How can you tell if a company that offers a software scan is valid?

with so many software companies making offers of free scans,2 for 1 deals etc.etc. how can you check on the company,s honesty or validation.Everytime you run a free scan of some sort it most always comes up claiming you have a ton of infections or spyware infecting your p/c. yet your own scans don,t so what do you do.

How can you tell if a company that offers a software scan is valid?
Companies that give you popups offering scans are generally not legitimate. If you want an online scan, the best thing to do is search for reputable ones from companies that make known reliable products, like Trend Micro (http://housecall.trendmicro.com)
Reply:There is a website called "Bleeping Computers" that keeps a report card on most of those programs. If you are getting a popup that says you have some infections, that software is probably a rogue anyway. If you have a good security system you don't need to be running all of those scans.
Reply:Honestly you can't tell before you install the software unless you have software called anti-spyware. Once you have discovered that spyware has been installed on your computer, there are three options you can pursue:


Remove the program using your add/remove function


Use anti-spyware tools from anti-spyware companies to remove the spyware. These applications will search your system for spyware and will inform you of any questionable programs or processes that it finds. However, anti-spyware tools do not necessarily detect all the spyware on your computer. The following companies offer anti-spyware tools including, Lavasoft,Spybot,Webroot, Aluria,McAfee,Symantec . There are some others that comes with a suite such as Nortin or Verizon,etc. You probably need to look into this.


Back up your personal files and reformat your hard drive. If you are not comfortable reformatting, seek technical assistance.There are many precautions you can take to avoid spyware:Update your operating system and web browser software by downloading the latest "patches" available in order to close security holes. Install a personal firewall to secure your Internet connection from uninvited users, such as ZoneAlarm. Only download programs from websites you trust. If you are using Internet Explorer, set the security and privacy setting level to at least medium to avoid unauthorized downloading. For example, on Internet Explorer, click Tools %26gt; Internet Options %26gt; then the Privacy tab and move the slider to MEDIUM or preferably HIGH.


When closing pop-up ads, click the ("X") icon at the top right hand side of the title bar instead of any button, link or the ad itself. Many times, popup windows are coded to install spyware even if you click "ok", "agree", "cancel", or "no" when you want to close a window. Alternately, you can press Alt and F4 simultaneously for certain browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. When downloading free software or other applications, such as file sharing programs, be sure you clearly understand all of the software packaged with those programs. Companies often bundle free software with other software including spyware. Read all security warnings, license agreements, privacy statements, and "opt-in" notices with any software you download. If you do not understand or agree with the license agreement and/or privacy statement, do not install the software or software feature. If the notices are hard to understand, think twice before downloading. Do not open unsolicited email or download anti-spyware tools advertised through spam.


Use and update anti spyware tools that detect and delete spyware.


Remember, run that spyware scan. As soon as you've installed and run your download once, make sure to run a spyware scan. If there is a problem, the sooner you know about it, the easier it will be to deal with it.


In some ways it's not surprising that spyware's as prevalent as it is - it appears that true prevention is difficult, at best. Most remedies fall into the realm of "damage control" once a machine is already infected. Part of it is because, unlike viruses, "spyware" is a much more vague term - what does spyware really mean? The complication is that spyware looks, and acts, much more like legitimate software, making it doubly difficult.