AVAST 4 Home Edition provides free antivirus protection for Windows XP/2000/NT/ME/98. The scanner installed just under 40MB and 6 running processes to our Windows XP Pentium 4 test system, taking a slightly bigger toll than other free antivirus scanners, but still well suited for older PCs or those with limited system resources. Vendor's Site Pros Small footprint ideal for even older PCs Scan on bootup helps thwart resuscitators Removes some adware and spyware

Free antivirus software may be the only option for those on a limited budget. The question, of course, is how well free antivirus software protects your PC, how easy is it to use, and if something goes wrong will you be left out in the cold? The answers may surprise you. This review looks at three free antivirus solutions: AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, AVAST 4 Home Edition, and AVG Free Edition.

AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic provides free antivirus protection for Windows XP/2000/NT/ME/98. The svelte scanner installed only 34MB and 3 running processes to our Windows XP Pentium 4 test system, making it an excellent option for those with older PCs or limited system resources. Vendor's Site Pros Small footprint ideal for even older PCs Comprehensive reporting options Scans can be run in Safe Mode

Korean-based Iocell has announced VaccineDrive, a USB drive that includes the Hauri ViRobot antivirus scanner. Iocell uses C2, their own developed operating system. They claim to the be the "World's First Portable Anti-Virus Drive. But the C2 platform wasn't even released until Sep '05, and the VaccineDrive specifically was not released until January 13, 2005. Iocell claims that C2 is 'open platform', but that can be widely interpreted and they offer little insight into what that interpretation might be.

Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition is an all-in-one security suite that leaves most of the protective decision making for adware and spyware blocking and removal up to the user. One wrong choice and your system may continue to spy on you or dish up ads. It's one hefty product too, consuming over 300Mb and installing 11 services, 3 startup items, 2 Toolbars and 2 BHOs - thus it may be less than ideal for already taxed PCs.

AVG Anti-Virus plus Firewall Edition is light on resources, heavy on protection. The firewall provides permission-based access control reminiscent of the popular ZoneAlarm firewall. The high level of control and customization will appeal to the most advanced users, while less savvy users will find the Basic interface simple to understand and use. Manufacturer's Site Pros Update alerts provide notice when priority upates are available Highly customizable; can be password protected to prevent changes Intergrated firewall offers permission-based control of Internet applications Supports multiple languages Basic and Advanced configuration options

It's not just viruses that plague today's Internet users. Spyware surreptitiously monitors your computer and Internet use, while adware can bombard your PC with unwanted advertising. Both pose a drain on your bandwidth and can lead to loss of security. Following are a selection of the best dedicated adware and spyware scanning tools to ferret out these often hidden menaces. If you go the standalone route, make sure you back it up with antivirus software and a firewall.

G DATA AntiVirusKit 2005 (AVK) provides a double layer of protection, bundling both the Kaspersky and BitDefender antivirus engines under a single, easy-to-use console. The use of these engines offers an important advantage to AVK. In response time testing conducted by AV-Test.org during 45 outbreaks in 2004, both Kaspersky and BitDefender provided commercial updates faster than any of their competitors. And fast response times aren't the only benefit these two stellar engines bring to the table. AVK was the only product out of 35 tested by AV-Test.org in 2004 to achieve 100% detection of both the basic WildList viruses and the more comprehensive collection of zoo viruses.

A public beta of Microsoft AntiSpyware was released on January 6, 2005. Beta software is software that has not been thoroughly tested and may exhibit unexpected behavior ranging from benign inconsistencies (i.e. misspelling in dialog boxes, inability to use certain features, etc.) to serious incompatibilities (i.e. inability to access the Internet, system crashes, etc). Beta software should never be installed on production systems. Participation in the public beta is at your own risk. Tech support is not available. Those who wish to test the public beta for themselves may download a copy at http://www.microsoft.com/spyware.

Trend Micro's PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 builds on an already solid foundation, offering a host of new features designed with the user in the mind. (Read the review). One of these new features is their Vulnerability Assessment Security Check - providing an at-a-glance list of any missing security patches that could leave you vulnerable to compromise. From the Security Check console, a single click takes you directly to the Windows Update site to get the patches you need installed.