You can make good arguments against using free security tools. They can contain their own adware or malware (a means for the programmer to recoup their investment) and they can be inefficient, untrusted and open security holes of their own.
For the first argument, I suggest weighing the popularity and usefulness of the tool as well as mitigating its use by scanning the tool with trusted software.
For example, I use one freeware tool as a form of layered protection, knowing that it comes with adware. It's a popular and effective tool, so there are benefits. Further, I mitigate using the tool by scanning with a premium anti-spyware tool, which catches the tool's adware and disarms it.
In this way, I get the benefits of the tool without the harm.
As for the second argument, there are popular freeware tools that are simple enough to examine yourself, safe and effective, and come from known-good sources.
For example, I regularly update the hosts file from http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm in order to block known-bad sites. The file is a popular tool that comes from a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP). The source is good and the tool is good.
Logic dictates that a simple hosts file that I can open in plain text and read, finding only known-bad site links mapped to the local home address 127.0.0.1, is not a threat.
http://www.helio.com/page?p=homepage#devices
Some time back, I blogged about the Helio Ocean. At the time, coverage was not so great. But, Helio has my area covered—with the exception of 3G—and there are four phones to choose from: the Ocean, the Heat, the Fin and the Drift.
OK. I'm not that much of a phoner for a tech guy; I use computers for the Internet and phones for phone calls. Pardon me for dating myself. What does that have to do with Helio?
The phones look great and pack some awesome features, but the best local coverage in my neck of the woods comes from Alltel (not Sprint) and the phones that come with Alltel for a few bucks (not hundreds) will suffice.
Helio wants hundreds for the phones and over a hundred for unlimited service. I'm sure they are worth it, if your last name is Rockefeller. Somebody see to my first million bucks for me and I'll rush right out and get one. Still "no thanks" on the iPhone.
Internet Explorer kicks Bob out. Bad Bob? No. Bad computer! Here are some things to try, one set of instructions at a time.
- Right click on the Start button, left click on Explore from the menu.
- Open the Local Settings folder in the left pane.
- Under the Local Settings folder, open the Temp folder and delete anything the system will allow you to inside.
- Open the Temporary Internet Files folder and delete everything it will let you delete in there. Close the current window.
- If you do not see the above folders, you may have an older version of Internet Explorer. How old is the computer? How much RAM do you have? What version of Internet Explorer do you have? To check, click Help in the top menu and then click About Internet Explorer.
- If you have enough RAM or can acquire more, upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, version 7.
- Go to Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup.
- Check all the boxes and click OK.
- In Internet Explorer, open Tools>Internet Options.
- Under the General tab, under Browsing history select the Delete button.
- Delete Temporary Internet Files, Cookies and History.
- Close those windows.
- You can run ScanDisk under Windows XP.
- Open MyComputer, right click on the C Drive, left click on Properties.
- Click on the Tools tab.
- Under Error Checking, click Check Now.
- Check both boxes in the new (smaller) window and click the Start button.
- In the next window, click Yes.
- Restart the computer and let it do its thing (perhaps for an hour or more) until it comes all the way up again.
- You may want to acquire the following free files and programs to help clean up your system: the latest patches from Microsoft, a Hosts file for blocking known bad sites, SpywareBlaster, ZoneAlarm, AVG Anti-Virus, HD Valet, RegCleaner. You may need an elite computer guru to run these for you.
- If you are running Spybot S&D or AdAware, buy SpySweeper instead and run that.
3. If none of these things work, comment here with as much information about the problem and your system and software as you can provide.
