How does Clif safely try new freeware?
Jan 2006
Some safety devices are always running on my PC's.
Firewall - NAT Router
Anti-Virus - AvastHomeEdition
Intrustion Detection - WinPatrol
Before installing a new freeware program I don't trust, I do the following.
The above scans verfify I am malware free before I start installing.
Next is the installation.
- Run TotalUninstall and include the actual new freeware program install with it.
Total Uninstall will allow me to uninstall the files and registry keys the new freeware program puts on my PC. It will work even if the program doesn't include it's own good uninstaller.
After uninstalling any software I don't want, I repeat the HiJackThis scan and compare it with the previous scan to see if anything unusual pops up. Then I might run the AdAware and SpyBot once again just to be safe.
These proceedures are not fool proof. I believe the safest method is to use a PC that is set up for only testing software. This test PC would always start in a known good configuration that is backed up so that it can be restored to the same good configuration after testing.
