Anti-Virus, Firewall, and Spyware Control Products

Virus Protection

McAfee VirusScan
In 10 years of using McAfee Anti-Virus, our PCs have never been infected.

Grisoft AVG products offer anti-virus, anti-malware, firewall, & spyware protection. They have discounts on multiple licenses, and are very easy to set up. They recently launched an updated product line that provides comprehensive computer protection. They also have discounts on multiple licenses.

ZoneAlarm Antivirus is a relative newcomer on the virus protection scene, but we are including them because have had many years of success with their firewall.

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Spyware and Adware Protection

Up to 80% of PCs are infected with Spyware. It can slow down your PC and cause system crashes.

CounterSpy (spyware/adware control) is low cost (under $20) and they offer discounts for multiple PCs/licenses or multiple years. We have used CounterSpy for several years and are very pleased with its protection and reliability.

Note: Version 2.0 was just released, and the price may be going up to $29.95, so now is a great time to buy! (They will still offer discounts on additional PCs/licenses and multiple years.)

Pest Patrol is a little more expensive than CounterSpy but is also an
excellent product to control and remove spyware/adware.

Grisoft AVG Anti-Malware is part of their updated product line that provides
comprehensive computer protection. They also have discounts on multiple licenses.

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Firewall Software

The Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall (from the developers of CounterSpy) offers home computer and privacy protection for under $20, with discounts for multiple PCs/licenses.

ZoneAlarm Pro is an excellent firewall, but be prepared for some set-up time (it will ask you you a lot of questions as you use it to help you configure it). If you want a firewall that is easy to install and configure, try AVG Anti-virus Plus Firewall.

Or, try ZoneAlarm's free firewall, and if you like it then consider buying the full version. The free firewall is intended for home PCs. Click here to see the differences between the free version and the full version, and links to 15-day demo downloads.

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Security Suites (Anti-Virus, Firewall, and Spyware Protection in one package)

We prefer to use individual products rather than security suites on our PCs, but since suites are convenient here is one from Zone Labs, whose firewall product we have used for several years.

From AVG Software, complete security protection against viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, hackers and spam. They offer discounts for multiple PCs and for multiple-year subscriptions.

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Free Anti-Virus, Spyware/Adware Removal, and Firewall Software

The following products are free, but you should consider making a donation to the developers of free products, or buying their full products, if the product helps you.

Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition - AVG Anti-Virus Free is for private, non-commercial, single home computer use only. For multiple PCs or business systems, they have a suite of products.

Grisoft ewido Anti-Spyware Free - ewido anti-spyware Free is a free anti-spyware protection tool developed by GRISOFT for home use. After the installation, a free 30-day trial version containing all the extensions of the full version will be activated. At the end of the trial, these extensions will be deactivated and the program will turn into a feature-limited freeware version.

Spybot Search & Destroy - This is a great product, but it doesn't work automatically - you have to run it regularly. While it removes a great deal of spyware it doesn't prevent it's installation. For the most reliable protection use CounterSpy or PestPatrol.

ZoneAlarm Firewall - Free Version
Click here to see the differences between ZoneAlarm's free version and the full version, as well as links to 15-day demo downloads.

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Other Computer/Technology Shopping

For your other Hardware and Software needs, Prairie Skies Technical Services Recommends:

Buy.com and NewEgg.com have a good selection of products at reasonable prices - with excellent buys on software, computer upgrades, and DVDs.

(If there are any problems, you can return the item to the store!)

If you sign up for a PayPal Merchant Account, you can begin accepting payments or donations! No monthly fees - you pay only a low transaction fee for each transaction: