My Software toolkit contains.....


The following list contains some of the quality freeware programs that I use -

 

Get Firefox! One of the best Internet browsers. Excellent alternative to MS Internet Explorer.
Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition One of the best malware remover. Latest version includes improved Browser Hijacker detection, HOSTS file scanning, smart scan mode which improves speed and much more.
AntiVir Personal Edition Freeware Anti-Virus software. Detects and removes more than 70,000 viruses.
avast! antivirus Home edition Freeware Anti-Virus software for home users. Excellent one!!
Spybot Search & Destroy Excellent utility to remove parasites from the system and has more features [Lock IE Homepage, Internet Options, Immunize bad pages, HOSTS file updates etc]. Update provided via software UI.
Spyware Blaster v3.2 Can keep your system spyware-free and secure. Also unlike other programs, Spyware Blaster does not have to remain running in the background.
SpywareGuard v2.2.0 Provides real time protection against spyware. Provides great value addition to Spyware Blaster's protection method.
  Microsoft AntiSpyware Microsoft's first venture into AntiSpyware market. Provides real time protection against spyware. Currently in Beta!!!
  a Squared Keeps your PC safe and secure from Trojans, Worms and other nasty Spyware programs like Dialers, etc
ZoneAlarm [and ZoneLog Analyser] ZoneAlarm firewall [freeware version]. Add-on ZoneLog analyses the ZoneAlarm log and displays the IP Addresses which attempted to access your computer or port-scanned your PC. Not all IP address listing mean hack attempts. Look for repeated number of the same IP address and do a Lookup of that IP.
Kerio Personal Firewall Protects against information theft, trojan horse applications, denial of service attacks to applications or services etc. FREE for home use.
CCleaner Freeware system optimisation tool. Allows the system to run faster, more efficient and giving users more hard disk space.
CWShredder Tool from Merijn to ward off prolific variations of the CoolWebSearch hijack.
Google Toolbar Google search toolbar, also blocks pop-ups in websites
Yahoo Toolbar Yahoo search toolbar. Also provides Anti-Spy and Pop-up Blocker..
HijackThis This is a great tool, lists all browser Add-ons, search URLs, homepage settings, Browser Helper Objects loaded with Internet Explorer. Using the HijackThis addon-ons log, one can troubleshoot/identify a malware quickly. (Reqd. Skill level - Advanced) See HijackThis Tutorial.
MS Baseline Security Advisor Scan for common system misconfigurations in Windows Platform OS
Responsive Knowledgebase Simple KB with text search features in Q&A format
Belarc Advisor The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, including Microsoft Hotfixes, and displays the results in your Web browser.
TCPView Great utility from Sysinternals, which lists out the TCP communication occurring in a system. Use this to trace which software is doing what, detect malware, trojans and which IP they connect to.
Download Windows Media Player 10 Provides best experience for discovering, playing and taking digital entertainment anywhere. Excellent choice for Windows XP based PCs and for portable devices.
Download Real Media Player 10 Best digital media player for downloading new music, to play and manage audio/video clips etc. Also it allows to keep your media library organized in one place. Audio and video quality is crystal clear!!

A special note :

If you are wondering how well protected your PC is, then you should visit at least one of these following web sites.

These web sites contain tools that test your firewall, antivirus, spyware, pop up blocker, browser security configuration, etc.

Please note that these tests are intended to be safe and non-destructive.

   1.  Qualys Website
   2.  Symantec Security
   3.  Shields Up
   4.  Audit My PC
   5.  Port Detective
   6.  Trend Micro - Virus Scan



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