[whadido]

Thank you for your help.

Would any of these help REMOVE any malicious software that might have already been added to my computer, or am I being a little too paranoid?

[Petronski]

Firefox is a browser. You should be using it instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer.


The other three will search for and identify spyware, and give you the opportunity to remove it.

[Unmarked Package]

The anti-spyware, anti-virus, and web browser software tools that others are suggesting are excellent.

Another aspect of online security is to assess how vulnerable your PC is on the Internet. A free, online audit tool that I found most revealing is available from Gibson Research Corp. at ShieldsUP! This will give you a good snapshot of how well your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is currently masking your PC on the Internet and how vulnerable it is to malicious attacks.