Sygate Personal Firewall
I had been running Sygate for over a year when I received an offer to upgrade via a system notification. Unfortunately, the automated upgrade within the program didn't work so I pulled up the Sygate web page and found out that they had been purchased by Symantec. I'm not a Symantec fan because when my computer was new it came with a trial copy of Symantec fire wall but when it came time to pay up, I decided not to license the software and when I tried to uninstall their software it locked up my system! I had a terrible time uninstalling it. Therefore, I wasn't happy when I found out that Sygate was purchased by Symantec so I decided to look at other free firewalls. I downloaded Kerio and Zone Labs and I had problems with both. I liked Zone Labs but for some reason it locked up my system and I couldn't figure it out so I had to uninstall it. I was bummed out because I really liked the interface. So I tried Kerio and that worked OK for a while but then I started having core memory dumps. I had three very scary events and after the third event I booted up my system and there was a window from Kerio apologizing for the event and saying that it was their fault and it wanted me to send them an automatically generated report. It took too long to compile the report so I had to hit cancel before it was complete and then I uninstalled it. So after all of my efforts I ended up finding my old, and free, version of Sygate again. It's available on twocows. The free version is not available from Symantec's page. The Sygate firewall works pretty well for me. I've had no problems with it. The GUI isn't as fancy as some but it works and you can get the information you need. Best of all, it's reliable. The motto of this whole experience... If it works don't fix it!!!
http://www.tucows.com/preview/213160
Spyware Guard
This is a great freeware application that provides the real-time monitoring that your system needs. It protects against browser hijacking and notifies you if a program tries to write to your registry. I don't run it all the time but it is nice to have on hand so you can engage it if things "heat up".
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sgdownload.html
LavaSoft
One of the standard freeware packages for finding spyware that has hidden itself on your PC is LavaSoft. It scans your system and fixes the problems. LavaSoft has been around for a long time and they continually update their database. Every home computer should run this freeware at least once a month.
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Avast
I think Avast is the best suite of anitvirus software on the market. They update regularly because they have a good fee based business that demands them to stay current and there is not any difference between the products that are free and their fee based stuff. Basically, Avast is free for the home user but it is a pay service if you are a business user. They provide a great service and have a strong business. The Avast suite is a little resource intensive but antivirus is an important function so this is a good spot to spend cycles. Every home user that runs Avast owes them a big thank you because we are getting a lot of value free of charge. If I were a business owner or if I had influence in a business where I worked, I would definitely be using Avast because they have proven themselves to me. I recommend them to you with confidence.
http://www.avast.com/eng/programs.html
CC Cleaner
I've run CC Cleaner for years and it'’s always provided a good service. It enables you to clean just about every temporary file that is stored on your computer. Of course, you can select which files to delete. After it's set up, you push one button, and your system is cleaned in less than a minute. It also has a good software de-installer (under the "tools" tab).
http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
Harden It
This is a security patch that tightens up some of the loop holes in your XP software. Run it and forget about it.
http://www.sniff-em.com/harden-it.shtml
SpyBot Search and Destroy
Spybot is a very popular adware and virus scanner. Spybot is an essential part of any home computer system. The GUI is pretty intuitive so download it, learn what it does, and your computer will benefit. I don't spend much time protecting my PC from all the crap that is out there. If you take a few precautions (running spybot 1 time a month is one of them) you shouldn't have any trouble either.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
XP Antispy
This is a must have program for anyone running Windows XP. There are all kinds of things in Windows XP that you don't necessarily want to run. This program allows you to shut off a lot of the unnecessary services that your XP is running. This program puts a GUI around the administrative chore of shutting down the services. The GUI tells you what it is doing and provides some great information about the services so you can make the right choice on whether or not it is important for each service to run in your environment. Everyone running Windows XP should install and run this product because it tightens up your security and saves you a lot of resources.
http://xp-antispy.org/index.php?option=com_remository&func=sellang&iso=en
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