For those who do not want to spend money on purchasing a licensed anti-spyware program, ClamAV for Windows is an excellent alternative. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the name, ClamAV is an anti-spyware program developed by ParetoLogic Limited that is used by corporations all over the world to protect their business information. The software comes with two different versions, each of which is designed for different types of operating systems, so that the user can choose which one will suit his needs the best. For example, if he only has Windows at home, ClamAV for Windows should be installed on his computer first before any other application. Since this is the most common version of the software, most people choose to install it on their computer and go on to scan and clean up their hard drive if they feel that they need help with their spyware and malware protection.
To download and install ClamAV, a person should visit the official website of ParetoLogic Limited and follow the on-screen instructions. A download manager will then prompt him to install the application. Upon installation, the main screen of the application will display a message that says "ClamAV has been successfully installed". Next, a window will then appear with a main menu, which contains several options such as Scan, Stop, Show Health, etc. The user will then have the option to either scan and clean up his system or scan and kill ClamAV applications that are running in the background once he opens the control panel.
The main focus of ClamAV is to detect and remove malicious programs that are hidden on a computer and can harm the performance of the operating system by blocking system resources, for instance the access to the system registry and files, and also preventing network communications between the server and client computers. Unlike other anti-spyware applications that have to run in the background and constantly poll for updates, ClamAV can be installed and then used right away without the need to update. A good thing about this is that clamAV is not dependent on Windows updates, therefore it can keep running on the latest version of the Windows Operating System without the need for constant monitoring and updating. So if a user is running Windows XP, the best ClamAV download for him/her is the one that can detect and remove the most recent virus infections that are still hidden on a windows computer and can bring back the optimum performance of the computer.