1.  Microsoft Security Essentials.  This is the best anti-virus program I’ve used.  It’s light on resources, stays up to date, and works well.

2.  Malwarebytes. The free version is wonderful to scan and remove possible malware threats.  However, this is one of those cases where I really do believe the full version is worth the price.  Whereas in the free version, it is an on-demand scanner which the user must remember to run, the full version will run at startup, can be set to automatically update and scan on a preset schedule.

3.  WinPatrol.  WinPatrol does the work so you don’t have to be an expert.  You can remove/disable startup programs; manage services, remove active tasks; expose hidden files; manage cookies and filtering; monitor and restore file type associations; monitor host files and start pages, and more.  Try out the free version, and I’m sure you’ll agree that supporting WinPatrol by upgrading to a WinPatrol PLUS is definitely worth it.

4.  Filehippo Update Checker.  One of the best ways to keep your computer malware free, and running it’s best, is to keep your essential programs up to date.  Filehippo is a fantastic site, offering an array of free programs.  Their free update checker helps you stay current for programs you have installed that are also offered on the site.  Even if you don’t choose to run it at startup, you can run it on demand - and I suggest you do so regularly.  As I’ve said before, Java, Flash and Adobe Reader should always be updated to the latest version for security reasons.

5.  RevoUninstaller.  Hands down the best uninstaller around.  It gets rid of leftover files and helps keep your machine clean and free from the clutter that can occur over time.  The Pro version can even do a forced uninstall of difficult to remove programs and offers extended searching for leftover files.  It also offers an array of additional features.  Many of them are standard Windows features, but having them all located in one place makes it easier to use them.  I do believe this is worth the price of an upgrade.  The Pro version offers fully 64-bit support for Vista and Windows 7.  You can upgrade at a discounted price by doing so from within the free version. 

While there are certainly other utilities I suggest for many users (depending on the circumstances and their computer abilities), these are the ones that are simple to setup, and with the upgraded versions of the ones listed, can pretty much be left alone to do their job with little to no user interface.  If you prefer the free versions, they are all wonderful, and I certainly used them as free versions for many years before I decided to upgrade.  it just means you’ll need to remember that some of them are on demand and you’ll have to run them when you want them.

In the malware removal world, an infected restore point is better than no restore point at all.  Today, my Microsoft Security Essentials identified something in a system restore point it felt was malicious.  I wasn’t paying attention and tried to clean it.  Then, I was faced with a backup that wouldn’t complete.  Thankfully, I was able to allow the file the next time I tried the back up and my image completed with no problems at that point. 

I’m not terribly worries about a malicious item in a restore point, because unless you actually use that restore point to bring back your system to a previous state, it’s not active - it won’t be a problem to leave it there.  If you find a system restore point is infected, I’d suggest just creating a new point after you’ve cleaned up.  Then you can delete the old ones with no worries (or just leave them there and make a mental note not to use them unless absolutely necessary.)

I remember when I first purchased Photoshop Elements.  I read how you could do almost everything in it you could do in Photoshop.  I even bought a couple of books about using it.  Them there books still sit on a bookshelf.  I never used them. And I never learned to use the program to is full potential.  I only learned the basics.  For anything more complicated - I’d Google and attempt to follow the directions as best I could (sometimes with less than stellar results).  Then a co-worker mentioned Picnik.

I gave the website a go and I was hooked. I’ve been using Picnik for about 2 years now, and I must say - I adore it.  From the Picnik website:

Picnik is photo editing online, in your browser. It gives real people photo editing superpowers. It’s fast, easy, and offers tons of powerful tools, artistic effects, stickers, frames, touch-ups, scrapbooking tools, and more. And that’s all for free.  There’s even more available for Picnik Premium members: More tools, advanced effects, seasonal content all year long and more!

The real beauty of Picnik is it’s simplicity.  You don’t need to understand lots of complicated terms or remember crazy keystroke combinations.  Everything is clear and simple.  You just choose what you want to do - and Picnik does the rest.  Picnik also offers browser extensions for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome.  They offer helpful tutorials and have a forum if for some reason you need additional help.

The Premium membership is currently $24.95 per year.  Considering that Adobe Photoshop Elements 9.0 runs $99.99 for the latest version - I consider Picnik a great investment.  I can get 4 years of Picnik for the price of just 1 version of Adobe Photoshop Elements.  And I’m betting that even at upgrade pricing on Adobe, Picnik still wins hands down every time!  With Picnik you have ever changing new and update features without the hassle of updating software since you do the editing in your browser.

You can share your Picnik creations to Myspace, Photobucket, Yahoo Mail, Flickr, Picasa and Facebook.  And of course, you can simply save them to your computer to do what you want to with them.  Picnik keeps a history of your photos so they are available when you want them.

Started in 2005, Picnik was purchased by Google in 2010.  With the support and backing from one of the biggest names around, it has to be good! So go have a little fun.  It’s a beautiful day for a Picnik, give the free version a try and let me know what you think.

There has been an explosion in the malware forums lately, and not in a good way.  There are a couple of new rogues and rootkits going around and they are hitting a lot of people.  They are really nasty and not so easy to fix.  One person reported the computer shop he works in had 30 clients hit this week alone. 

The Windows Recovery rogue (and others like it) has the potential to appear to remove all your desktop icons, your start menu items as well as your quick launch and taskbar items.  They are easily restored using the proper tools, but whatever you do, DO NOT use any kind of cleaning tool that will empty your temp files or you will be in a world of hurt.  Even System Restore won’t help you if those temp files get emptied. The best thing to do is post in a malware forum and get technical assistance on this one.

The other is a really nasty piece of work that modifies one or more of your critical system files.  Right now, until our malware tools can catch up to it, it takes a bit of work to get rid of this little gem of a rootkit. Again, don’t tackle this one on your own - as for assistance in a forum (at least until anti-virus scanners and other reputable cleaning tools get a fix in place).

Your best defense right now is to be very careful what you click. Only download files from trusted sources. Stay away from P2P file sharing sites too.  Practice safe surfing even more diligently than normal right now!