There is no one BEST program for everyone and no single program can protect against all infections! Each person's individual computer usage is completely different. Some folks download illegal programs and music, which exposes them to more infections than any other behavior. Some folks only read their email and do some light surfing.
Because usage is different, the appropriate software is different for everyone.
Here is a list of FREE programs that do their job well, for various security tasks. Most of the time, several programs are necessary to maintain a full range of security/protection against viruses, trojans, worms, etc.
There is a safe site, with software reviews by both the editors and users at www.download.com Most of the following programs can be downloaded from there.
ANTI-VIRUS:
-AVG by Grisoft
-Avira
-Avast
Any *one* of these would probably work well for you! Read the reviews to be sure.
ANTI-SPYWARE:
Since NONE of the anti-spyware/anti-adware programs are 100 percent accurate in finding and removing spyware, you need *at least* two programs which you will run one after the other, not at the same time.
There are several excellent free ones:
-Spybot, Search and Destroy
-Ad-Aware
-Spyware Blaster
-Superantispyware
-Malwarebytes
FIREWALL:
-Comodo
-Online Armor
-SandBoxie
-Sunbelt Personal Firewall (formerly Kerio)
-Zone Alarm
GENERAL CLEANING:
-Ccleaner
