[martin_fierro]

FREE PC PROTECTION: (Not an exhaustive list. Your results may vary. Void where prohibited. For entertainment purposes only. No wagering, please. Whattayawantfernuthin'.) (Thanks, but "Buy a Mac" doesn't qualify as "FREE PC protection")

Free Alternative browsers: Mozilla FireFox Opera Free Antiviral protection: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition Free Firewalls: ZoneAlarm Sygate Personal Firewall (thanx KoRn) Test your firewall from without with: ShieldsUP! DSL Reports Port Scan Test your firewall from within with LeakTest Free General Anti-Malware tools: Prevx Intrusion Detection (thanx TomGuy) WinPatrol (thanx TomGuy) Free Popup ad killers: Bayden Systems Popup Popper: Blocks popup ads well in MSIE Shoot the Messenger: Close that friggin' Messenger in Windows XP Free Spyware removers: Spybot S&D AdAware Free System Diagnostics: Everest Home Edition (thanx TomGuy) Free Windows Update: Windows Update LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Explore Linux as an alternative OS: Try Linux without installing it on your hard drive, via a free bootable CD-ROM! Download Knoppix (or one of these other Linux distributions), burn the ISO file onto a CD-ROM, and reboot with the CD-ROM in its drive. If you later want to install Knoppix on your hard drive, here are some tips. Ubuntu Linux (free, user-friendly download)

[TexasTransplant]

Bump

[rwfromkansas]

bump

[clyde asbury]

Explore Linux as an alternative OS

After using Firefox for almost a year, and playing around with Knoppix in DVD boot for a short time, this week I completely switched over to Linux. Both feet first, no dual booting. I don't hate Microsoft and I'm aware nothing on the Internet is safe, but I'm not sorry I switched, and I won't go back.

Even though my XP home system was only six months old, I know Longhorn would have slowed it down significantly if I were to have installed it when it's ready. Viruses and spyware were seldom a problem on my XP system, but only with utility programs and eternal vigilance.

Major MS OS upgrades require a newer and faster system, IMO. That's the idea.

[CORedneck]

Another alternative operating system - open BSD. Installation requires some expertise though.