Combining Commercial and Free Malware Removal Software

The first and foremost reason to look for free malware removal options is evident: price. As long as money is concerned, it is so lucrative to choose something reliable and effective, but costing zero.

But there are a lot of debates going on in conjunction with the dilemma whether free malware cleaners are better or worse than paid programs. In essence, the preference cannot be established once and forever because just about every case of computer infection is unique. Common approaches to cleaning out viruses aren't 100% reliable. Sometimes it makes sense to use a single paid security software because of its ubiquitous and reliable scanner. But many tech professionals tend to use freeware removers because they outperform commercial software in certain aspects.

With paid malware removers there's one more thing that often goes unnoticed: security issues. Using an infected computer for ordering software is too risky. Some software companies stick to the policy of releasing programs in "demo" mode which means they are able to scan for malware but won't remove the detected infections unless purchased. No-one can be sure that installed spyware doesn't track the transaction details, so while processing the credit card data to get an anti-malware program it's quite possible to have very private details sent to remote server owned by cyber criminals. So removing malware is best done with freeware tools. This is a general precautionary measure recommended to all PC users: avoid doing any payment transaction from an infected computer.

The main drawback of free malware removers is that they usually cover very specific targets unlike full-featured commercial software. That is, depending on which type of infection you face, a different tool might be needed. Trojan viruses are best fought with SDFix and ComboFix tools, both are command-line scanners designed to remove a set of stubborn infections that are commonly missed by major antivirus packages. SDFix implements a set of algorithms that allow this program to detect files with hidden attributes. Such files are not displayed by Windows Explorer (no matter what file viewing preferences are set). Pieces of malware often hide themselves by getting such attributes, and common antivirus programs simply cannot detect them. This is why running SDFix sometimes is an indispensable step in removing smart infections.

Another powerful tool is HiJackThis developed by Trend Micro. This tiny program allows you to perform a quick scan of the system for currently running processes, auto-start items, their registry paths, browser hooks, Browser Helper Objects (these are often targeted by malware to force user to visit dangerous websites), hosts file modifications, etc. Invalid or malicious items can be removed by single mouse click. HiJackThis is a GUI-based application so even intermediate PC owners can use it when instructed by experienced tech people.

Sometimes paid anti-malware programs offer fully functional trial versions at no cost. Though time-limited, they rely on same scanning engines and updates as paid editions which means they are very powerful malware removers. Friendly graphical interface and ease of use make them appealing to try out. This is especially true about a-squared, Malwarebyte's and SUPERAntiSpyware. These three independent programs are known to be great helpers in cleaning out PC systems.
When your Windows computer is heavily infected and current antivirus software is unable to fight the contamination, it's a good idea to try the free malware removal approach.