If you've read my e-book, Internet Predators on the Prowl! you will know why ordinary people need extraordinary levels of protection on today's Internet. You also will have read about the mediocre performance of Microsoft's OneCare when faced with actual, live spyware.

     Following is an updated version of the next-to-last chapter, which tells how you can get four important types of protection for free - plus the highest-rated antispyware for just $30. Making your total expenditure for complete protection all of $30. I kid you not.

     Have you decided to avoid the shaky protection of Microsoft's OneCare and wait for something better? And are you ready to suit up in your shining armor to thrust back the ravening heathen hordes?

     As you may have noticed, "shining armor" doesn't exactly describe what's out there now. When pitted against spyware in actual combat, a lot of it comes out looking more like tinfoil. But some programs do have a good record, though nothing completely wipes out all spyware all the time. Which is why the people at SpywareWarrior.com say they run TWO antispyware programs on their computers.

     I have two antispyware programs on mine: Spysweeper, the top-rated antispyware, which is $30, and AdAware home version, which is free. For awhile after I upgraded from SpySweeper 4.0 to 5.0, SpySweeper - which is tremendously energetic - refused to let my free version of AdAware finish its scans. SpySweeper claimed it was working on a solution to this problem, and I let it bustle about alone, sending me a constant stream of chirpy little messages about the great things it was doing.

     And, fortunately, SpySweeper started letting AdAware through by the time I went to a website my computer said was probably a scam. I was so sure I had the right address that I ignored the warnings - and the site WAS a scam. When I did a spyware scan that night, SpySweeper found a big, bad Trojan, doubtless inserted during the fifteen seconds I was on that site! And then AdAware found a different big bad piece of spyware!

     So you see it really does pay to have TWO kinds of antispyware, since no one kind nails all the bad guys. And, yes, I spent my whole Internet safety budget on that $30 version of SpySweeper - and I think I got a good deal!

     My dream? I dream that someday a software firm will come out with an all-in-one program that's tops in every area and reasonably priced. And they will become justly famous, and we will all live happily ever after. But now that I've read multiple reviews of Symantec and McAfee products, I doubt that this wonder will come from either of them, and it certainly hasn't come from Microsoft. Perhaps it will come from some obscure little company with a zest for perfection . . . after all, as everyone knows, Google started in a converted garage in 1998.

How Good Are All-In-One Security Suites?

     If you check out the reviews, you'll find that these "security suites" offer far from perfect security. Which means you could easily pay $50 to $75 and still have your computer captured by a criminal hacker.

     Suggestion: Get the "Big Five": inexpensive but highly rated (1) antispyware, (2) antivirus, and (3) firewall protection. Sign up for (4) automatic patches for your Internet Explorer, Macintosh, or Firefox browser. And get for free a (5) spyware warning system such as McAfee Site Advisor. Then you're covered - until the happy day when a top-quality all-in-one suite actually makes an appearance.

     And now for the inexpensive but highly rated coverage that's out there:

Views of the Experts

     I used PC World, PC Magazine, and Download.com for ratings. Many websites do evaluations, but they aren't all impartial and don't all have a reputation for excellence. PC World and PC Magazine both have excellent, established reputations. Download.com has, in addition, both editorial and user evaluations of its listings. And you can, of course, download what you need right there.

     For programs that will work with Windows 98, read the section of this article called "Practical Suggestions for Windows 98 Users."

     A pleasant surprise: the top rated antispyware is just $30, and well regarded antivirus and firewall software is available for free. SpywareBlaster and the McAfee Site Advisor antispyware warning system are both free. You can, if you like, spend more and get more features - for example, BitDefender 9 antivirus no doubt offers features the free varieties do not - but many people, including me, find the highly regarded free antivirus programs do a fine job.

     PC World tested a number of antispyware products against actual spyware infestations. They say, "Webroot's $30 SpySweeper 4.0 removed 90 percent of the spyware components - the highest score - which helped make it the Best Buy among the stand-alone applications." Webroot now has come out with SpySweeper 5.0, which is even better.

     PC Magazine editors gave the new SpySweeper 5.0 the Editor's Choice Award on July 17, 2006. It also gives a high rating to SpywareDoctor, which, like SpySweeper, is $30.

     Download.com also gives high ratings to SpySweeper and SpywareDoctor, tested against actual spyware.

     Suggestion: if you already have antispyware that is NOT top rated, why not follow the Spyware Warriors' rule of two kinds of antispyware, making the second one either SpySweeper or SpywareDoctor? Then you know you've got top-notch protection. Or, if you already have SpySweeper or Spyware Doctor, why not get the free version of AdAware as a backup? A second kind of antispyware really does catch problems just one might miss.

Antivirus./b>