Links on anti-virus, anti-spam, etc. software

A list one of my acquaintances posted on her mailing list, in an effort to help list members decontaminate themselves and quit cluttering the list with viruses. The comments and recommendations are Phlip's, not Dr. Bloch's.

As far as I [Dr. Bloch] can tell, all of these are Windows-specific. Which is fine, because the great majority of viruses, spyware, etc. are designed for Windows... but there are viruses, etc. written for Unix and Macintosh, so if you use a Mac, it doesn't mean you're safe, only somewhat safer.

antivirus.com

This is the one Mike Wilson suggested. Every time I tried to use it, my server bounced on me, so I gave up, but I used my other protections.

AVG (free)

This is one I use. It does a good job, comparable to Norton, and has free updates. It is also compatible with Norton, so you can run both without your computer tying itself up in knots- or at least, I can, using Windoze 97.

Ad-Aware (free)

AdAware does a nice job of digging out hidden adware that various sites and free programs sneak into your computer. It has a mild incompatibility with Spybot, but spybot will explain that, and how to use both without problems. Works well with my other programs, and has clear explanations of what it does for you.

Spybot- Search and Destroy (free)

This is excellent at digging out spyware. I knew I had a spybot in my machine, and nothing else would get it, but Spybot finally did. It's easy and provides support. It's free, but if you can afford it, please make them a donation -- donations won't get you more services, they really are totally free, but donations will help keep services like this available.

Pop-Up stopper (free)

This one blocks pop-up ads, and does a very good job. It's easy to use, and you can easily turn the block on and off if, like me, you occasionally go to sites where supplementary information is given through pop-ups- CNN.com is a good example. You can buy a copy with more abilities, but the basic freeware copy is quite adequate.