Seven Free Tools that Will Keep Your Computer Free from Nasty Viruses and Spyware

If you own a computer chances are you have read about all the nasty stuff that can infect your computer's smooth operation. Some people are even foolishly throwing away infected computers. Seems that some people are just not paying enough attention to computer security. Throwing away a good computer is silly. You just have to know how to rid your computer of these nasty invaders. There are lots of great programs available that you can pay for to rid your computer of nasty viruses and spy ware. There is no need to pay. There are good free programs available. Let's discuss some of the great free programs out there.

The first program is called AVG antivirus. There are two versions. The paid for premium version offers great protection. AVG also offers a very good free version of their antivirus program for home users. Many computer geek columnists recommend using the AVG free antivirus program. It works well and you can't beat the price. One word of caution is that you must keep the antivirus constantly updated for best performance. There is also another good free antivirus program called Avast. Either anti-spyware program works well and both offer good free versions.

Secondly, there are some great free anti-spyware programs available out there. One of the better ones that is recommended is called Adaware SE. This program will keep Trojans and all kinds of other spy programs off your computer. You should run your anti-spyware program at least once a week if you do a lot of web surfing.

The third good tool that is free to use is called Windows Defender. This is also an anti-spyware program. You can set up a time that this program will run every day. This is done automatically and helps keep your computer spyware free. Windows is the largest seller of computer operation systems and provides this good tool free for it's customers.

The fourth program is called SpyBot Search and Destroy. Spybot Search and Destroy is another anti-spyware program. Computer journalists and geeks recommend that you use Windows Defender, Adaware and Spybot to catch spyware that one program may have missed. They each have their strong suits.

The fifth freebie is used to prevent your homepage from being hijacked by unscrupulous computer sneaks. It is a nice little program called Start Page Guard. Installing this program will prevent your homepage being tampered with. It's free and it works well. Start Page Guard will not allow your homepage to be changed without your permission.

The sixth tool that you should have is a good firewall program to repel unauthorized invaders from getting inside your computer. Zone Alarm is an excellent free firewall program available for home computer users. You can also buy a more robust version of Zone Alarm. The free version is quite adequate for the average home computer user. A firewall is a must have program.

The seventh and last free tool is called CC Cleaner. This nifty little freebie removes traces of unused files from your computer. CC Cleaner also removes your Internet history. This frees up space on your hard drive and speeds up your computer. It removes temporary files and bits of cyber junk off your hard drive.

The use of these great free tools will help ensure that your computer runs faster and smoother. Don't forget that you also should defrag your hard drive once a month to make it run faster. The defrag tool is in your accessories section. Then look under the system tools section of your programs. Make sure that you use your anti-virus at least once a week. The same goes for your spyware removal programs. Using these great free tools should keep your computer running smoothly.