This article is written by contributor
The Internet is always going to be filled with unwanted malware and viruses. You can be the best computer user in the world and these pesky files can find their way on your hard drive. Thankfully for open-source software, there are many great malware tools out there that can help get rid of these files in a pinch. The best part? You don’t have to spend a penny to download them.

To protect your personal information, computer and keep your hard drive clean, it’s highly advisable that you have at least one malware scanner on your computer. Even if you do have a software package, do you know if it’s doing the job properly? Let’s take a look at a few of the best malware programs on the Internet today:

ComboFix

ComboFix could be by far the easiest program to run on the Internet. Just download the .exe file and install it on your computer. Once installed, it’s as easy as hitting the run button. Let ComboFix run, and take care of the rest. During its running process, ComboFix will backup your registry, and it will scan through more than 30 stages. When the program is done running, it will give you a detailed report, listing all the malware that was found on your computer. It will state which malware it was able to remove, and it will show you which malware is still lingering on your machine with steps to remove it properly. ComboFix runs on all Windows platforms and is 100 percent free.

HijackThis

HijackThis is pretty advanced compared to other malware products on the market. One wrong click with this software, and it can ruin your computer. Don’t let that scare you, though. Using a comprehensive scan, HijackThis will dig deep and give you the most detailed report it can at the end of the processing cycle. While HijackThis doesn’t fix the malware, the report will show you all suspicious activity that you should be aware of. It will note browser modification, registry errors and application problems. With this list, you can then search for the problem, or you can use HijackThis.de to find links to articles that can resolve your malware problem. HijackThis runs on Windows and is 100 percent free.

Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware

Malwarebytes is by far one of the most popular applications on the Internet. The simple reason? It can do everything. Scanning your system at incredible speeds, Malwarebytes digs deep into your computer. Using a database, Malwarebytes will get rid of any problem with your permission. Users that upgrade to the premium app can receive real-time monitoring. This premium function can get rid of the malware before it even does damage.

Now that you know of the three best free malware packages on the market, you’re probably wondering which one is best for your computer? To help you choose, let’s answer a few questions. First of all, what do you want the software to do? Do you want to get rid of the malware completely, or do you want a list of malicious files that you can manually remove? Do you want real-time monitoring? Do you want premium options?

In conclusion, it doesn’t hurt to download all three. Each software works in their own way. One program can catch a virus while another one may not. Since the ones listed above are all 100 percent free, why not try each one? The worst case scenario? You can just drop the software after the first scan.