A smart freeware program that can clear all forms of mal-ware from your computer. Spybot S&D is a powerful application that offers a default mode and an advanced mode.

When you install this program, you are immediately given the choice to update, which is of course all important when dealing with the various forms of spyware that you want to be protected from. Unfortunately, when updating, progress can seem rapid and then stop for no apparent reason, for several minutes before finishing off the job.

Once you get over that small hiccup, you are prompted to create a system backup, just in case the program happens to remove something that is actually quite important for the smooth running of your system. It should go without saying that making this backup is recommended after which you may finally immunize your system from a growing database of malicious processes.

The program has plenty of options for tweaking and customizing scans as well as some unrelated functions like the secure shredder and a start-up manager.

Although this is a powerful piece of anti-spyware software, it may be better to see it as part of your security solution. For example, team this up with Ad-Aware SE and you should be covered from practically every form of threat to your online safety.

Download SpyBot Search & Destroy 1.5.2 in Softonic

Ad-Aware is one of the most popular anti-spyware tools, with millions of downloads worldwide, and I bet this number will be increased with the release of Ad-Aware 2008.

Though the interface in itself hasn't changed that much, the new Ad-Aware 2008 includes a few interesting enhancements such as a noticeable improvement in stability and performance, which makes the program a lot lighter on system resources. The rootkit and threat detection tools have also been enhanced for a more efficient protection, together with an all new integrated anti-virus functionality.

Ad-Aware is very easy to install and use, especially if you've been using the previous version, because the program features a similar design. It's constantly updated with new definitions, so that you keep up with the latest online threats and also includes a system restoration point to help you recover your system from a virus or Trojan attack. I especially liked the fact that Ad-Aware supports multiple browsers, which enables you to manage web browsing traces and control your privacy online in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera.

The program still keeps some functions as exclusive to the Pro and Plus versions (like the customizable scans or the real-time monitor) but still, Ad-Aware 2008 Free is a reliable, effective anti-malware tool that will keep your system safe and sound without disturbing your daily workflow.

Ad-Aware 2008 features an excellent package of security tools with which you can efficiently protect your PC from virus, Trojans, spyware and other undesirable elements.

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In the never ending battle against spyware and adware that infects Windows with alarming regularity, Spy Emergency is a comprehensive security option.

This program claims to cover just about anything - malware, spam, spyware, adware, virus, trojans, worms, homepage hijackers and much much more. In other words, it's just about the most all-round solution you can find for attacks and other nasties that try to attach themselves to your system. The program follows the regular format of most anti-spyware software but doesn't overwhelm you with unnecessary options and dials. Clicking the "Start" button initiates scans and at the completion of a scan, you're asked to review the results and decide which items you want to remove. Items are ranked in order of potential threat so you can see at a glance which ones pose the biggest threat. Another plus to this system is that unlike many spyware checkers, it's remarkably light on system resources which makes it a good option for those on older machines.

Although I'm not convinced it's removing everything it should, it's still a very comprehensive product that has all possible angles of attack covered.

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CyberDefenderFREE's easy-to-use features include earlySPY, a free spyware removal tool that will catch more spyware lurking on your computer faster. Spyware is identified, quarantined, and removed with just a few clicks of your mouse.

earlySPY identifies and resolves both known and unknown spyware threats in real time. Previously classified threats are combated immediately, while new threats are reported instantly to the Early Alert Center™ where a defense is developed and then broadcast to all earlySPY users.

The program provides the latest updates as they become availabl and can prevent malicious websites from changing your home page.

Tighten up your PC security with CyberDefenderFREE today!

Download CyberDefenderFREE 3.0.0614 in Softonic

ZoneAlarm Pro automatically blocks known and unknown Internet threats for home users, small-business owners, and corporate employees working remotely. The program monitors outgoing application traffic, as well as incoming traffic to protect you from any local applications attempting to use your Internet connection to communicate with the outside world.

You have the option to grant or deny access on a per-application basis, customizing the protection of your system. ZoneAlarm Pro also offers password protection, automatic mobile-PC protection, and e-mail-attachment protection for 47 file types.

ZoneAlarm Pro features online-privacy protection with pop-up stopping, ad blocking, and cookie-control features. The latest update adds Complete Mailsafe for blocking suspect e-mail, Cache Cleaner for eliminating traces of your Internet activity, expert firewall controls, and Hacker ID for tracking and mapping hacker attacks.

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ZoneAlarm Pro automatically blocks known and unknown Internet threats for home users, small-business owners, and corporate employees working remotely. The program monitors outgoing application traffic, as well as incoming traffic to protect you from any local applications attempting to use your Internet connection to communicate with the outside world.

You have the option to grant or deny access on a per-application basis, customizing the protection of your system. ZoneAlarm Pro also offers password protection, automatic mobile-PC protection, and e-mail-attachment protection for 47 file types.

ZoneAlarm Pro features online-privacy protection with pop-up stopping, ad blocking, and cookie-control features. The latest update adds Complete Mailsafe for blocking suspect e-mail, Cache Cleaner for eliminating traces of your Internet activity, expert firewall controls, and Hacker ID for tracking and mapping hacker attacks.

Download ZoneAlarm Pro 7.0.337.00 in Softonic

Previously known as Windows Antispyware Beta 1, Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected, and a new streamlined interface that minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

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While the developers claim that "Free 100% Real-Time Protection" is something that most similar programs charge for may be stretching the truth somewhat, Spyware Terminator & Web Security Guard is very powerful spyware solution.

The program includes all the options you expect to find in such a product including options to manually carry out or schedule scans as well as options to deny or allow access to certain programs to your PC. The program is not just a spyware scanner however as it also includes an antivirus scanner. The developers have also seen fit to include a "Web Security Guard" which carries out the the job that most anti-phishing and pop up blockers in Internet Explorer and Firefox already carry out. This feature also features user generated website reviews along with warnings as to whether the site could be potentially harmful or not. Note that the developers warn that if you are using an unsupported operating system (such as Windows 98 or ME), you it may be better to use version 1.9 which offers the same protection but is much lighter on resources as the one drawback of this program is that it is rather slow to start and close and can hog your memory at peak scanning periods.

This is a comprehensive security solution that has all avenues of attack covered although if you're already using a virus scanner, you may be better to stick with it as it seems the weakest part of what is generally an excellent package.

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Spyware Doctor removes and provides real-time protection against just about any threat you can think of including spyware, adware, trojan horses, keyloggers, browser hijackers, phishing attacks and other malware threats. For Internet Explorer users, it also provides a built-in popup blocker and malicious site guard.

Scanning is quick and covers many areas of your PC including Windows registry, file system, processes and tasks, browser, network configuration and cookies. Since the scan is pretty quick, the most effective way to use it is to install it for use on Windows startup to ensure that your system is clean before every use. However, this will make your boot-up time longer and can sometimes be frustrating as you wait for Spyware Doctor to report that there's nothing new to remove since yesterday anyway. You may also find that it conflicts with other anti-virus or anti-spyware programs and you may be prompted to remove them or find that they have been effectively disabled by Spyware Doctor.

It's also important to ensure that Spyware Doctor has constant access to the internet as it is updated daily with the latest threats. However, these threats can sometimes be exaggerated out of proportion such as in the case of keyloggers which Spyware Doctor may warn you is a high threat but in reality, is benign.

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If your computer's performance suddenly starts to get worse and the whole system behaves in an abnormal way, you're likely to have some kind of malware in your hard drive. Anyway, just to be sure, you can launch this program and see for yourself.

RunScanner analyzes your system (with two possible alternatives, quick or full scan) and displays all running processes in Windows file system and Registry. Each one of the elements has some icons to its left that provide you with more information about it, although you'll have to check that online as the program doesn't include a help file.

Scans are very quick (even the full one) and can help you discover what's wrong with your system. Just bear in mind that this is not a definitive solution and that you need to be sure of what you're doing before actually deleting anything. Just in case, the program includes a backup option to unroll unwanted changes.

RunScanner also features a process killer and a hosts file editor.

Download RunScanner 1.6.3.0 in Softonic

Free Online Armor detects and removes spyware, trojans and attacks Phishing threats. It works by studying the behaviour of programs running on your system and if it detects something suspicious, immediately blocks it from operating or warns you. The program then verifies this behaviour alongside its own database of threats to identify exactly what it is.

When Free Online Armor detects a potentially dangerous program it displays a warning message. However, it avoids overwhelming the user with a large number of alerts because on first use, it asks you to define a white list of safe programs. In addition to this basic function, Free Online Armor also includes a firewall and tools for detecting trojans, unauthorised executable files and protection for e-mail and browsing etc.

This is an all-in-one protection suite although don't be surprised if it doesn't detect all that it promises because it is free and as such, is not designed for those that need very high protection levels.

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ThreatFire, previously know as CyberHawk, is a pre-emptive anti-spyware monitoring tool that aims to protects you from malware before it gets anywhere near your system. It does this by monitoring the behaviour of your PC in real time to check for strange or irregular behaviour.

This method supposedly offers faster protection as you don't need to wait for an anti-virus signature file to be updated as with conventional antivirus programs. However, ThreatFire can interpret any kind of new behaviour on your PC as a threat and it can be rather annoying to get warnings and prompts every time you install a new piece of software. However, you can configure it to "trust" certain activity so you can minimise annoying messages in this way.

Obviously, ThreatFire monitors your PC in real time, but you can also configure it to run on demand although it seems there's no way of knowing the progress of these scans. Note that because this program is designed to protect your PC, it can be hard to fully close it down. Even when you've closed the window, it will run in your taskbar and even closing it from there is not clear. Overall though, this is an interesting alternative to conventional anti-spyware.

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Spyware Doctor Enterprise is designed for organizations seeking a centrally deployed and managed solution that works in real time on a network server to detect, remove, and continuously block malicious spyware from 10 to thousands of computers.

This program allows you to protect thousands of client computers on an Enterprise network.
The level of protection can be managed from a centralized PC including installation and maintenance, threat management, monitoring, analysis and removal. You can also schedule scans on demand and request security updates for each PC. The security features in Spyware Enterprise are also pretty impressive as you can assign servers to a managed domain, meaning you can automatically switch from one to another in case of hardware failure.

This program will appeal to network administrators both new and old as it features wizards to help you get up and running for the first time with configurable database backups for those who want more control.

Download Spyware Doctor Enterprise in Softonic

Spyware is the most common computer security menace; it impacts more than 80% of all PCs and recent reports show that estimate is probably low. CounterSpy protects your computer from spyware, adware, Trojans and other malware threats. It's the choice of IT Pros and a favorite of technology editors around the globe.

One of the most powerful features of CounterSpy is the History Cleaner which erases the trails you leave on your computer as you surf the Internet. It also features a PC Explorer that allows you to view and modify computer security and Internet browser settings that are normally difficult to change.

Finally, it also has a great Secure File Eraser that ensures the complete elimination of all files you want removed from your computer. Completely removes all traces of any document, image, music, movie, or application you choose.

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RunAlyzer is our brand-new autostart & configuration manager that allows you to view and edit all the spots where Windows looks for programs or services to start.

It's a combination of a standard configuration manager and an advanced tool to locate and remove places where hijackers, spyware and other malware hide.

Download RunAlyzer 0.7.1 in Softonic

Smart Protector - Internet Eraser keeps out prying eyes and protects your private data on all Windows systems. Smart Protector works with Internet Explorer, AOL, Netscape, MSN and FireFox. Enjoy fast, safe browsing, knowing your private files are hidden.

Features:

History

Clear History of your Internet Explorer stored on your computer's hard drive with SP!

Temporary Internet Files

Clear your temporary internet files (cache)!

Internet Cookies

They are small pieces of information that your browser stores on your computer's local hard disc. Web sites use cookies to track your preferences or Internet habits.

Forms AutoComplete

Lists possible matches from entries you've previously typed like Google search phrases, user names, and so forth. Use this Internet Cleaner to clear them all!

Index.dat files

Those evil index.dat files - no matter how many of them you have

Location Bar

The drop down URL list from Internet Explorer and URL Autocomplete. This action will prevent other people to find out where you have been by typing www.x (for example and see, www.xxx.com).

Home Page

Some sites set your home page to change to their Web site every time you start Internet Explorer. The browser automatically goes to their page. SP - Internet Cleaner can restore your previous home page or optionally set it to blank page.

Recent documents list

The list of all the documents and files you have been recently working on accessible from the Start button. Use this Internet Cleaner to clear them all!

Recycle bins on every drive in your system

Use this Internet Cleaner to clear all recycle bins, history and other tracks!

Save State/Restore State

The most interesting feature of Smart Protector is the Save State/Restore State capability. You can leave the computer in exactly the same state as it was, so that no one could understand you have used such a program. You can clear history and other tracks you've left after the last Save State.

Configuration Smart Protector

Internet Cleaner also supports custom configuration of all the options. For example, you can choose to clear History and Internet cookies only or typed URLs and URL Autocomplete but erase everything else. It's very easy - just check or uncheck the options in the Settings window. Smart Protector will clear history and other tracks with just one click.

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Online Armor prevents spyware as it tries to enter your computer using multiple methods of realtime protection, including a new easy to use firewall. After you install, choose which programs to trust in the Safety Check Wizard.

No programs will be allowed to run (or tamper with other programs) on your computer unless you give them permission. The Webshield part of Online Armor's protection will protect you from drive-by downloads, automatically filtering out potentially dangerous content, activeX objects and HTML exploit attempts.

Lastly, the mailshield piece of Online Armor filters your inbound mail to eliminate fraudulent email before it gets to your computer. Combined with other features of Online Armor, such as keylogger protection, it provides you with an easy to use and capable addition to your security.

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ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware provides multi-layered security to prevent spyware from infecting your computer and to detect and remove spyware that's already present on your system. This makes it ideal for preventing anyone snooping on your personal business.

Benefits of the program:

Triple Defense Firewall

Powerful Anti-Spyware

SmartDefense Service

Email Security

Wireless Protection

Download ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware 7.0.337.00 in Softonic

Trend Micro Anti-Spyware 3.0 is one of the latest Spyware search-and-destroy tools to hit the market and replaces the previously named SpySubtract PRO.

The main improvement over the old version include:

Enhanced Spyware scanning engine that runs faster than before
Trickle Scan frees CPU power to other functions during scan
Full CWShredder integration
Active monitoring of over 150 touch points
Network integrity checking makes sure network connectivity exists after spyware removal

The product is also endorsed by Trend Micro which has been designing PC securty software since 1989.

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RegFreeze is an effective tool to counteract spyware modules trying to install themselves onto your computer. With RegFreeze, you can feel safe and secure while surfing the Internet. RegFreeze spyware scanner will clean your system quickly and effectively! Use RegFreeze and you will forget about spyware forever!

Download Regfreeze 5.6 in Softonic