We live in a computer world today. Practically everything uses a computer, because of this there is a strong force of bad programs out there. Spyware, trying to steal your information. Adware, trying to sell you something. Malware, trying to trick you into thinking you have a virus and selling you anti virus software, and Viruses, also trying to get you to buy their antivirus software. The good news is that most of these programs are built around making money so they wont actually destroy your files. They may hide them and make your computer unusable, but you can get them back.
I have been working on computers for 10 years and I have compiled my own list of free programs that I like to use to rid my computer and my clients computers of viruses. These programs are easy to use and they are incredibly effective when used together.
The first program on my list is “Threatfire free edition” by PC tools. This is a tiny little program that runs in the background and monitors for threat-like actions. It does not actually scan for files [it can, but it is way better at detecting actions] because it detects the action itself, it can protect against zero-day threats. This means that the very first day a virus is released, this program can and will block it.
The next program is also by PC tools and it is called “Spyware doctor starter edition”. Google used to distribute this in their “google pack” and that is no longer supported so you may have some trouble finding it by the time you read this, but it is out there and it is amazing, just make sure you download “starter edition” and not the regular free one. This program is great for finding and destroying just about anything bad that has made it past Threatfire. There is a paid version of this that I would highly recommend as the money goes to support PC Tools so they can keep writing awesome programs. You don’t have to get the paid program, but it’s only $30 one time, no subscription fees or anything. Not to mention it goes to a good cause, keeping unwanted programs off your computer.
If you want to be ultra safe or your computer still has a virus after running Spyware doctor scans I have a few more programs for you:
Spybot search and destroy. [When installing, uncheck the “tea timer” box or you will go crazy with security prompts it will ask.]
Malwarebytes [This one takes a long time to run, but does a pretty good job. Run it before you go to bed.]
Avg Free [This one does an alright job but won’t catch everything.]
ccleaner [You can delete virus infected registry files with this program which is awesome!]
and combofix [This is a very powerful program that you use after you know you got a virus, install it directly on your C: drive and run it from safe mode.]
If you have all of these programs installed, your computer will run slower than if you had a virus. I would recommend installing them, running them, then uninstalling them for best performance. I would recommend having Threatfire and Spyware doctor installed with Threatfire running at all times.
DISCLAIMER: I don’t work for, get paid from, or have any affiliation with any of these programs or the companies that own them. I used to work for a computer repair shop that used only free programs to fix computers and it made me so mad that the owner charged $100 to do it. So now I am writing this article for the world to see, for free.
