Emilie Johnson's List: DGL Assignment 2.5

• YOU WANT SECURITY software that's as close to perfect as possible. After all, if just a single piece of malware slips through your defenses, it can wreak havoc on your PC. The question is, how close to perfect is free antivirus software?

    

  According to our testing, some free antivirus programs do an admirable job of detecting, blocking, and removing malware, but others don't have what it takes to protect you.

    

  For this roundup, we once again teamed up with AV-Test, a well-respected antivirus-software testing lab, to put nine free antivirus programs through their paces. Applying a rigorous battery of tests, AV-Test evaluated all of the packages to see how well each one can withstand both brand-new malware and older baddies, and how well each can clean up a malware mess. In addition, AV-Test performed a number of system-speed tests to determine how much each program will drag down a PC's performance. Finally, after installing the programs, we evaluated how easy each one is to use.
• For this roundup, we once again teamed up with AV-Test, a well-respected antivirus-software testing lab, to put nine free antivirus programs through their paces. Applying a rigorous battery of tests, AV-Test evaluated all of the packages to see how well each one can withstand both brand-new malware and older baddies, and how well each can clean up a malware mess. In addition, AV-Test performed a number of system-speed tests to determine how much each program will drag down a PC's performance. Finally, after installing the programs, we evaluated how easy each one is to use.

• Most free antivirus programs are pretty basic: You get the ability to scan your PC for malware when you want to, and most of the products will also continually monitor your PC for malware as they run in the background. But most of them don't include a firewall or extra features like parental controls. (One exception: Comodo's free Internet Security Premium does bundle in a firewall.)

    

  The biggest drawback to going free: Your support options are generally limited. Most free programs offer a message board where users can discuss problems, but these boards don't provide professional support. You can find exceptions, however. Comodo, for example, includes a version of its GeekBuddy software, which lets you work with a Comodo technician to fix issues you encounter.

• AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2012 came out on top in our testing. It's fast, it blocks brand-new mal-ware effectively, and it cleans up infected PCs efficiently. Avast Free Antivirus 7 and Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.5 round out the top three.

    

  If you're looking for something that can serve as a supplement to your current antivirus software, PC Tools Threatfire is a good option: It was the best all-around at stopping brand-new malware attacks in our testing. Threatfire relies solely on what's called behavioral analysis -- how programs behave on your PC -- to identify malware, whereas most traditional antivirus apps use either malware definition files or a combination of technologies to stop threats. Since Threatfire is primarily intended to stop malware before the invader causes a problem, you should be sure to install it on a clean PC.

    

  For more on how we rate antivirus software, see find.pcworld.com/72578. And for expanded reviews of these packages, see the online version of this story at find.pcworld.com/72841.

    

  The following reviews appear in order of scoring, as in the accompanying chart.

     AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition  

  Our top pick, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2012, performed well in virtually all of the tests we ran.

    

  In our real-world malware detection tests, which evaluate how well an antivirus package will block brand-new threats, AVG's freebie blocked 85.7 percent of the samples, tying for the best result among the programs we tested. It detected 98.7 percent of the more than 129,000 samples of malware from the past four months in our malware "zoo" test. That's a good score, although a bit short of the best results we've seen.

    

  AVG was at the top of its class in disabling active malware infections: On our test PC, it detected and disabled all malicious software, and removed all traces of malware two-thirds of the time.

    

  AVG also scans a PC relatively quickly. When we directed it to check 4.5GB of data, it sped through the job in 1 minute, 35 seconds, the third-fastest time in this test and only 4 seconds slower than the fastest. Its on-access scanner -- which runs when you open or save a file -- took 4 minutes, 55 seconds to go through the same amount of data, about average for the programs we looked at.

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• LAST FALL, Google claimed that its Chrome 2 Beta browser was "many times faster" than rival browsers at running JavaScript. In February, Apple asserted that its newly launched Safari 4 Beta was the fastest browser in the world. And this month, Microsoft started marketing Internet Explorer 8 with videos purporting to prove that it's faster than its rivals.

    

  They can't all be right. To see how quickly those three browsers and Firefox 3.0.7 loaded a series of popular Web sites, PC World undertook detailed real-world tests. The results: Google Chrome 2 Beta finished with an average page-load speed for our nine test sites of 1.30 seconds--0.50 second faster than runner-up IE 8. Safari and Firefox tied for third with a 2.12-second average.

    

  We saw the biggest differences in average page-load times with the home pages of the English-language Wikipedia and of MySpace.

    

  Chrome 2 Beta loaded Wikipedia in 1.12 seconds; IE 8 completed the task in 2.24 seconds; and Firefox 3.0.7 and Safari 4 Beta straggled in at 3.31 seconds and 3.38 seconds, respectively.

    

  Likewise, Chrome 2 loaded the MySpace home page in just 1.43 seconds, versus IE 8's 2.59 seconds, Firefox's 2.94 seconds, and Safari's 4.20 unhurried seconds.

    

  Safari's results disappointed us, though it did load the Amazon home page fastest.

• In our speed comparisons, we pitted a near-final build of IE 8 against Firefox 3.0.7 (the current nonbeta version of Mozilla's browser), the beta version of Chrome 2, and the beta of Safari 4. We loaded nine popular Web sites: Amazon, Apple, eBay, Microsoft, MySpace, PC World, Wikipedia, Yahoo, and YouTube. To ensure accurate measurements, we recorded our testing efforts on video for review later on.

    

  We performed all of our tests on a Gateway P-7811FX laptop running a clean installation of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, and we reinstalled the OS before testing each browser. For each test we cleared the browser's cache and then loaded each page in our test suite, repeating the process ten times per site per browser to ensure accurate results, to factor out fluctuations in network traffic, and to build a sufficiently large sample size to identify trends. In addition, we threw out the two best and the two worst scores for each page-load test to reduce the influence of fluctuations for more-consistent results.

    

  We didn't base our determination of when a page was loaded on the browser's opinion. Instead we waited until all visual elements of the page were loaded and ready to use. Thus, on Apple's home page, we judged the page to be ready when all of its graphics and images were loaded and its custom search field was ready to use.

• To gauge how well today's Web browsers handle HTML5 and JavaScript code, we decided to subject Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox to the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark and to the WebVizBench benchmark for HTML5.

    

  Our test computer was a Lenovo ThinkCentre M71e desktop PC with a 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-2600 processor and 8GB of memory. The graphics hardware consisted of an AMD Radeon HD 6450 graphics card with 1GB of video memory. Browser performance can vary depending on your hardware and software, so our results are by no means the final word in browser performance, but they can give us an idea of how browsers compare.

    

  In ourtests with the WebVizBench benchmark, Chrome 22 achieved an average score of 6172, which equates to a frame rate of 33.9 frames per second; among the three browsers, Chrome had the best result in this graphics-intensive test. IE 10 captured second place with an average score of 5147, or roughly 26.7 fps. Firefox finished third after posting an average score of 2810, the equivalent of a scant 2.5 fps. The degree to which Firefox lagged behind Chrome and IE on our test system was surprising, and the result seems to indicate that Firefox doesn't use the graphics card as effectively as the other two browsers do.

    

  Although the differences in our JavaScript performance tests weren't quite as pronounced, Internet Explorer 10 came out ahead, completing the SunSpider benchmark in 98 milliseconds on average. Chrome 22's mark of 145 milliseconds put it in second, and Firefox 16 rounded out the three at 152 milliseconds.

• Slim is in. Most browsers now sport streamlined looks, with fewer, narrower toolbars--and in many cases on Windows, no menu bar to speak of. This sort of layout typically works well, since it usually includes drop-down menus in the toolbar that give you easy access to the browser's features.

• pp itself; that works okay, but the pane isn't quite as easy to browse as the Chrome and Firefox skins galleries are.

    

  We based our evaluation here on the ease of use, polish, flexibility, and layout of each browser's interface. We also looked at whether the interface got in the user's way too much, or whether it allowed Websites to take center stage.
• We based our evaluation here on the ease of use, polish, flexibility, and layout of each browser's interface. We also looked at whether the interface got in the user's way too much, or whether it allowed Websites to take center stage.

• Internet Explorer 8 The leading browser on the market, Internet Explorer, sports a decent interface in version 8, but it feels cluttered next to newer rivals. Two aspects of its tabbed-browsing setup are useful, however. First, IE 8 groups related tabs together using color coding. If you open a link from PCWorld.com in a new tab, for example, it will open adjacent to the original tab, and the tabs themselves will have a matching color. You can move tabs from one group to another; but if you have, say, three unrelated pages open, you can't create a group out of them.

    

  Second, IE 8 offers a tab thumbnail view: Click the thumbnail button (the one with four squares) in the tab bar, and up pops a screen with thumbnails of your open tabs' contents. It's a good way to see everything at once; whether it's better than Opera's mouse-over thumbnails is up for debate, though.

• Firefox 3.6 Bearing the same basic look and feel as earlier releases of Firefox, version 3.6 seems dated. It has more "window chrome" (a window's toolbars, menus, title bar, and so on) than what the latest versions of Chrome or Safari have, which makes it look like something out of 2006, not 2010. in addition, its highly cross-platform nature means that it can feel a little out of place at times, even on Windows.

    

  But there's nothing seriously wrong with Firefox's interface, and it has its share of niceties. For one thing, its Find bar makes searching for a specific word or phrase on any given page easy. And though Firefox isn't the only browser to have a URL-autofill feature, it does the job better than most other browsers do. One note: Shortly before we went to press, Mozilla issued a beta of Firefox 4. Among the new features is a revamped interface that takes cues from rivals like Chrome and Opera. See PCWorld.com for our ongoing coverage of Firefox 4 as it nears its final release.

• Chrome 5 With Chrome, Google applied its trademark minimalist style to its browser. The main window has only the basics (a tab bar, an address field, back/forward/reload buttons, and a couple of drop-down menu buttons), which lets the page you're browsing become the star of the show. You won't find a status bar, either; page-loading messages appear as needed in the bottom of the window. The overall result is a browser that's slick, speedy, and responsive.

    

  Tabbed browsing is presented in a thoughtful manner. The tabs sit above everything else on the page, which makes for a logical flow of information in the window. As you open pages, the tabs shrink to fit the available space; and as you close tabs, they grow again.
• Chrome comes out ahead thanks to its clean, functional Interface, but we also liked the polish of Opera and Safari. Which Interface is "best" can be subjective, so this is largely a matter of personal preference.
• Internet Explorer 8 Historically, Internet Explorer has suffered a bad reputation when it comes to security, but IE 8 has some solid security features in its own right. IE 8 displays sites' domains in a darker text color, so you can more easily see whether you're actually visiting an ebay.com page, for instance, or, instead, a fake eBay page on a phishing site you've never heard of. Microsoft could still put a little more emphasis on the domain name (using a different-color background, for example), but the highlighting is a welcome addition, and Google Chrome has since picked up this little trick. In addition, IE 8 provides a cross-site scripting feature that can prevent various types of cyber-attacks (see find.pcworld.com/70311 for more on cross-site scripting threats).
• Chrome 5 Google took a novel approach to security with Chrome: Each open page is "sandboxed." If a site you visit has been hijacked by cybercriminals, sandboxing can help prevent malware implanted on that site from accessing the files you have on your PC. If you're interested in the technical nitty-gritty, you can read Google's blog post on the topic at find.pcworld.com/70313.
• BEST SECURITY: Chrome  

  Sandboxing is great (and you'll, never notice it). Chrome was the last browser remaining at this year's Pwn2Own hacking contest (find.pcworld.com/70314), too.

• Internet Explorer 8 IE 8 permits you to install assorted browser toolbars--including those search toolbars that you either love or loathe. IE 8 also includes Web Slices and Accelerators. Web Slices are add-ons that allow you to keep tabs on information from around the Web without your having to visit the sites. For example, the eBay Web Slice tracks auctions, while the USA Today Entertainment Web Slice lets you quickly view the top showbiz stories. These usually live in your IE favorites bar, and open with a click.

    

  Accelerators are shortcuts for tasks that you perform in your browser. For instance, if you highlight a block of text, a blue icon appears next to it. If you click on that icon, you get a menu that lets you translate the selected text, search for the selected text, look it up on a map (if it's an address), and so forth. You can see the entire library of IE 8 add-ons at Microsoft's aptly named Add-ons Gallery (ieaddons.com).

• Firefox 3.6 Firefox first championed extensions years ago, and though other browsers have caught up a bit since then, Firefox retains the add-on crown. Mozilla has a library (at find.pcworld.com/ 70315) of thousands upon thousands of add-ons and extensions, ranging from security add-ons to social networking tools to stuff for Web nerds. By going to Tools•Add.am in Firefox, you can view and enable or disable installed extensions, themes, and plug-ins, and browse through recommended add-ons.

    

  One gripe: Updating extensions can be more obtrusive than I'd prefer. I'd like to see Mozilla make updating extensions happen in the background.
• Chrome 5 Chrome rolled out extension support late last year, and Google's extension library (find.pcworld.com/70316) already has a healthy selection of goodies such as toolbar icons, notifiers, and weather updates. Extension updates happen more seamlessly in Chrome than in Firefox, and the extensions are better integrated into the browser. That said, Chrome can't quite match Firefox's breadth and selection of add-ons.

•    BEST EXTENSIONS: Firefox  

  Though there's a tot to like about the add-on support in other browsers, Firefox stilt takes the prize in this comparison, mainly because its extension support and library are already mature and welt established.
• According to the Sun-Spider browser benchmark, Chrome offers the best JavaScript performance, as it completed the suite of tests in 301.1 milliseconds on average. Opera and Safari followed in second and third place, completing the benchmark in 575.4 and 597.7 milliseconds, respectively. Firefox came in fourth at 902.5 milliseconds. Internet Explorer brought up the rear, finishing the tests in 3903.2 milliseconds (no, that isn't a typo; IE 8 really did lag that far behind).

•    BEST JAVASCRIPT HANDLING:  

  Chrome Google's browser surpassed its four major competitors by a fair margin on this particular test.

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  Internet Explorer 8 put up a respectable showing overall and was the fastest browser in five of our tests, but Chrome's average page-load time of 1.75 seconds was the speediest of the five browsers we looked at. Safari 5 came in second overall at 1.89 seconds.
• BEST PAGE LOADING: Clifton,  

  In this speed test, Chrome enjoyed only a slight lead over the other four browsers we examined.
• With that in mind, if we had to select only one browser, Chrome would be our top recommendation. We like Chrome for its clean and friendly interface, good performance, and strong security. It covers all the basics for most users, and it offers plenty of customization for power users.

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• We examined the Latest versions of six widely used desktop and laptop browsers -- Chrome 17, Firefox 10, Internet Explorer 9, Opera 11.61, Rock-Melt 0.9, and Safari 5.1.2 -- paying special attention to such variables as speed, safety, extra features, and extensions.
• Among the PC browser contenders, Google's Chrome version 17 narrowly captured the crown as the top performer overall in our tests, thanks to speedy JavaScript rendering and page load times, excellent security tools, and a respectable array of add-ons and features. Mozilla's Firefox 10 finished a close second, processing HTML 5 graphics faster than any other browser and sporting a huge library of add-ons to make browsing easier and more fun.
• Chrome's minimalist design isn't eyecatching, but its lean toolbar leaves more room for viewing Web pages. And what Chrome lacks in flashiness, it certainly makes up for in performance. Google's browser really shone in our JavaScript test, far outdistancing its competitors. Many popular websites -- including Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube -- use JavaScript because it makes those sites more immediately responsive, and JavaScript-heavy pages behave better in Chrome. The browser also performed admirably in our speed test, fully loading an image-heavy page in just under 4 seconds. This lightning-fast speed comes from a feature new to Chrome 17 (released in early February) that lets the browser start loading the URL you type in the address bar before you press <Enter>.
• For starters, Chrome runs tabs as separate processes -- so if one of them crashes, the entire browser doesn't go down with it. If your online wanderings take you to a foreign-language website, Chrome will recognize the language and offer to translate it for you in a matter of seconds. The translations, powered by Google Translate, aren't exceptionally accurate, but they can at least give you a basic idea of what the page is about. Chrome is also one of the most secure browsers on this list, because it is sandboxed: The plug-ins that Chrome uses access information only within the browser itself and can't read information from other areas on your computer. Sandboxing prevents malware that uses plug-in exploits from spreading via Chrome through your PC.
• On the downside, Chrome lacks an integrated RSS reader, which means that you'll have to come up with your own approach to handling multiple RSS feeds if you subscribe to more than one.
• Firefox's biggest advantage over its rivals is its vast library of add-ons, which you can use to customize your Web browsing and make Firefox infinitely more useful. Not surprisingly, the more add-ons you install, the slower Firefox will be to start up and run. And some add-ons can turn Firefox into a memory hog, slowing down even the beefiest system.
• Firefox led the pack in our HTML 5 tests, and it finished third in handling JavaScript, easily outperforming Opera, Internet Explorer 9, and Safari. On our test machine, Firefox was the second-slowest browser at loading Web pages, taking 9.67 seconds (on average) to fully load an image-heavy page; the fastest browsers, Chrome and Opera, took only 3.79 seconds (on average) to load the same Web page.
• The fledgling browser outperformed Chrome at processing HTML 5, finishing third behind Firefox and IE 9. It took second place in our JavaScript benchmark, only slightly behind the winning Chrome; and it was again the runner-up in loading our static, image-heavy page, with a very good time of 4.15 seconds, less than half a second behind Chrome and Opera, which tied for first place.
• Internet Explorer has long lagged behind other browsers in features and ease of use. But the ninth version of Microsoft's browser offers a few functions that are at least as good as what the competition offers.
• IE 9 permits you to block sites individually or to rely on a Microsoft-assembled list of sites that have a history of tracking visitors after they leave the page.
• Microsoft also embedded its Application Reputation app in IE 9 to scan downloads and to warn you if a downloaded file is dangerous. And the browser offers built-in cross-site scripting protection, which scans websites for certain types of malicious code, and stops such scripts before they can damage your computer.
• IE 9 finished second in our HTML 5 benchmark test -- and as more websites move toward that graphics-friendly Web standard, Microsoft's browser will look even better. It didn't do as well on our other performance tests, however, finishing last in processing JavaScript, and also taking the most time to complete our static-page load tests (with an average time of 11.21 seconds).

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• GOOGLE TAKES direct aim at Microsoft with the release of its Chrome Web browser, And Microsoft should be worried: Chrome works in clever and convenient ways,

    

  Chrome has a remarkably minimalist interface. You'll see a row of tabs running along the top, a Web address bar, and a bookmarks bar that appears beneath the address bar. Chrome doesn't have a full-scale menu bar or a title bar, and it has few distractions in its interface.

    

  At the touch of a button, Chrome lots you make a desktop, Start menu, or QuickLaunch shortcut to any Web page or Web application, blurring the distinction between what's online and what's inside your PC.

    

  Chrome strips all of the toolbars from the window, leaving you with something that feels more like a desktop application than like an online app or a Web page.

    

  Search is an integral part of Chrome, and Google introduces some clever features (for example, you can search Google or other sites directly from the address bar). Chrome surpasses its competition by searching your browser history's page titles as well as page content.

    

  Chrome can be a little unstable, which is not surprising in a beta program. Flash did not work on my Vista-based system, for example.

    

  Google has produced an excellent browser that manages to be friendly and uncomplicated, yet powerful enough to meet the needs of more-advanced users.

• ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE IS crucial for combating viruses, malware, and hackers, but simply installing an antivirus program isn't enough. You also need to use strong passwords; keep your system, software, and Web browser plug-ins current; and use a good firewall.

    

  Luckily, a number of tools and services go beyond what antivirus programs offer, performing security audits of vulnerabilities that the big-name software packages miss. Here are five to check out.

     Qualys BrowserCheck  

  An outdated browser or plug-in can give intruders a security hole to exploit, so keeping your Web software up-to-date is a must. Qualys BrowserCheck (browsercheck.qualys.com) is a free service that scans your browser to see if you're running old or insecure versions of popular plug-ins or add-ons such as Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, Java, and Windows Media Player.

•   

  You need to guard against viruses, of course, but not all antivirus programs catch all threats, and some do better than others. You have to watch for many other types of threats, too: Malware invasions, hacking attacks, and cases of identify theft can originate from email, search engine results, websites, and social networks such as Facebook. They can also come in the form of links or advertisements for phishing and scam sites. But with some education on the topic, and the right tools, you can identify such scams and avoid falling victim.
• Protecting your data from computer thieves and from people who tap in to your Wi-Fi signal is also important. Encrypting your computer is the only way to ensure that a thief cannot recover your files, passwords, and other data. And unless you password-protect and encrypt your wireless network, anyone nearby can connect to it, monitor your Internet usage, and possibly access your computers and files.
• Installing a good antivirus or Internet security program should be your first step. However, not all are created equal. While no single antivirus product can protect against all of the millions of malware variants, some packages detect (and successfully remove) more threats than others do. For strong PC security, choose one of the top performers from our 2012 antivirus product-line reviews (go.pcworld.com/securitysuites2012), such as Bitdefender Internet Security, Norton Internet Security, or G Data Internet Security. And in the future, be sure to check PCWorld.com for our more up-to-date reviews.

• Malware-caused PC problems aren't the only thing you have to worry about. A determined cybercriminal can get inside your PC by directly hacking into it, and some malware can steal your data and passwords, sending the information back to home base.

    

  This is where a firewall comes in handy: It serves as a gatekeeper, permitting safe traffic (such as your Web browsing) and blocking bad traffic (hacking attempts, malware data transfers, and the like).

    

  Windows includes a firewall, named (appropriately enough) Windows Firewall. It's set by default to block malicious traffic from coming into your computer, but it isn't set to watch the data that's going out, so it will likely not detect any malware attempts to transmit your data to cyberattackers. Although you can enable the firewall's outgoing protection (in Windows Vista and later versions), that isn't easy for the average user to set up or configure.

    

  For the ultimate in PC security, you should use a firewall that protects your machine from both incoming and outgoing malicious traffic by default. First, find out whether your antivirus utility or Internet security package has a firewall component, and whether it offers full protection. If it doesn't, consider a third-party firewall such as ZoneAlarm Firewall (go.pcworld.com/zonealarmfirewall) or Comodo Firewall Free (personalfirewall.comodo.com).

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• COMPUTER SECURITY INVOLVES more than installing an anti-virus utility on your PC. Malicious hackers are on a mission to steal money and wreak havoc, and they'll do it by any means possible. The growing number of mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, and the popularity of social networks give them new avenues in which to expand their cybercrime.
• Mobile infections will continue to rise in 2012 -- especially on Android products -- as the population of devices increases further. Mobile malware often spreads via app stores, posing as a new app or as a look-alike of a well-known app. Third-party app directories usually contain more malware than official app stores do, so stick with the latter. Even then, examine user reviews and do research before you download, especially in the case of new apps. Also, install an anti-virus app such as Lookout Mobile Security (mylookout.com) for Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile, or AVG Mobilation (avgmobilation.com) for Android and Windows Phone 7.
• Mobile malware might be the hot trend, but threats still thrive on the PC, too. As in past years, malware will flourish on PCs in 2012, so install antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. If you need to cut expenses, try a free option such as Avast Free Anti-virus (find.pcworld.com/70362) or Microsoft Security Essentials (find.pcworld.com/72297); either will provide adequate protection.

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• IF VIRUSES AND malware are a regular problem for you, or if you're simply worried that your antivirus program isn't sufficient, you can add an extra layer of defense to your PC by setting up a sandboxing application. Using a properly sandboxed set of Windows programs can protect your system from malware that your anti-virus utilities might miss, keeping your personal data more secure while you're shopping online or visiting potentially dicey websites.
• Avast provides a free anti-virus program for personal use, as well as premium versions with additional features or for commercial use. Avast Free Antivirus (find.pcworld.com/70362) offers only auto sandboxing, while Avast Pro Antivirus (find.pcworld.com/72634) and Avast Internet Security (find.pcworld.com/72584) offer both auto and manual sandboxing.

• You'll enjoy protection from viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, rootkits, and other malware from the first day you turn on your Windows 8 PC. The updated Windows Defender now includes traditional antivirus functions on top of the spyware safeguards and other security features that it has had since Windows Vista.

    

  As a result, it's now similar in function (and in look and feel) to the free Microsoft Security Essentials optional download.

    

  Since Windows Defender will provide at least basic virus and malware protection, purchasing yearly antivirus subscriptions or downloading a free antivirus package is now entirely optional. Of course, you may disable Windows Defender and use another antivirus utility that promises stronger protection and more features, if that's what you prefer.

• When Microsoft released Internet Explorer 9, it updated the browser's SmartScreen Filter to detect and block unknown and potentially malicious programs that you download; the function complements IE's website filtering, which blocks phishing and malicious sites. With Windows 8, the program- monitoring portion of SmartScreen is built into the OS itself, and it will work regardless of the browser you use.

    

  The first time you run a downloaded program, SmartScreen checks it against a list of known safe applications, and alerts you if the program has the potential to be malware.

    

  With the debut of SmartScreen, Microsoft has elected to remove the old-style Security Warning alerts, which regularly cautioned users about running down- Loaded programs. This is a welcome change, as it reduces the number of alerts -- in Windows 8, you'll see a warning only when something is amiss.