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In my opinion,if you have Windows XP,i suggest you get Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). i just had 3 viruses found on my computer, and i think 2 were already infected, and it STILL could clean them. I love it. i think you would to.

NOTE: Microsoft officially ended support for Windows XP on 8 April 2014, so security patches are no longer being released for it. For this reason, if you are still using XP, you would be wise to move to another OS such as Windows 7 or a current version of Linux (or any other OS with ongoing support).

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MSE is still available for XP and can also be used with Vista and Windows 7 but not Windows 8 (which has built-in AV). Keep in mind that MSE does NOT cover all attack vectors. Most computer security professionals recommend anti-virus plus other anti-malware protection that can use both signatures and heuristics to detect threats. You can enable or install host-based firewalls and anti-spyware software as well. As a general principle, you should deploy several tools to cover different vectors but any protection is better than NO protection.

As far as "best" is concerned - that depends on what you are comfortable managing and what your budget is. Some software suites require more skill to effectively manage. Others are less powerful but don't require much knowledge to deploy to your computer(s). Get something that you can afford and that you feel capable of managing correctly.

Some reputable sources for PAID software are:

  • Bitdefender
  • Kaspersky
  • Norton
  • Trend Micro
  • Panda Security
  • Bullguard
  • AVAST
  • AVG
  • McAfee
  • Check Point
Keep in mind that this list is NOT comprehensive, but it's a decent starting point. Doing an online search for "best computer security system" will yield links to several reputable sources that have published their evaluations of different security suites.

Some good FREE software that can provide different security features includes:

  • ZoneAlarm - firewall (from Check Point - they will encourage you to upgrade to their more comprehensive paid services)
  • Comodo Firewall Pro
  • Avast (which also has a more comprehensive suite available for purchase)
  • AVG Anti-Rootkit - name describes it pretty well
  • Spyware Blaster - to detect and eradicate spyware
  • Trend Micro HijackThis - great tool for cleaning up infections from spyware and adware, but requires some skill to use
  • Ad-Aware - pretty decent adware detector, blocker, and cleaner - but some adware/spyware is built to resist cleaning by tools like this one.
  • Spybot Search & Destroy - another decent free tool - but don't assume it will get everything.

A few of additional caveats:

  1. Understand that no tool does everything so you may need multiple tools - but if you go that route, you probably want to avoid duplication of capabilities as much as possible.
  2. Some software tools will "fight" with each other as they interpret the actions of one of your other tools to be an attack. You have to select compatible tools or figure out how to configure them to get along with each other.
  3. Be VERY careful about where you download free software from. Quite a few miscreants and criminals will pretend to offer download of desirable free software but it will come with nasty Trojans that will infect your system when you install the software. It's generally best to go straight to the source to download the software.
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10y ago

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