Anti-Virus on the Cheap

For some odd reason, I have this image of George Foreman in my mind, saying "I'm not gonna pay a lotta money for this virus scanner!" But I have good news for you... I just saved a load of money on my, oh wait... wrong commercial. There *are* some excellent free virus scanners, and some can even be run online.

I recommend Trend Micro's Housecall for starters, which will scan your computer for viruses directly from the web. They also offer a free online spyware scanner. This site is trustworthy and uses an ActiveX applet to do the scanning. If you have trouble starting the scan, your security settings may be too high. Follow the instructions on the site to modify your settings and things should work fine.

Use an Offline Virus Scanner

For maximum protection, I recommend that you also install a good anti-virus program on your computer, which will scan your system at startup and continuously thereafter. McAfee virus protection is now included with AOL membership, and Road Runner offers their users the EZ-Armor package at no charge. If your ISP isn't offering any freebies, check out the free AVG package from Grisoft at http://free.grisoft.com

Want to learn more about viruses and spyware? Read my article How Can I Avoid Computer Viruses?

BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin's website for more helpful articles and free tech support.