What basics do i need to protect my computer i.e firewall . anti virus, anti spyware ?

My computer has really slowed down. i want to clean it up and use just the necessary to keep it reasonably quick. What do i need for protection and where can i get them for free. Many thanks

What basics do i need to protect my computer i.e firewall . anti virus, anti spyware ?norten

PCTools products do get good reviews. The good thing is they have free versions of their products. They work great. Spyware Doctor from the Google pack is a must. I highly recommend it. I bought Webroots Spysweeper and spyware doctor finds stuff spysweeper does not. Having both is a perfect combo and I recommend running two anti-spyware products.

PCTools Anti-Virus

http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/

PCTools Threatfire - Malware Protection

This free tool makes your current anti-virus better. Definite Download

http://www.threatfire.com

PCTools Firewall Plus

http://www.pctools.com/firewall/

The Google Pack includes a free starter edition of Spyware Doctor.

http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_inst...

Reviews

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136191...

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You can do an online scan for viruses and spyware for free from the major vendors. Some of these require Internet Explorer to run because of Active-X

Trend-Micro

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/