What software programs do I need to keep my computer safe and running clean?

The Five Must Haves

You must have a Firewall. I don’t know how many times I have to stress to people that you must have a firewall and Windows firewall is not good enough. There are several reasons for this. Some of those reasons are in this article here: http://windowssecrets.com/comp/041021 but my favorite article about this can be found here: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3513_7-6690672-1.html . In this article by Robert Vomosi, he says that Windows Firewall “works only one-way, that is, it only blocks malicious inbound connections. In Windows Vista, Microsoft says its new Windows Firewall is now two-way, that it adds outbound protection, but a closer look reveals that this is more deceptive marketing spin. With Windows Vista what you get turns out to be a half-cocked firewall that's hardly worth the upgrade.” I can’t agree more with him.

AVG offers a great firewall with their anti-virus package. I love AVG’s products because I believe that this company is dedicated to its customers and they push every effort to stay up to date with their software. If you want to pay for a great firewall, I recommend AVG’s Internet Security Suit. For less than $55.oo you can have great quality protection up to three computers for a whole year (No, no one is paying me to say this). If you want the best FREE firewall out there, nothing beats Zone Alarm Free Firewall. With Zone Alarm Free Firewall you control Inbound and Outbound connections as well as Program Control. Zone Alarm is one of the best firewalls available and it’s free.


You must have an Anti-Virus Protection Program. There’s nothing else I can say about this. It’s vital that you have anti-virus protection. All you have to do is put in a search in Google and click on a website and BAM!!! –You have a virus! That’s all it takes folks. Just ask the millions that got the infamous Anti Virus 2008 -2009 VIRUS, VIRUS, VIRUS!!! (for instructions on how to remove this program, please look under entry date: February 2, 2009).

AVG FREE is beyond compare against all other anti-virus software. The program is frequently updated with new definitions every day, and as I’ve stated before, AVG’s company is 100% committed.


You need to have Malware Protection. Malware is not the same thing as an Internet Virus, even though some Anti-virus and Registry Cleaning programs can pick up on both things. To retort my previous statement, the Anti Virus 2008 or 2009 Virus is actually considered to be malware.

Malware Bytes is a champion program. It rids of thousands of Trojan and Malware infections that I’ve seen on others computers. I especially enjoy seeing the program easily remove some of the most pain in the ass malware programs out there. It’s an easy simple program that is updated frequently and it works. You can purchase a full version with live protection for reasonable price, but if you need something that will do the job when scanning your computer for malware for FREE, then Malware Bytes is the key. Cheers to this program.


You need to have a Registry Cleaning Program. When you uninstall, reinstall, uninstall, reinstall programs you leave behind digital figure prints that get logged into your computer, not to mention thousands of other useless things. Not only that, your computer’s hard drive gets filled with unorganized data and your registry can get messy. This can cause your computer to slow down considerably.

I wouldn’t want to recommend any other program than Registry Mechanic because when it comes to this company’s software, they are paramount in comparison. Registry Mechanic is not free, but it is in my opinion the best, but maybe not for long. Another Free Registry Cleaner has hit the public and its software is doing superb. The program is called Advanced System Care Free, and it can clean up unnecessary files, organize and clean your registry, optimize your system, scan for spyware, defrag your registry, and check for other security issues, all for FREE. This is a great new find I’ve stumbled upon and I hope all the rest of you like it too.


You need to have an Ad-Ware and or Spyware Program. Ad-ware is not the same as Malware and or an Internet Virus. Even though other malware and anti-virus programs can pick up on ad-ware, they can’t find all of the same things. That’s why it’s good to have more than one program that can do the same thing or one that specializes in finding a certain internet infection.

I recommend Spyware Doctor. It’s ahead of its time and it’s really great at finding hidden infections including Trojans and Malware, but it’s not free. I also recommend using Ad-Aware FREE along with Spyware doctor, because as I have mentioned not all programs can find the same infections another one can. If you’re like me and want at least some good adware protection with no cost, then Ad-Aware is great and will do fine. I’ve also used the free program Spybot Search And Destroy. This program did an awesome job, but then I only started to use it when I was desperate to remove infections because sometimes this program had the tendency to mess with my registry values and mess up my computer even further. Reports from CNet have confirmed that there have been great improvements with the product. I’ve posted a video of the new and improved Spybot below, and now I can recommend its use as well.




I hoped I’ve helped you in any way possible and if you have any comments or suggestions please leave them in the live chat box above or write a comment to this blog by clicking the link under this article. Thank You-Maruru