Avoid the 'Microsoft Tax' with Free Security, De-crapifying Software

Windows users essentially pay a Microsoft tax for every PC they buy --- the cost of extra security software they need to buy every year, plus the time it takes to rid their PCs of "crapware" and other software junk. But there's no need to pay that tax --- I've got advice on the best free security software and de-crapifying software so you won't have to pay a dime or waste a minute.

In my blog yesterday, I detailed the extent of the tax. I noted that it generally costs between $60 and $80 a year to buy a full-blown security suite to protect your PC. But there's plenty of free security software you can get, and it's every bit as good as the for-pay kind. Following are some of my favorites.

For free anti-virus software, my two favorites are Avast and AVG. I use both of them on different PCs, and both provide live protection and virus-scanning and killing. They both also use very little RAM or system resources, and so you won't even notice they're running. Neither will clog your system like some of the big security suites.

For a superb all-around free security suite, get Comodo Internet Security. It's got a firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware, all rolled into one, yet is still lightweight enough that it won't slow down your system. The firewall requires training, and so is a bit obtrusive at first, but after you train it, it stays out of your way. If you're looking for a free firewall instead of Comodo, get Online Armor Personal Firewall.

There's plenty of free anti-spyware to complement Windows Defender, including Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware.

How about ridding your PC of all the crapware? A great bet is the free PC Decrapifier, which rids your PC of the common junk put on new PCs. And CCleaner is a superb all-around tool for getting rid of all kinds of gunk.

There are plenty of other free tools you can use to get rid of the junk on your PC, including Registry cleaners, disk cleaners, and more. Check out my article, "15 free downloads to pep up your old PC" for details and downloads.