Layers of protection are what will keep your PC virus-free, spyware-free, trustworthy and running well. These layers include: education, operating system updates, anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, and a secure web browser. Adding anti-spyware to your PC is a huge step in creating the layered protection you need to keep your PC safe. Gone are the days of anti-virus being all you need to protect your system.

I’ve used many different applications for eliminating spyware and other nasties not classified as viruses (collectively called malware). One has consistently proven to be invaluable. Ewido has been a favorite tool in my arsenal, cleaning malware from systems so infected that other tools couldn’t even complete their scans. It was purchased this year by Grisoft, purveyor of the excellent free-for-consumers anti-virus, AVG Anti-Virus Free. Recently, Grisoft released their first rebranded version of Ewido, called (surprisingly) AVG Anti-Spyware Free. I’ve not yet had need to tackle a seriously infected system with it, but I have installed it on several PC’s and it seems to be as good as ever.

AVG Anti-Spyware Free is available for a free 30-day, fully functional trial. (Here’s a link to Grisoft’s free products front page, should the direct link be broken.) After 30 days, the major loss in functionality is the loss of automatic updates and real-time protection. Automatic updates simply means that it checks for new spyware definitions daily, then downloads and installs them without your interaction. Real-time protection means that it prevents known spyware from even installing on your PC. While both of these features are highly desirable, it is a great product even without them. Updating the application manually only takes a few clicks and scanning your system is only a few more. The catch is you must remember to do these things! (Create a repeating calendar entry to remind you at least monthly.) Of course, for a reasonable cost of $40 for a two-year subscription, the fully-functional application is quite within reach of most budgets and certainly adds peace of mind, especially for the forgetful of us.

A few other anti-spyware applications that are available for free, are useful and are trustworthy:

• Spybot Search & Destroy (Clean-up and some prevention)
• SpywareBlaster (Prevention - plays very well with Spybot S&D)
• Windows Defender (XP only - plays well with AVG Free Anti-Spyware)
• AdAware (A good product, but I prefer the others)

A WORD OF CAUTION: Be wary of any other free anti-spyware applications, especially if an ad for one pops up on your screen. There are many unscrupulous people selling useless junk billed as anti-spyware. Even worse, some of them will actually infect your system rather than clean it. Here is an excellent list of “rogue” anti-spyware applications.

Add an anti-spyware solution to your PC and know that you are actively protecting your PC and the personal information you store on it and relay through it.