A few months ago we showed you how Malware can get on your computer. Asian Angel also did a great series on different free applications you can use to combat it all. Trend Micro is a trusted name when it comes to combating malicious software and here we take a look at some of the free tools they offer to detect and eliminate various forms.

HouseCall

If your computer isn’t running right and you suspect there might be malware causing the instability, you can use HouseCall which is an on-demand scanner for identifying and removing it. HouseCall is a stand alone app that doesn’t install on your machine. In fact you can run it from a flash drive. When you kick off the launcher it updates with the latest virus definitions.

The user interface is simple and easy to use and allows the basic functions for detecting and removing viruses and other malware.

Before starting a scan, go into Settings and choose between a Quick, Full, or custom scan.

Progress is shown while the scan takes place showing results, and you can stop it at any time if you need to.

If threats are found you can select what action to take for each one, then click the Fix Now button.

Here we showed you Version 7.1 (beta) and you can still download the legacy version 6.5 which runs in your browser and requires ActiveX or Java. Keep in mind 7.1 doesn’t install on your computer so there is no real-time protection, but if you need a way to quickly scan a system and remove malware it definitely will do the trick.

Download HouseCall

RUBotted

Bots are malicious apps that take over your machine and join in networks called Botnets. They work in unison over the Internet to relay spam, infect other machines, attack web servers, etc. RUBotted installs on your computer and monitors for suspicious activities and regularly updates to identify behavior associated with bots.

It runs quietly in the background, you can access it from the tray, and if a threat is detected it will prompt you to take action.

Download RUBotted

CW Shredder

This utility has been around for several years but still can help you get rid of an annoying CoolWeb, which infects a ton of directories on your PC. When I worked at IT at a community college a few years back, this was a very handy tool. It only works for a CoolWeb infection but if you have had one before you know how much of a pain removing it is.

Download CWShredder

These are some free anti-malware tools that can come in handy especially when fixing someone else’s computer.