Here’s what you should look for when choosing anti-virus software:

• Effective Virus Detection. Viruses are detected by antivirus software in two ways: a full scan of your hard drive, or in real-time as each file is accessed. It is critical that antivirus software provide both these features, especially real-time protection. Does the product quickly identify infected files with a realtime scanner, whether it comes via email, IM Apps, web browsing, etc?

There are a number of certification laboratories that test the detection rate of antivirus software, purely rating products on whether or not they are capable of detecting in-the-wild viruses. I recommend only choosing products that are certified by at least one recognised certification scheme. Check the following sites to see whether the product you’re interested in passes their tests:

West Coast Checkmark http://www.westcoastlabs.org/

Virus Bulletin 100% awards http://www.virusbtn.com/index

ICSA https://www.icsalabs.com/icsa/icsahome.php

There may be several certification programs to choose from and you’ll need to match the product version you’re considering with the platform you intend to install it on.

• Effective at Cleaning or Isolating Infected Files. Does the product thoroughly clean, delete, repair, or quarantine the infected file to stop the spread of the virus and save the rest of your system/network?

• Performance and Ease of Use. No product will be effective if users do not understand how to use it, if certain features are absent, or if it has a negative impact on their system. How easy is it to install the software? How easy is it to scan for infected files? Can you schedule a time when your files will be inspected or specify what files will be inspected? Are the features easy to access and understand? Some anti-virus programs interfere with other software - in certain cases making programs unstable or worse. All anti-virus software will slow your computer down, but the best have the least impact on performance.

• Ability to update. Keeping antivirus software up to date is critical; more so than with any other software. Computer viruses are being written every day. The product should be able to update easily and should allow for full customization of the types of files to be scanned. Does the software developer provide regular updates? Are they free? If so, for how long? Will the software update automatically, or does the operation have to be performed manually? Anti-virus software should provide the option to change any of these settings and to schedule the automatic updates at a specific time that suits you.

• Activity reporting. You should be able to view what each demand scan found and what it did with any infected files. You should also be notified immediately of any infection found with the realtime scanner.

• Support. Does the software developer provide adequate technical support (extensive frequently asked questions/knowledge base, email support, help desk phone number, etc.)?

• Help Documentation. Is there a help document available? How useful is it? Is it easily understood without relying on technical jargon? Can you find your answers easily?

• Check the system requirements before you buy.

David Furlong is a qualified and experienced IT specialist and Technical Trainer. His list of credentials includes MCSE, MCSA, Dip IT, and he is one subject away from completing a Masters in Networking and Systems Administration. http://www.avg-antivirus.com.au

Cyberspace has opened up a new frontier with exciting possibilities of “File Sharing.” We can explore any interest imaginable and research any topic of choice. We truly are global in reach with high speed internet usage at our disposal and a keyboard at our fingertips. We can share music, movies, games and even personal photographs.

However, with this global reach and easy to explore medium, comes the many dangers of the internet. Many of these dangers lurk behind the scenes and without our knowledge or consent, we are observed by Spyware.

Spyware infiltrate computer systems along with file sharing downloads. Personal information about us circulates the globe via the World Wide Web, and a web it truly is! This information finds its way to different entities or companies that are keen on knowing our surfing habits and the sites we visit. They also want to know about our file sharing interests. These observations by spyware intrudes on our privacy and security.

We can benefit greatly from "File Sharing" but must constantly be aware of the risks and safeguard ourselves from its many dangers. We must do all we can to protect our surfing habits from the prying eyes of internet snoops.

We can have our password stolen, identity stolen, our personal information abused as well as the loss of privacy we hold so dear.

We must find and remove “Spyware” to protect us from the many dangers of internet spying. One of the ways is to eliminate file sharing that enable spyware to piggyback with the "File Sharing Files" and take up residence in our computer.

Spyware and adware infiltrate and infest computers in very subtle ways when we download our favorite music or movie files, while P2P file sharing and chatting online. Spyware takes advantage of these downloads and creeps into computer systems along with shared files, so that they go unnoticed. We suspect problems when the computer slows down, there are unsolicited advertisements, or browser hijacking. The best way to find such infestations is to use a spyware scanner that will detect them and enable their removal from the system.

Firewall and Virus software do not offer protection against spyware, hence the importance of a software designed to scan and remove spyware. Get a Spyware Scanner that can detect all known spyware. You can get a free spyware scanner at http://www.DeleteSpyware.net

Julian Pereira has researched Spyware and its many implications over the years. He brings to light the many problems that spyware can cause to unsuspecting computer users besides the loss of privacy and the risk of identity theft. His site http://www.DeleteSpyware.net provides a free spyware scanner.