My Security Software Choices

In my security software recommendations article in each week's newsletter, and in my Security Software Recommendations page (which gets updated less frequently), I write about the alternatives that I recommend. These include both individual programs for individual security functions and packages that address multiple functions.

Unfortunately, this makes it a long, long article each week.

Hopefully, this page will give you a clearer idea of what I prefer.

These are my personal choices — the ones I use on my primary computer (my notebook) and on my wife's computer — are:

Antivirus + Antispyware: VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware, from Sunbelt Software (commercial software, $39.95 one computer 1 year, discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years, unlimited home site license available, free 15-day trial of full-function program)
Firewall: Sunbelt Personal Firewall, from Sunbelt Software (commercial software, $19.95 for full-function version, discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years, unlimited home site license available, reduced-function version free for personal use, free 30-day trial of full-function program)
Anti-virus: NOD32 anti-threat system from ESET (commercial software, free 30-day trial)
Anti-spyware/anti-adware: CounterSpy, also from Sunbelt Software (commercial software, free 15-day fully-functional trial, discounts for multiple computers and/or multiple years, unlimited home site license available)
Internet Explorer Protection: WinPatrol Plus, easy blocking and removal of Browser Helper Objects (free WinPatrol and paid WinPatrol Plus)
Anti-spam: PopFile, more than anti-spam, it is an email classification system (free software)
Backup: Replicator, from KarenWare, for daily backup of data files to another computer (read more in my article about backing up my data files) (free for personal use)
Backup: Acronis True Image, for image backup of C: partition — in effect, creating my own "Recovery CD's" for my C: drive as I have it configured and with the programs and data I have on it. I can also recover individual files from the Acronis True Image backups.
AutoStartup Protection: WinPatrol, easy disabling of auto-starting programs (free software)
History Cleanup: WinClear, Windows and Internet History Eraser - not for Firefox and Opera, though (free download and scan)