You've heard of computer viruses.

You've probably heard of spyware.

You should have heard the terms malware and adware by now.

What about "rootkits" -- have you heard that new sweetheart?

Agghhh!! LEAVE US ALONE BASEMENT DWELLERS! (That's my slang for people who write pc viruses...I imagine them with greasy hair in their grandma's basement with a single lightbulb swaying back & forth typing like crazy, lol. It makes me laugh and takes the anger out a bit.)

ANYWAY....rootkits are the latest threat. I'm too tired to paraphrase, so I'll let Wikipedia give it to you straight:

"A rootkit is a program (or combination of several programs) designed to take fundamental control (in Unix terms "root" access, in Windows terms "Administrator" access) of a computer system, without authorization by the system's owners and legitimate managers. Access to the hardware (ie, the reset switch) is rarely required as a rootkit is intended to seize control of the operating system running on the hardware. Typically, rootkits act to obscure their presence on the system through subversion or evasion of standard operating system security mechanisms. Often, they are also Trojans as well, thus fooling users into believing they are safe to run on their systems. Techniques used to accomplish this can include concealing running processes from monitoring programs, or hiding files or system data from the operating system.^[1]"

Rootkit. (2008, February 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:56, February 19, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rootkit&oldid=191903308

I know what you're thinking. "Huh?" -- yeah, my sentiments exactly. This was a new one on me too! But as good fortune would have it, there is a free anti-rootkit software that you can download, courtesy of Grisoft.

Here's the link: http://www.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-anti-rootkit/us/crp/0

• Download
• Install
• Reboot
• Run the program - it will be listed in your programs as "AVG Anti-Rootkit"

So there you have it! Another weapon for your anti-cyber-demon arsenal!

If TuDogs lets me down, I'm off to Download.com, TuCows, SourceForge....then Lady Google, here I come! Keyword will always contain the words free or freeware. Yeah, they'll try and trick you by calling it a free download--then charge you after 30 days of use. But you gotta be savvy about the whole enterprise.

My favorite freebies?

Tech Support - protonic.com
What? Really? FREE tech support? You know it! Over 400 volunteer techs (I'm one of them...though haven't logged on in awhile) and they're all sweet as pie, ready to help you out.

AntiVirus - AVG Antivirus
This company believes that the internet should be virus-free, and that should include offering a free anti-virus program to make it so. Makes sense!

Anti-Keylogger - Amic Tools
It's sad that we'd even NEED something like this but, alas, we do. You MySpacers listen up! Get an anti-keylogger ASAP!

Anti-Spyware - Spybot Search & Destroy
I won't get into what spyware, malware, etc. is, but here's an overview. They're bad. Your antivirus won't catch spyware, this will. And it's free. Did I say that already?

Office Software - OpenOffice
Now, I gotta say I haven't had the best of luck with this one, but I've used it briefly and if you MUST have something compatible with MS Office but can't shell out the gazillion dollars that Mr. Gates apparently thinks its worth, go download OpenOffice. All the bells & whistles of MS without the price tag.

Techie Newsletters - Kim Komando
Komando.com - make sure that if you tell someone about this site verbally, you mention it's spelled with a 'K' and one 'M'. Made that mistake once. My poor, poor friend...scarred for life! Kim Komando, aka The Digital Goddess, is just that. She's a fancy, schmanchy computer whiz, she knows her stuff inside & out. She also has her own radio talk show.

The list goes on and on. Oh....I have SO many more faves, but will save them for another post. In the meantime, if you're looking for a good program to do some "x" project - check for freeware!