Protect Your PC from All Types of Threats Free!

A firewall; in my opinion the most important piece of software that we're going to use to protect our PC. Windows firewall is inadequate (in my opinion, I know many people who don't agree).

For free firewall protection, we'll look at two options. Zone Alarm basic is great, it blocks intrusion attempts and makes your computer invisible to everyone on the internet. I find older versions of this program to be better than the newest, version 6.1.744 for example works flawlessly (filehippo.com has many freeware application downloads with a sidebar to download older program versions).

Or you can download Comodo free firewall (just as good as zone alarm in my book, they both offer superb protection).

The first time you open a program that uses the internet (after a firewall is installed), you'll be prompted to allow it to access the internet, or block it. Also, there is a setting to remember your choice, so you won't be bothered with an access popup for this same program again. This way, you have control over all the traffic going in and out of your computer.

Now that we've got a firewall, let's get an anti-virus. I prefer bit defender free edition (many people say AVG offers the best free protection but I disagree). Bit defender free doesn't offer real-time protection, but it does offer a virus scanner with free updates (updated definitions are as important as the anti-virus itself). Preform a full system scan immmediately after install, and then once every one to two weeks after that.

Our firewall keeps us protected from intrusions while we're on the internet (and keeps malware from accessing the internet if it does get onto your computer, as long as you block the request), our virus scanner keeps our system clean from the latest viruses; what about other threats like spyware and adware?

To scan for and remove additional threats from your PC, I recommend Spybot S&D from Safer Networking. Download and install this great tool, and then select "immunize" in the program's graphical user interface. Immunizing gives us real-time protection against spyware and other threats. After this, check for problems, fix the selected problems after the scan, and repeat, once every one to two weeks.

If you feel you need even more protection, download a copy of ad aware 2007 free edition and use it to scan your computer (as often as you run the other programs).

Once these products are installed and working, I like to disable windows security service. Turn off windows firewall via control panel, then click administrative tools -> services. In the services box, find "security center", right click it, go to properties. Stop the service, and for startup type click "disabled". I like to do this because I know I'm protected (the 4 programs we installed earlier) and I don't need this security center consuming resources, giving me useless popup alerts, and monitoring my anti-malware software.

All the products listed above are free of charge, and by taking the time to download them, update them, and use them, you can keep your computer clean of all infections and intrusions. Happy computing!