Best Anti-Malware Programs | Part 2

Last time we here at Computer Repair Vancouver discussed what we believe to be the best one-two punch for malware removal. We emphasized that one program is generally not enough since viruses and other malicious code can pass through certain programs undetected. Therefore, we recommended you first use Malwarrebytes to remove most of the unwanted junk on your machine. Then we recommended that you finish off the procedure with SUPERAntiSpyware; the program which sounds like a joke, but which actually does a good job of eliminating hard to remove problems.

Now, one of the drawbacks with respect to the free versions of the products mentioned above is that they do not provide real time protection. What is real time protection, you may be asking? If a program works in real time, it is constantly checking your PC as you open documents, surf the Internet or play a video game. Meanwhile a software application which does not work in real time requires you to manually initiate a scan whenever you want it to search your computer (or perform whatever task it was designed to perform). Are you beginning to see the benefits of real time protection; it is preventative rather than reactionary. In other words, instead of cleaning up a virus once it has already infected your PC, it proactively looks for threats and prevents them from getting on your computer in the first place. The one problem we here at Computer Repair Vancouver have found with regards to some real time applications is that they can bog down your system at times (since they are always in the background crunching data). Truthfully, however, the effects vary significantly according to the program you are using

Anyways, since both of the Anti-Malware programs listed last time do not provide the ability for real time protection (at least in their free incarnation), we decided today to list the best free anti-malware program which provides real time protection.

Computer Repair Vancouver’s best Anti-Malware with real time protection

The award here goes to Spyware Terminator. People who have used this program consider Spyware Terminator to be stable, easy to use, and relatively light on resources (which is a benefit for a software package constantly monitoring your PC). So why didn’t we list this program last time, as one of the best anti-malware programs out there? Well, it appears that Spyware Terminator does an admirable job preventing malware from infecting your machine (it does a good job proactively); however, it does a poor job removing malicious code which has already infected your machine (apparently it doesn’t find nearly the same number of problems as other programs out there). Therefore, in summary, if you are looking at a good preventative measure then download and install Spyware Terminator. If, however, your machine is already exhibiting signs of infection, then there is no need to make use of this program.

Before, we finish for the day we are going to look at one last program which was once king of the anti-malware crowd: Ad-Aware.

Computer Repair Vancouver’s most contentious Anti-Malware program

Ad-Aware used to be one of those programs that everyone went to once there computer was infected. It was easy to use, efficient, and simply got the job done. Now, largely owing to its past, Ad-Aware is still a popular free program. Unfortunately, these days it is often referred to as bloatware. The program itself is rather large and takes quite some time to download. Its updates and scans take quite some time to complete. Furthermore, it can slow some computers to a halt (particularly when scanning). The biggest problem we see with Ad-Aware is that its abilities are very similar to other free programs out there; however, it is simply no longer a lean application. Now, if a friend or family member ever advises you to download and use Ad-Aware we see no harm in trying it. However, let it be known that if your computer suddenly becomes unbearably slow, you will likely have to uninstall it soon thereafter. 

And thus comes to a close our discussion of malware. It is a large and sometimes convoluted issue; however, realize that you need not know all the intricacies involved. As long as you keep a few updated anti-malware programs on your computer, and you make sure to run them once in a while, you should be fine. Computer Repair Vancouver has had to deal with numerous virus and malware problems, and we doubt this is going to change any time soon