Recommended Software
Firewalls:
#1 Recommendation: Comodo Firewall Pro
We highly recommend this firewall product from Comodo. It is easy to set up and administer, it has a manageable number of pop-up security warnings, and it has gotten rave reviews from security researchers. Plus is it completely free for home and business use, and they plan to keep it that way. Comodo Firewall Pro is a competent product. Find it at Comodo.com
Comodo is a major supplier for digital security certificates. They know security. And they now provide a great line of security software for individual users. In addition to the firewall, they also have an excellent anti-virus application and a full fledged security suite..
P.S. If you don’t use a firewall, your computer is a train wreck waiting to happen.
If you already have antivirus, a good software firewall is ZoneAlarm free version. It is a little hard to find on Zone Alarm’s web site, so we recommend downloading it form a third party like CNET:
http://download.cnet.com/ZoneAlarm-Free-Firewall/3000-10435_4-10039884.html
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Anti-virus and Anti-Malware tools:
Please Note: To be effective, any antivirus program must be updated regularly (preferably every day) Fortunately most of them do this automatically.
The following antivirus tools are free for personal use:
Microsoft Security Essentials: one of the best for an older PC with limited performance.
http://download.cnet.com/Microsoft-Security-Essentials/3000-2239_4-10969260.html?tag=api
Comodo Internet Security suite -
A competent, all-in-one tool. http://www.comodo.com
AVG Antivirus – Offers good real time protection from file viruses, including email. http://free.grisoft.com.
Bit Defender Free Edition - Bit Defender offers a free version for personal use. It is useful as a “second opinion” antivirus program. It does not offer real time protection nor email protection. BitDefender Free Edition
Avast Home Edition. Avast Home Edition is a full featured antivirus program that is for for home, non-profit use. It includes real-time protection and email protection. Avast! Home
MalwareBytes Anti-Malware – freeware version. When you really need strong medicine, we highly recommend this product. It can be downloaded from http://www.malwarebytes.org/ A good way to get rid of infections.
SUPERAntiSpyware – freeware version. Another competent product, also highly recommended. http://www.superantispyware.com/
A great tool for keeping your system patched and up-to-date has been provided by Secunia. Called Secunia PSI, it is available in both online and installed verions. Get it at http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/
Spybot Search and Destroy
Spybot was one of the first good anti-spyware programs, and while it can still be a useful tool, it now seems to duplicate many of the functions of the latest browsers and security suites. This duplication may lead to significant performance problems, and although we have found ways to get around these problems, we hesitate to recommend it for general consumption. (note: many of the security suites duplicate some funtions found in browsers, such as Internet Explorer’s Smartscreen Filter.)
Spyware Blaster
Spyware blaster specializes in preventing malicious active-x controls from running on your system by immunizing your system against them. It will protect you from over 3000 of these threats. The developer of Spybot strongly recommends also using Spyware Blaster. So do we.
Spyware Blaster
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Online Scanning Tools:
Online scanning tools provide a good double check and backup and second opinion, and are highly recommended.
Trend Housecall:
http://www.trendmicro.com/hc_intro/default.asp
(please note: Trend Housecall is no longer free. After a brief trial period you will have to pay to have any of the problems that it discovers, removed. Too bad, it was a great tool for a second opinion and removal.)
BitDefender Online Scanner:
http://www.bitdefender.com/
F-Secure Online Scanner
http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml
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A great tool for keeping your system patched and up-to-date has been provided by Secunia. Called Secunia PSI, it is available in both online and installed verions. Get it at http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/
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Form Filling and Password Tools:
RoboForm is a password manager and one-click web form filler with some serious Artificial Intelligence inside. What it can do:
• Save password info from login form.
• Auto fill password info to login form.
• Automatic login to online accounts.
• Fill long online forms from Identities.
• Save “offline passwords” to Safenotes.
• Generate Secure Random Passwords.
• Encrypt passwords using 3-DES.
• Put passwords on USB KeyChain for extra portability.
• Backup & Restore, Print passwords.
• More features: drill down for more.
This is a great tool for automatically remembering and filling in all those online forms and user names and passwords (and keeping them secure). Very cool, and top rated by many trusted reviewers. There is a free version that saves up to 10 passwords, or an unlimited pro version.
Click HERE to download and try for free.
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Browsers:
Firefox is a good alternative to Internet Explorer. Ever increasing in popularity. With the right combination of Add-ons, Firefox can be pretty well locked down. Get Firefox
Opera is another good alternative to Internet Explorer. Opera.com
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Spell Checker:
ieSpell is a good, free Spell checker for form text boxes Find it Here
(only works in IE and related browsers)
Ever wish you could spell check all your submissions in blog comment boxes, forums and any text boxes in your browser? Well, we really like this little utility. It puts a spell checking function on the right mouse button. It only functions in those text boxes, but what it does, it does very well. It is really free, no expiration, not nags. All it takes is: right click > Check Spelling.
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Free Un-Zip Utilities:
Note: Windows XP and Vista and Windows 7 have built in Zip decompression, so this is not really required. Whatever you do, do not buy an unzipping utility. For the average person, they are a waste of money.
Our present favorite free alternative utility is Quick Zip. We like it’s integration in the right-click menu, with an option to un-zip into a new folder, so you don’t have to go somewhere else to find your files. Quick Zip can be found at http://www.quickzip.org/
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Free Undelete Utilities:
Have you ever accidentally deleted a data file or folder? There are those who have and those who will.
We recommend Recuva, whick is by the makers of CCleaner. It can be found at http://www.piriform.com/recuva
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Updated 11/11/2011
