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Last Updated:
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Abdul Buvar (Computer Security Expert)
Malware Expert and Consultant for Network Security
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, 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
- 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@richglobalreview.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
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OUR
TOP PICK FOR MALWARE REMOVAL
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Rating
9.9/10
| Ease of Use |
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| Malware Removal |
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| Customer
Support |
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| Overall
Rating |
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#1
Rated Malware Remover for
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
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
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Rating
9.0/10
| Ease of Use |
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| Malware Removal |
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| Customer
Support |
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| Overall Rating |
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Also Recommended
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.
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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.
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