Panda Cloud Antivirus is a freeware antivirus that is probably the best deal in the security tools industry.  Cloud Antivirus differs from standard free antivirus (AVG, AVAST) in that it doesn’t rely on standard definition files.  This means that the software never needs to update itself.   Instead, Cloud Antivirus relies directly on Panda Security’s Main Servers for its virus identification.  The advantage is that the antivirus program is alerted at almost the same speed as Panda Labs is alerted to emerging virus threats.  Therefore, Cloud Antivirus provides the highest protection possible against new viruses on a minute by minute basis.  A user can navigate over to the cloud antivirus website to see how many viruses Panda Labs is detecting in real time.  In the last minute after writing this sentence, there were 10 new viruses that were detected.
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    Norton Security Scan has just released version 2.7 with several improvements over the previous editions.  The first and the most obvious improvement,  is a complete revamp of the interface.  If one is familiar with the new 2010 Norton antivirus products, a user will be able to easily find and start all of the Security Scan’s functions.  Interestingly, since Norton Security Scan 2.7 is freeware vs. Internet Security etc.  it actually makes the software easier to use.  The core functions of the program are easier to access than antivirus with hundreds of different features.  Most users just want to perform a  virus scan and let the program handle the myriad of antivirus checks automatically; Norton Security Scan 2.7 is perfect for this task. Read More...

    SpywareBlaster is a revolutionary type of free antispyware.  The software is a type of preemptive security that blocks spyware and viruses from being downloaded by automatically blocking their websites and components.  Spyware Doctor achieves this by not increasing the burden on the computer system one bit.  There are no real time shields or residents that need to remain in memory.  When an activeX or cookie download matches a known untrusted component, it is blocked.  This type of protection is great for older computers with limited RAM as they don’t have to add any new running programs.  However, this type of system has its disadvantages in that a user isn’t actually alerted to a file or website being blocked rather, the file won’t download or a page cannot be found error will appear.  This can be confusing because a user might misdiagnose the situation as a problem with the internet connection when it is in fact disingenuous.  
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    Quickly for those who don’t know what HijackThis is, it is a utility that scans practically every area that relates to a critical area (one in which malware flourishes) within Windows.  HijackThis displays all of the files located in these areas whether malicious or not for analysis. HijackTHis 2.0.2 is crucial because even with free antivirus protection, virus traces could still be left over, viruses could still be starting up automatically, and a internet explorer or Firefox BHO (browser helper object) could be active and potentially re downloading viruses etc. etc.  The list honestly goes on and on and keeps getting worse because viruses are increasingly more sophisticated.   
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    Malwarebytes 1.45 is one of the most famous free antispyware available.  The software has won numerous awards from PC magazine and is the fifth most downloaded program on Download.com; even my dad has read about malwarebytes on the wall street journal.  The antivirus scanner is known for its fast scanning and extensive database.  While, malwarebytes has gained a lot of publicity, I still feel it lacks several important features (aka real-time shield) when compared to other free antispyware such as Spyware Terminator.
    The first thing allows Malwarebytes to stand out, is the absence of any bundled program.  Today almost 95% of free antivirus include some sort of toolbar or bundled software.  This means that MalwareBytes 1.45 is really a true freeware application.
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