Protect Your PC from All Types of Threats Free!

A firewall; in my opinion the most important piece of software that we're going to use to protect our PC. Windows firewall is inadequate (in my opinion, I know many people who don't agree).

For free firewall protection, we'll look at two options. Zone Alarm basic is great, it blocks intrusion attempts and makes your computer invisible to everyone on the internet. I find older versions of this program to be better than the newest, version 6.1.744 for example works flawlessly (filehippo.com has many freeware application downloads with a sidebar to download older program versions).

Or you can download Comodo free firewall (just as good as zone alarm in my book, they both offer superb protection).

The first time you open a program that uses the internet (after a firewall is installed), you'll be prompted to allow it to access the internet, or block it. Also, there is a setting to remember your choice, so you won't be bothered with an access popup for this same program again. This way, you have control over all the traffic going in and out of your computer.

Now that we've got a firewall, let's get an anti-virus. I prefer bit defender free edition (many people say AVG offers the best free protection but I disagree). Bit defender free doesn't offer real-time protection, but it does offer a virus scanner with free updates (updated definitions are as important as the anti-virus itself). Preform a full system scan immmediately after install, and then once every one to two weeks after that.

Our firewall keeps us protected from intrusions while we're on the internet (and keeps malware from accessing the internet if it does get onto your computer, as long as you block the request), our virus scanner keeps our system clean from the latest viruses; what about other threats like spyware and adware?