malware removal

Dec 13
08:14

2011

Natasha Ross

Natasha Ross

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As a professional security consultant I know first hand how badly malware can affect a PC. The term malware refers to software that is intended to infiltrate or damage a computer without the user's knowledge or consent. Protecting your computers against malware requires choosing the right tools for the job, and without a malware remover you are putting yourself at risk!

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With eight years in business as a computer consultant there is one thing that still surprises me almost every day. Too few computer-users work to protect themselves against malware (malicious software). The user keeps on booting up and using their PC without a second thought about the Adware,malware removal Articles Trojans, Spyware, and viruses that running in the background. Their computer seems slower and is prone to errors, those ads keep popping up, and worse than that suddenly their credit card information is in the hands of a criminal.

What's even more surprising is that those same user's are often the ones who wonder how it happened when their PC is trashed, and they're suddenly in debt because of identity theft. Keeping the malware at bay is important, but with so many malware removers out their we need to first talk about what a good malware remover is and isn't.

First, a malware remover is NOT just a virus scanner. All viruses are malicious, but not all malware are viruses. To protect yourself well, you need both a virus scanner and a malware remover.

Second, a malware remover is NOT a tool to restore lost data that was caused by viruses or other problems. It will detect errors that are currently on the PC, but it can't restore the data you lost because you left that virus on your computer for too long.

Third, a malware remover IS a complete scanning tool for that will rid your computer of most types of malicious software. It works to remove AdWare, Spyware, Trojans, worms, and other malware that commonly infect today's computers.

Fourth, if you don't take the time to choose the best tool for the job it isn't just your computer data that is at risk. You are also risking losing your personal data to thieves, possibly losing control of your computer to hackers, and in some cases damaging your computer to the point where it is useless. The right malware scanner can work to protect you against all of that and more.

To help you choose the right tools for the job, a few of my colleagues and I took the time to evaluate the five best malware removers on the market. We rated them based on the following criteria.

Worked to remove the simplest types of malware (basic Adware, tracking cookies, etc).

Removed complex malware including Spyware, worms, trojans, and others.

Identified and corrected errors caused by malware that had been running on the PC

Easy enough to use that even the least-technical user would be able to run a scan

Powerful enough to allow flexibility for power-users.

Malware definitions are updated on a regular basis

Worked to protect our laptop running Windows Vista

Helped protect computers running Windows 7.

Worked to protect our desktop computer running Windows XP

Worked to protect our Mac that had Windows installed

Provided timely support when we asked questions of the company

Increased system speed on the most infected system

Overall rating based on all of the above factors

To ensure that our evaluations were fair, we chose the most infected systems we could find to test with, and after each test we restored those computers to their previously infected state. Below I have shared the results of our testing for the top five malware removers on the market.

The software tools we have listed are the simplest and most effective malware removers on the market. If you do need help though, please don't hesitate to email me (info@reviewsaboutcentral.com) and I will answer any questions you may have.

Also, please do take the time to let me know (use the email above), once you have protected your PC, and share with me your own thoughts on our top five malware scanners.

To taking the MAL out of Malware,

Abdul Buvar

OUR TOP PICK FOR MALWARE REMOVAL

XoftSpySE

XoftSpySE - Spyware Remover Screen

Rating9.9/10

Ease of Use

Malware Removal

Customer Support

Overall Rating

Click for a Free Malware Scan

#1 Rated Malware Remover 2011

Out of all of the malware removers we tested, one program came out on top for all of our criteria. The software is XoftSpySE, and it is the best solution we found for protecting a PC.

XoftSpySE is the most comprehensive solution for Trojans, Spyware, Adware, other types of malware, and for keeping your data safe.

In our tests XoftSpySE scanned faster and caught more errors than any other program. It also removed more malware than any of the other programs tested.

The program updated immediately upon installing, and it also updated once more in the couple days that we ran the software. It was clear that this company is working hard to keep their tool up-to-date.

The first time you run the software, it will walk you through the steps to protect your PC, and will scan your PC for the first time. After scanning with XoftSpySE our computers were completely cleared of malware, and problems caused by that malware were corrected.

Advanced users will also enjoy complete customizability that comes with this one.

When we decided it was time to contact customer support, we found a huge list of FAQ's and other documentation. We actually had trouble coming up with a question that we could ask. This makes finding answers simple. After we did decide on a problem we could ask about, it only took about an hour for the support team to get back to us.

For top-class support, and a top-notch malware remover, we are giving this one the award for being #1

Adware Award 2009

December Update: XoftSpySE is currently being offered with a limited-time special. For only $39.90 you get XoftSpySE and the company will throw in their registry scanning tool for free (a $39 value). I've been told that this offer won't last long, so you should take advantage of it now.

In Summary: Out of every tool tested XoftSpySE rated higher in every category. The tool performed better, was updated more often, and had better customer support than any other program on our list. We're giving this one the award, and rating it #1

Click Here to Remove Malware from Your PC Now

No Adware

Rating9.1/10

Ease of Use

Malware Removal

Customer Support

Overall Rating

Highly Recommended

2. No Adware

In second place we have a program called No Adware. With this product, and then next on our list, they both actually performed very well and we could have put either into second place.

No Adware found almost as many malicious programs as XoftSpySE. It found root kit errors, trojans, Adware, and Spyware, and in general the software performed very well at ridding our computers of malware.

On all of the systems we tested the program corrected previous errors caused by malware, and worked to give a speed increase once the system was cleaned.

Scanning the system is as simple as clicking "Scan My PC", and the software did receive an update in the short time we used it.

The only real complaint we had about this one was that the software is more difficult to change settings with than XoftSpySE. As far as malware removal it did perform almost as well.

For support we had our question answered immediately using the web sites live chat system.

We are giving No Adware a 9.1 rating and putting it in second place.

Click Here to order No Adware

AntiSpyware Adware Remover

Rating9.0/10

Ease of Use

Malware Removal

Customer Support

Overall Rating

Also Recommended

3. AntiSpyware

The next tool on our list is AntiSpyware. This one performed as well as NoAdware in terms of malware removal, but it wasn't quite as simple, and the support for this one wasn't as fast.

When we scanned our computers, as expected, all it took was a single scan to remove malware from our system. The software did find almost as many problems as the winner did, it removed all of the tracking cookies, and it caught and corrected issues caused by some of the more advanced malware we had installed on our system.

Where this one didn't perform as well was with ease of use. Yes you can scan the system with a single click, but for users who want to setup the software, the options list is more complicated. You can actually set the same options, but the interface is clunky and the options aren't as clear.

Another area where we weren't as pleased was with the software support.

They do have some decent online documentation, and they are supposed to have a live chat support. But, when we used that chat system, it took more than one attempt to actually get someone to talk to us.

Even with the minor issues, the product itself performed very well and is simple enough for even the least technical users. We can still recommend AntiSpyware as an malware removal tool.

Click Here to Order AntiSpyware

Spyware Nuker

Rating 8.0/10

Ease of Use

Malware Removal

Customer Support

Overall Rating

Highly Recommended

4. Spyware Nuker

The next malware remover on our list is Spyware Nuker. This tool is the last that makes our highly recommended list. It falls in fourth place because it doesn't seem to be updated as often, and the customer support wasn't as good.

Also, Spyware Nuker didn't correct as many issues as the first three on our list.

On all of the PC's we tested Spyware Nuker, it did clean the system with a single scan. Adware, Spyware, and the trojans/worms we had on our system were removed. It didn't catch quite as many problems as the first programs on our list, but all of the major issues were corrected.

The major issues we had with this one were: the interface is not as easy to use, and they don't update as often as the first two programs on our list.

It also took a full day to get an answer to the question we sent to support. Compared to many companies this isn't bad, but it definitely worked against them when the first three programs on our list allow so clearly beat them.

Click Here to order SpywareNuker

Spyware Nuker

Rating7.0/10

Ease of Use

Malware Removal

Customer Support

Overall Rating

Also Recommended

5. Spyware Cease

In fifth place we have Spyware Cease. This program actually did okay for finding and removing malware but we had some other issues that keep it in last place.

This tool found as many errors as our third place product did without having to change any settings. The issues we had were with support, adjustability, and updates.

During the time we tested this software it wasn't updated, and to confirm that this is an issue for this program it also didn't detect the newest adware-trojan that was on our Mac. The software is harder to change settings with, and there are too few options to make it very adjustable at all.

Finally, support for this program was the worst of our top five. They have very little online documentation and the only way to contact them is through a form on their site. We did receive a response to our initial question, but the answer wasn't correct and we had to ask again.

Since it did work well for Adware Removal this program is also recommended. Most users will have an easier time with the first three on our list though.

Click Here to order SpywareCease

Where to go from here? Use the link below to get the best adware remover from our testing, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.