Posted 11/30/09 at 03:00:00 PM by David Murphy

For those of us who download applications, programs, extensions, or really anything off the Internet in great frequency, what's the best way to keep a computer completely protected from external threats? I'm talking about locking down your system tighter than a Supermax prison--not impacting your ability to carry out your everyday tasks, rather, making sure that you're protected from attack at your PC's primary entry points.

That's exactly what I'll be exploring in this week's freeware roundup: The five best free applications for keeping your computer as secure as can be. If you aren't running some combination of these freeware and open-source apps, well, you only have yourself to blame if your system gets infected with something unpleasant!

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Posted 09/18/09 at 06:00:00 PM by Paul Lilly

If you're an active reader of Maximum PC, you may have seen us recommend SUPERAntiSpyware in the past, and with good reason. The spyware scanner does a good job of detecting and disinfecting nasty malware infections, and it's free (paid version also available).

As of Thursday, SUPERAntiSpyware has begun offering free online scans, a particularly handy option if a malware strain happens to be blocking your spyware proggies from running, as they're prone to do.

"Our new online scanner is a critically important tool for computer users and technicians," said Nick Skrepetos, founder of SUPERAntiSpyware.com. "The new breed of infections we are seeing simply block most, if not all, anti-spyware and anti-virus products from running. This leaves users and technicians in a desperate situation. We have answered the call with our stand alone online "Safe Scan" which will run when other products are blocked."

The online scanner doesn't run in a browser like many of the online antivirus scanners, and you'll still need to download a nearly 9MB file. But SUPERAntiSpyware says it does not install anything in your Start Menu or Program Files "and does NOT need to be uninstalled."

We gave Safe Scan a spin and it looked and felt just like the regular version of SUPERAntiSpyware. You can download updates, schedule scans, and choose between quick or complete rooting out of spyware.

If you want to kick the tires yourself, you can do so here.

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