Anti-malware software suites
When it comes to anti-malware software, the first decision any Windows user needs to make is whether to go with an integrated suite of software or pick and chose specific products, such as a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software. If a suite came pre-installed, it’s certainly a tempting option. Dealing with a single company and not having to install new software has obvious appeal. But, I think it’s the wrong way to go. For one thing, the software suites can be complicated to use. Oftentimes they have been known to slow down the computer. And they cost money, whereas there are many free anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs to chose from. Plus, they may be overkill. In what has been called feature creep, they typically include many different types of protective software in addition to the baseline anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall. This added complexity can negate the single product simplicity advantage.