of defense for keeping my machine clean and lean. The best part is that almost all of these programs are completely free. Sure, you can pay for the upgrades, but as long as you run them on a consistent basis, I honestly don’t see a need to pay the money. So download, one of these programs, or download them all, and I bet you will improve the performance and security of your computer.