Security Software

Keep your system safe.
Some free some shareware.

Now a couple of thoughts.
Many colleges and universities are providing a list of approved "anti virus" software, firewall programs, etc.
others are requiring the students to use and download from the school that they are attending.
For those that are picky or prefer one system over another perhaps a comparative might be in order.
Below are listed a couple of comparative sites that test and compare AV software.
By going to those sites you should gather enough information to make your choice. Or choke at stories you hear from others.
There is no guarantee that you will never get a virus, or get something blocked that is actually good.
You will be still safer than if you left your system unprotected.
Those listed are respectable companies. Those not listed may be good, possibly
are repackaged and / or sold under a different name.
AV-Comparatives.org - "On this site you will find independent comparatives of Anti-Virus software. All products listed in our comparatives are already a selection of some very good anti-virus products. In order to get included in our main tests, vendors must fulfill various conditions and minimum requirements."
"West Coast Labs is one of the world's leading independent test facilities providing a range of technical services for testing a range of technologies including UTM, Malware - including Anti-Virus, Trojan, Worms, Exploits and Spyware - Spam, URL, Web and Email Filtering, Firewall, VPN, IDS, IPS and IPD."
‘"Virus Bulletin's comparative tests allow the security industry to constantly be on guard in providing us with the best in technology. It is a top priority to receive a VB100 award. This award keeps the vendors honest and their products top notch.’
ICSA Labs has provided vendor-neutral testing and certification for hundreds of security products and solutions for many of the world's top security product developers and service providers

Anti Virus Software

Ad-Aware Plus - Anniversary Edition
Real-time protection against spyware, trojans,
rootkits, hijackers, keyloggers, and more!

Find out how web sites are watching you.
Ghostery alerts you about the web bugs, ad networks and widgets on every page on the web.
Web bugs are hidden scripts that track your behavior and are used by the sites you visit to understand their own audience.

NoScript
provides extra protection for your Mozilla/Firefox or Flock browser: this extension allows JavaScript and Java execution only for trusted domains of your choice (e.g. your home-banking web site).

Spybot-S'&'D, (Search and Destroy)

SpywareBlaster
SpywareBlaster can help keep your system spyware-free and secure,
without interfering with the "good side" of the web
SpywareBlaster works on Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, or Vista.

Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus more information"

Spyware Terminator, winner of many awards and high ratings from industry experts and users. Its free comprehensive protection is comparable to competitors' paid versions!

Double Anti-Spy Professional

Twister Anti-TrojanVirus V7 R3 2nd Edition Released ! 90 Days Free !!
Twister Anti-TrojanVirus is a powerful and easy-to-use anti-trojan, anti-virus, anti-rootkit, and anti-spyware software. It provides realtime protection against trojans, spyware, viruses, hackers, adware and other harmware threats.

Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.
System Requirements for Windows Defender

HijackThis : A general homepage hijackers detector and remover. Initially based on the article Hijacked!, but expanded with almost a dozen other checks against hijacker tricks. It is continually updated to detect and remove new hijacks. It does not target specific programs/URLs, just the methods used by hijackers to force you onto their sites. As a result, false positives are imminent and unless you are sure what you're doing, you should always consult with knowledgable folks (e.g. the forums) before deleting anything.

TrojanHunter searches for and removes trojans from your system.
An easy-to-use Scanner and a Guard that scans in the background
TrojanHunter is a must-have complement to your virus scanner.

Mac products
ProtectMac Limited
ProtectMac AntiVirus has been designed to go hand-in-hand with Mac OS X.
Free 30-Day trial.

MacScan gives you the peace of mind and security needed to conduct your day-to-day personal business. MacScan, your own 24/7 personal security guard...in today's open web society... can you afford to be without MacScan?

Other utilities web sites I had book marked as interesting.

LinkExtend provides meta-site-ratings for computer safety, child safety, company ethics, and popularity. Safety results come from eight online services giving you a safer browsing experience. Site links, titles, files and reviews are also included.

NT Registry Optimizer
and
The Emergency Recovery Utility NT

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool.
It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows
to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space.

Hard Drive Data Recovery Software '&' Services
File Scavenger® Version 3
is a file "undelete" and data recovery utility for
Windows XP®, Windows Server 2003®, Windows 2000® or Windows NT®.
File Scavenger® can recover files that have been accidentally deleted (including files removed from the Recycle Bin, in a DOS window, from a network drive, from Windows Explorer with the SHIFT key held down) provided that recovery is attempted before the files are permanently overwritten by new data.

EndItAll
lets you terminate all non-essential programs for the purpose of installing new software,
running finicky games, or writing to CD-Rs that need a big buffer.
The essential system programs Explorer and Systray cannot be terminated.
EndItAll's main window presents a list of running processes.
You can protect any process in the list from termination

Commercial but free download.
Privacy Eraser is an Internet Eraser that protects your Internet privacy by cleaning up all the tracks of your Internet and computer activities.
Supports popular web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, AOL, Netscape, Opera, and MSN Explorer.

Total Privacy 5 makes use of the most advanced washing and shredding methods available today to make sure that your own private business and computer use remains exactly that - private.

For Firefox BetterPrivacy is a Super Cookie Safeguard which protects from usually not deletable LSO's. It blocks longterm tracking on Google, YouTube Ebay and many other domains.
Note can mess up log in info and trial limits on shareware if not excluded.

Eusing Free Registry Cleaner
is a free registry repair software that allows you to safely clean and repair registry problems with a few simple mouse clicks. The Windows Registry is a crucial part of your PC's operation system.

EULAlyzer
When installing software, never just click past the license agreement. Pop it into EULAlyzer, and EULAlyze it!
No one enjoys reading software end user license agreements. It's as if the vendors count on boring you senseless before you get to the parts about allowing installation of third-party software and sacrificing your firstborn. A freebie called EULAlyzer can help by scanning EULAs and giving you a heads-up when it encounters suspicious phrases.

Total Uninstall: Install - Monitor - Uninstall
Total Uninstall
helps monitor any changes made to your system during the installation of a new application.
It allows you to perform a complete uninstall without having to rely on the supplied Add/Remove
program which can leave files or changes behind.
Is Shareware.

What's Running
is a product that gives you an inside look
into your Windows 2000/XP/2003 system.
Find out important information such as what
modules are involved in a specific process.

SIW - System Information for Windows by Gabriel Topala
Everything you want to know about your computer.
SIW performs computer configuration analysis and diagnostics.
It gives detailed information about your computer properties and settings,

Microsoft acquired Sysinternals in July, 2006.
The Sysinternals web site was created in 1996 by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell
to host their advanced system utilities and technical information.

Windows Drivers (XP '&' Vista) with Drivers HQ


