Useful Utilities

Every Windows user should take certain precautions to secure their PC against various viruses, spyware and malware. Listed below are some of the many tools available to secure your PC. Tools are listed by type and cost. (Free or Paid) This list is not meant to be complete. These products are known to work as advertised, and should give most users no trouble. The bottom line is that these various security tools need to be used and kept updated. Choose at least one product from each category, and you will be far better protected than most PC users.

Security

Firewalls

ZoneAlarm Personal Firewall (Free and Paid versions)
Sygate Personal Firewall (Free and Paid versions)
Kerio Personal Firewall (Free and Paid versions)

Antivirus

Norton Antivirus (Paid version only)
AVG Antivirus (Free and Paid versions)
F-Prot Antivirus (Paid, but very cheap for multiple licenses)

Anti-Spyware

Spy Sweeper (Paid, but with a 30 day free trial)
AdAware (Free and Paid versions)
Spybot (Free, donations are welcome)
Microsoft AntiSpyware (Free - program is beta, but very stable)

Password Managers

Norton Password Manager (Paid version only)
RoboForm (Free and Paid versions)

Suites (Combines all or most of the above)

Norton Internet Security 2005 (Paid, includes all but password manager)
McAfee internetsecuritysuite (Paid, same as Norton)
eTrust Total Security Bundle (Paid, includes Pest Patrol)