Windows only: Free application Hitman Pro scans your system for malware using not one, not two, but eight different anti-malware applications. Essentially, Hitman Pro is a helper utility that runs up to eight different cleaning tools when you tell it to. Some are favourites we all know and love, like Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D, while others are a bit more obscure. The idea behind Hitman Pro is that you've got a one-stop shop for killing off any malware that hits your system—regardless of whether it's spyware, adware, or some nasty virus. As the MakeUseOf post points out, scanning your system with each app can be a time-consuming process, so it's best to use when your computer is idle. If Hitman Pro seems like overkill, check out our five best antivirus applications and five best Windows maintenance tools for some great alternatives.

Windows only: Free application Anti-Malware Tookit automatically downloads popular anti-malware applications to your computer. In essence the application is a specialised downloader that retrieves the latest and greatest releases of popular anti-malware apps like CCleaner, Spybot S&D, and Hijack This. You can selectively choose which apps you want downloaded and which you don't, so you can stick to the tried-and-true options and avoid the ones you're not sure of—perfect for when you've left your PC rescue kit at home and are working tech support for the family.

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Tech site Webmonkey advises users not sure whether or not their DNS servers are patched against a recently discovered vulnerability to switch to the excellent, free DNS service, OpenDNS. Test your DNS server for the vulnerability here and get Webmonkey's instructions for setting up OpenDNS . (We love OpenDNS so much it was one of our best apps of 2006.)

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Dear Lifehacker,
I recently downloaded a program recommended by Lifehacker, and after I installed it, my antivirus program yelled bloody murder and flagged it as a virus. No one else in the comments has reported similar findings, and my antivirus application has reported false positives before. I love my AV app, but is there a better way I can verify whether or not a file really contains a virus?
Yours,
Overactive Whistle Blower

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The internet is a glorious and exciting world, but unless you're properly protected with a good antivirus application, it can also be a dangerous one. We've come a long way since the days of Norton, with handfuls of excellent freeware software that can keep your computer safe from malware just as well as their bloated, more expensive counterparts. Earlier this week we asked you to share your favourite antivirus application, and today we're rounding up the five most popular answers. Hit the jump for an overview of the five best antivirus applications.

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Windows only: Ad-Aware, the hard-to-believe-it's-free spyware-cleaning app, has released a beta version that includes full support for Windows Vista and 64-bit platforms. Also included in the upcoming free version is a rootkit removal tool, faster update downloading, and an interface make-over that looks a bit more modern than the blue buttons long-time users are used to. All the ease-of-use and thoroughness that make Ad-Aware's current version part of our Lifehacker Pack of must-have downloads likely apply to this beta, as well. Ad-Aware Beta is a free download, requires a registration and email confirmation to grab.

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Yesterday when we asked you what your favourite Windows firewall software is, we got back tons of responses, from ZoneAlarm to Sygate from free to commercial. Now we want to narrow down the choices to the best. All those who take your Windows PC out onto open networks and protect it from network baddies on the cheap, vote for your favourite free Windows firewall software after the jump.

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If you're the type who doesn't keep a virus-scanning program running on your desktop out of memory concerns, or you find yourself at a system without your preferred scanner, you might want to think twice before downloading any suspicious attachments—even if the boss sent them. Luckily, previously mentioned service VirusTotal offers the same multi-AV-scanning service through a utility email address. Simply forward your email, attachment included, to scan@virustotal.com, with the body cleared out and "SCAN" in the subject. After running McAfee, AVG, F-Secure, and other apps over it, VirusTotal will email you back to let you know whether the attachment is infected. High thanks to Digital Inspiration, which offers a link to similarly useful email addresses at the link below.

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Windows only: Freeware, lightweight anti-spyware application ThreatFire monitors your computer for malware and blocks new threats in real time. There are a lot of freeware anti-spyware apps out there, but the difference between most of them and ThreatFire is the always-on, real-time protection—as opposed to on-demand scanning. The catch is, ThreatFire does not do on-demand scans in the free version. All that really means is that you can download one of the many other freeware options (like AVG Free and Ad-Aware, for example) for on-demand scans and run ThreatFire to cover any immediate threats in real-time. ThreatFire is freeware, Windows only. Everybody's got their favorite anti-virus and anti-malware apps, so let's hear yours in the comments.

Windows only: Cut through the legalese to the meat of software End User License Agreements (EULA) with freeware application, EULAlyzer. To use it, just run the program whenever you're installing a new software, point it at the licence agreement, and EULAlyzer will analyse and flag the most questionable sections of the agreement. No one really wants (or honestly has the time) to read through every EULA they come across, but quickly popping a EULA into this app could save you the trouble of pop-up ads and other third-party spyware and malware you may not realise you're about to install. We've mentioned this freeware, Windows-only app once before, but having just set up a new Windows partition and installed lots of software, I figured it was worth another look.