According to Microsoft's website "Windows Defender is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software." [ http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx] Avast or AVG Antivirus protect against Viruses. You need BOTH. I have found spysweeper to be a pretty decent program for spyware removal if you'd like something additional to the Windows Defender. This is also where I recommend using Firefox for the Internet instead of Internet Explorer. Jason On 12/27/06, Jeff Rasmussen <jeff.rasmussen at gmail.com> wrote: > > I've started recommending Microsoft's Defender, for home users instead of > Grisoft's AVG because: > 1. it will be installed by default in Vista > 2. it looks like Microsoft will likely not charge for it, ever > 3. most home users just need something that will continue updating > definitions (If AVG ever decided to stop offering a free package, then > everybody I've recommended using it will probably have the free AVG > installed with no current definitions just like the trial versions of > Norton) > 4. it works smoothly with the operating system (It doesn't work with MS > own corporate proxy, therefore I assume that this will only be a consumer > product offered by Microsoft to keep people from moving to Mac or Linux > because of viruses) > > -- > Jeff Rasmussen > GPG public key 0x9686C12F > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20061227/b55be04a/attachment.htm