Spyware Doctor

Spyware Doctor has been a leader in spyware detection and deletion for some time now. Their products are thorough, accurate, and effective, and most importantly – free! Spyware Doctor is basically anti-spyware/adware software that searches for and destroys all traces of unwanted programs on your computer. This software is currently compatible with Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 98.

For those who don’t know, spyware is essentially mini-viruses that allow hackers to view your surfing and computing habits. Nasty spyware software can essentially open your computer up to the entire world. The worst thing about spyware is that it doesn’t really have an immediate effect on your computer, so it can be very hard to detect without the help of Spyware Doctor or another spyware killer. Spyware often clings to other files, and simply blends in to the background, making it virtually impossible for a human to find. Also, without a spyware remover tool, it can be impossible to remove spyware, as spyware often has been coded to not allow uninstalls.

Spyware Doctor is not only for spyware though – it can detect and destroy adware, Trojans, spyware cookies, keyloggers, spybots, trackware, and other malware software from your PC. Each of the above forms of virus has its own way of invading your privacy, but each cause essentially the same effect. Perhaps the most dangerous thing that Spyware Doctor can destroy is a keylogger. Keyloggers record every single keystroke you enter, and analyze the results. They then look for recognizable patterns, and are eventually able to pick out username/password combinations. This means that they can get the password to every account you have online, including any online banking account you may have, as well as a PayPal or another online payment processing account. Once a hacker has your information and passwords, you can lose thousands of dollars, or even your identity.

This software is available free of charge from download.com, and there are no limitations on the free product. There is no ending date for the trial, and all features are included. This is a great product for anyone who is nervous about their privacy. The internet is a big place, and there are lots of people out there who want to steal your information. Without protection such as Spyware Doctor and a good Firewall, you will be exposing everything to every hacker who wants to see it.

Privacy Guardian

Privacy Guardian is software designed to protect your personal information. It can delete any and all traces of activity, both online and off, protecting your privacy and personal information from hackers.

Did you know that whenever you visit a website, your activity there is logged? Each site you visit sends a “cookie” to your computer. A cookie is essentially a marker saying “I visited this website”. Cookies are usually harmless, but often what appears to be a cookie is actually something else entirely. Cookies also bog down your browsers performance, slowing down load times, and often causing crashes.

Privacy Guardian automatically deletes cookies and other tracking devices as soon as they are not in use. Cookies are necessary to use the internet, but once you are done, there is no need to keep them. Often people who are not experienced with computers will have thousands and thousands of cookies built up, and they wonder why their internet is running slow! Most browsers have a built-in cookie destroyer, but they are not very thorough, and often leave hundreds of cookies untouched.

Privacy Guardian also finds and destroys unwanted files and cookies that are stored in hidden files. There are hidden files on every computer, which cannot be seen by a normal computer user. Without software or an extensive knowledge of computers, these files build up until they bog down your entire PC with too much information. Privacy Guardian can permanently remove these unwanted, useless files, speeding up your PC’s performance.

The main goal of this software is to protect your privacy. However, Privacy Guardian also works hard to clear up “gunk” on your computer, removing things that don’t need to be there, and that slow down computer performance. Privacy Guardian will clear your cache, clear cookies, clean index.dat files, erase recent document history, remove temporary files, clear the recent document list, and free up cluttered hard drive space. Normally you would have one program for each of the above cleaning methods, but Privacy Guardian brings it all together, in one small, light-weight, effective program.

A limited trial is available for this product free of charge. With the trial, certain non-essential cleaning methods are unavailable, but the basic functions are all there. If you want to unlock the full version and have access to all the features, you can buy the full product for $29.95 – a very reasonable price for your privacy!

Smart Popup Blocker 1.2

Smart Popup Blocker 1.2 is an intelligent alternative to built-in popup blockers. Browser pop-up blockers work for most things, but if you want full protection from annoying pop-ups, try Smart Popup Blocker 1.2. This software is currently compatible with Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, and Windows 98. This program is only compatible with Internet Explorer at this point in time.

This software is set to block all unwanted pop-ups from web pages, as well as messenger pop-up spam. This advanced blocker blocks absolutely everything, while most in-browser popup blockers only block maybe 4 out of every 5 pop-ups.

The Smart Popup Blocker can also be taught to unblock certain wanted pop-ups. It is automatically trained to block only pop-ups that are not user-initiated, but the settings can all be changed. Often these types of software’s get in the way of web browsing, because many sites use pop-ups when you click on a link. Most pop-up blockers cannot recognize the difference between wanted and unwanted windows, so they just block everything. Smart Popup Blocker on the other hand is, for lack of a better word, smart.

Smart Popup Blocker 1.2 can also be used to speed up Internet Explorer. Every time you visit a site or do something online, a “cookie” is installed on your computer as a temporary file. Cookies are completely harmless, but when they build up they tend to slow down your internet browser. Smart Popup Blocker deletes old, unwanted cookies, and frees up space on your computer, allowing Internet Explorer to run at full speed.

Smart Popup Blocker 1.2 can be used by practically anyone. Set up is a breeze, and the program is set to start whenever Internet Explorer opens, so you don’t have to worry about manually starting it. Also, the software runs as an add-on to Internet Explorer, so it is simply added to the browser, and not added as a separate program.

This software is also able to allow pop-ups from certain sites. If you have a site that you visit often that has pop-ups, and you want to see them, you can simply add the URL to the allowed list, and pop-ups from that site will no longer be blocked.

This software is one of the best pop-up blockers around, and it is available on download.com, completely free. The full version is available for download, and there are no hidden fees or trials to worry about.

System Surveillance Pro 5.5

System Surveillance Pro 5.5 is a program designed to help parents and employers monitor computer activity. If you are a parent, you can install this program on your child’s computer and monitor all their activity. The same thing goes for employers. Install this program on your employee(s) computer(s), and monitor everything they do, all from your own computer.

System Surveillance Pro 5.5 records all programs used that day, as well as how long each was used. Using this feature, you can tell if your employees are wasting time playing games, spending too much time browsing the internet, etc.

The system also records all keystrokes typed. This helps in tracking inappropriate internet usage. At the end of the day, you can view everything that was typed in to a specific computer. The data is all organized neatly, and if a specific phrase was typed multiple times, it will notify you of that.

Perhaps the best feature of this program is its keyword blocking tool. This tool allows you, the administrator, to block certain keywords from being typed. For instance, if you don’t want your employees playing games at work, you can block “free online games”, and similar keywords. You can change the settings to fit your needs, but there are two basic settings for the keyword tool: notify, and block. Notify simply sends you a message on the central computer whenever a blocked keyword is typed, and block disables the keyword from working.

If you have reason to believe that inappropriate communication is taking place, you can also see records of all emails sent and received. You can also track instant messaging conversations, and even view screenshots of users’ computers, making it so that you see exactly what they see.

You can also block specific websites from being accessed. You can block an entire website simply by entering its URL. If you block the main page, all sub pages will be blocked as well. For instance, if you block example.com from being accessed, example.com/example and example.com/example2 will also be blocked from access.

There is no need to access every computer individually, as all the records are sent to a central computer, where it can be viewed and analyzed. To prevent tampering, the central computer is password protected. All reports are sent in real-time (if wanted), or once a day for easy review. Whatever settings you choose, all data supplied by System Surveillance Pro 5.5 is organized in an easy-to-read manner.

Norton Internet Security 2009

Norton Internet Security 2009 is a full-function antivirus system. This single program can provide complete protection to your PC. It safeguards all your personal information, making it inaccessible to any unauthorized parties. Obviously this program focuses on stopping threats from the internet, as that is where the majority of computer problems come from. Norton Internet Security 2009 is currently compatible with Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Norton Internet Security 2009 was developed to give you the protection you need, without bogging down your computer. Many computer security programs slow down your computer so much that it is rendered unusable until the scan is done. Norton runs quietly in the background, and even when there is a scan running, there is little to no change in computer performance. Scans run quickly, and often you will not even know they are running. The scans run quickly mainly because Norton only scans files that they believe to be at risk. Most antivirus software’s scan the entire computer, but all that accomplishes is an hour long or more scan, and a sever damper on computer performance.

Norton can be set to auto-update whenever there is a software update available. It is a very good idea to update your antivirus software whenever possible, as each update protects you from dangerous new diseases that the old version does not recognize. Updates to Norton Internet Security 2009 are completed usually within seconds, and as mentioned, the can be set to download automatically whenever available.

As with anything, prevention is always better than treatment when it comes to antivirus. Norton’s goal with this software was to not only eliminate existing threats on your computer, but also to disable future threats before they even cause a problem. Viruses and other nasty bugs can be very hard to find once they are on your computer, but if you can stop them before they are installed, there is no way that they can harm you or your pc.

Norton Internet Security 2009 is available free of charge for 15 days. This is a full trial, so you can take advantage of all the features of the full version. After 15 days, if you are impressed, you can purchase the full version for the reasonable price of $69.99. If $70 seems like a lot to you, keep in mind that the typical antivirus software costs $50 per year, so you would end up spending much more eventually.

PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition

Every PC needs a strong Firewall to protect it from the millions of bugs, viruses, and spyware programs out there. PC Tools has, in my opinion, one of the best Firewall systems around. PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition 4 is one of the most secure Firewall’s around. Many doubt its power considering it is free, but I am here to tell you that PC Tools makes a superior product. PC Tools Firewall Plus is currently compatible with Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.

PC Tools Firewall Plus is a network monitoring system that keeps hackers and intruders out of your PC. Firewall controls all traffic going in and out of your computer, monitoring all activity, and searching for possible threats. It does this by monitoring applications that access the internet. When a threat is discovered, it is immediately quarantined, and Firewall informs you of the issue. At that point, you can choose to keep or delete the quarantined threat. Sometimes Firewall will mistake a wanted file for a threat, but most of the time the things it picks up are dangerous keyloggers, Trojans, and other “nasties”.

Firewall plus helps stop Trojans, keyloggers, and backdoors from accessing your personal information. When you access the internet without a Firewall installed, you are essentially exposing all your personal information to the entire world. A key logger is the main thing you should be worried about, as it will log every single keystroke you make, and search for patterns. It then analyzes the patterns and looks for username/password combos.

The creators of Firewall Plus had technology novices in mind when they developed the program. You do not have to be tech savvy to install and run Firewall, nor do you need to change your computer habits in any way. Novices can simply enable Firewall, and go back to whatever they were doing, while experts can customize all their settings, allow/disallow certain programs, etc. Firewall has a very user-friendly interface, that allows any user, experienced or not, to customize their settings and improve their experience.

One thing to keep in mind about this program is that it is not meant to be a standalone defense against viruses and other harmful programs. Firewall is designed to prevent loss of personal data, and not necessarily to prevent viruses. It is recommended that this program be used along with good antivirus software such as AVG Free.

RoboForm 6.9.91

RoboForm 6.9.91 is designed to make your computing experience just a little bit easier. RoboForm keeps track of all your personal information, user names, and passwords, and automatically fills them in to forms, log-in pages, etc. This saves a lot of time, especially if you plan to register for many programs, or if you use the internet regularly. RoboForm is currently compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows 98.

The first time you visit a website and enter your username and password, RoboForm automatically records your information and stores it in a secure location. Then, when you visit that same site again, RoboForm automatically enters your information, and even clicks the submit button for you! Browsing the internet has never been easier, thanks to the creators of RoboForm.

If you plan to register/sign up for several websites, it would be a good idea to fill out your personal information profile. You can enter your information (such as name, address, age, email, etc) into a form on RoboForm, and after that, you can fill in huge forms anywhere on the internet with 1 click of your mouse. This means that you could register for hundreds of sites, only entering your information once.

RoboForm also has a Master Password feature, which allows you to have one password that allows access to all your accounts. You can record your real passwords in to RoboForm, and then set one single, simple password. When you enter your master password in to a particular program or website, RoboForm will automatically retrieve your real password and enter it. This means that you can make complicated passwords that allow for more security, but you only have to remember one. Your password for site A could be “#ddWEQ98%$9d” and site B could be “8e3d33Dj!)@”, but all you would have to enter for both would be “John”, or something similar. This is by far the best feature of RoboForm, as it allows you to maintain secure passwords, but simplifies the entire process.

RoboForm is available for free for 30 days. After 30 days, certain features of the program will be disabled, but the basic system will continue to work. If you want to re-enable the lost features, you can pay a very reasonable $30 to get the full version. If $30 seems like a lot to you, keep in mind that this program will literally save you days of time over the course of a year or two.

Activity Monitor 4.4

Activity Monitor is a program to help parents and business owners track the computer activity of their kids and employees. Activity Monitor tracks all activity in real-time and provides a detailed report of virtually everything that is taking place on the computer. The software records all typed keystrokes, as well as all internet activity. Activity Monitor is currently compatible with Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.

This software is ideal for business owners who want to ensure that their employees are not breaking company policies. Activity Monitor records all computer activity, including all emails and instant messages that are sent and received. This makes it ideal for tracking possible illegal activities, or just keeping an eye on your employees. Most of the time this software is just used for minor things – making sure that inappropriate websites are not accessed, reducing wasted time, etc, but Activity Monitor provides enough information and functionality that it could be used for virtually anything.

Activity Monitor also monitors every website visited. This is ideal if you don’t want people accessing inappropriate sites while at work. The program records every website that was visited, as well as how much time was spent there. It also records keystrokes in each program, so you can also see what they searched for. There is also the added functionality of automatic screenshot capturing, so if you want to see exactly what your employees are seeing, that is a possibility.

The Activity Monitor also documents every program that was used, the time spent on each, and keystrokes entered in each. This is perfect for monitoring general activity and your employees’ time management skills. The software can also be set to disable certain programs from being opened, so any potentially inappropriate programs could be blocked entirely.

Activity Monitor 4.4 works pretty simply. The software must be installed on each computer it will be used on, as well as the primary computer, which will be used to monitor and document all activity. The main computer tracks all the data of the other computers, and it is password protected to prevent tampering.

There is a free 15 day trial available for this software at download.com. After the 15 day trial, the full software costs $179.95 – a seemingly expensive rate, but well worth it. The functionality and ease of use of Activity Monitor make it a must for any business owner, or any mother wanting to monitor her child’s activity.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

For many years, AVG has been a leader in the antivirus industry. AVG Free is one of the only free antivirus software’s available that actually works well. AVG Free is also wildly popular, as it essentially provides the same protection as $50/year software, but for free. This software is designed to automatically scan your computer, searching for any potential threats. When a threat is found, it is dealt with swiftly, without any work needed from you. It’s probably not the best possible antivirus out there, but keep in mind that it is free, and it provides sufficient protection for most people. AVG Free is currently compatible with windows XP, Vista, and Windows 2000.

Version 8.5.278, the latest release (as of 3/14/09), has been downloaded more than 171 million times. Keep in mind that that figure is just for this edition. There has been countless other editions released, and each has received millions of downloads. This gives you an idea of how popular this particular software is.

AVG prides itself on bringing you a quality product, free of charge. AVG also comes with free updates for the life. In fact, AVG Free updates quite a lot, often daily. Updates are important because, in order to protect you from the latest viruses, software needs to know about the latest viruses. In antivirus technology, knowledge is power, and knowledge in this case is delivered in a small download, which usually is completed in seconds. The updates are fully automated, so there is no need to worry about checking for updates.

Perhaps the best feature of AVG free is that it doesn’t slow down your computer. Many antivirus software’s will bog down your computer while scanning, making it impossible to get anything done. AVG runs in the background, and produces virtually no change in computer performance. Even while an update download is in progress, there is no noticeable change in computer speed.

There are a number of other features included in AVG Free that are worth mentioning. One of these is AVG Resident Shield. Resident Shield provides real-time protection, scanning files as they download, and warning you of potential threats. While most antivirus programs try to find and destroy viruses already on your computer, AVG attempts to prevent them before they are even installed.

Since its original release, AVG has received countless awards, lots of public praise, and millions of downloads. AVG Free is available for download at download.com, and as mentioned, it automatically updates.