FYW: Free Your Web-Surfing

Lavasoft Ad-Aware® is very good, though if you are short on memory the real-time detection function slows your machine down.

Spybot-S&D©® is one of the most mature free anti-spyware applications

If you have the memory for it, the best defense is to run both. Automatic updates are only available with the paid versions, so if you choose the free versions, be sure to update regularly. Though, if you are going to pay for an anti-spyware application, I recommend Webroot Spy Sweeper. The only difficulty you may encounter with Spy Sweeper is purchasing it. Their site functionality is need of my optimization services.

AVG is just plain great, though they make it hard sometimes to find the free version, and upgrade prompts try to convince you to get the paid version.

AVG has free automatic updates. This is critical for most people because I can not remember how many PCs I have serviced where the paid anti-virus had expired.

I find most of the bundled ISO burners either use too many system resources or just awkward to use. Active ISO is free and easy to use.