Expert: Brian Benosky - 4/28/2009

Question
I have one pc with vista and one xp and our provider gives us mcaffee internet security for free.  What would be a good secondary free antispyware program to run with that mcafee?  I have used adaware free version in past and S&D and I have heard of windows defender but I am not sure what would be my best choice to keep that spyware out.  I notice some programs catch stuff others don't.

Answer
Hi James

You are correct that some anti-spyware programs are better than others.  Adaware, unfortunately, has taken a step back with it's recent releases, and Windows Defender is a weak program.  If you are looking for real-time protection, meaning that the program is running constantly in the background, Spybot S&D is the best choice.  My suggestion is to also add Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to your security toolbox.  The free version does not offer real-time protection, but there is no better malware scanner.  Every few weeks, run a quick scan with MBAM (updating definitions first, of course).  If it turns up any problems, run the full scan to be sure you catch everything.  You can read more about it and download the program from here:
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
If you have any further questions, just let me know.

Brian