text: can anyone tell me what a trojan downloader is, and what it can do to my computer? thanks in advance?   i don;'t know what program told you that you have one, but beware. the latest scam is fake security software, it tells you you've got loads of problems, you pay for the program and it makes them go away. all of the following programs are safe and genuine; they are all free for personal use. i've got all of them installed. malware (malicious software) falls into 4 main groups. adware tries to direct you to a website or throws ads and pop ups at you; spyware runs in secret and tries to steal info; worms and viruses try to replicate themselves and mess up your system; and trojans take control of your pc.  the windows firewall doesn't stop malware on your pc from dialling out. either of these firewalls are free for personal use and stop unwanted incoming and outgoing traffic. you choose which programs are allowed to access the internet. they are both fairly easy to use and updated regularly. http://www.zonelabs.com zone alarm firewall http://www.kerio.com kerio firewall  shields up security site, check your firewall works https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2  http://www.mozilla.com/ firefox web browser http://www.opera.com/  opera web browser instal both these web browsers, turn off javascript on one and use that browser for vising unknown websites.  winpatrol is a handy utility that tracks cookies on your pc and stops unwanted changes to your startup folder. http://www.winpatrol.com  spywareblaster works with internet explorer. it won't uninstall spyware that is already on your pc, but it will prevent hijacks and other malicious changes to  i.e. http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html  the best antispyware is spyware doctor  http://www.pctools.com  the free version will give you the file name and location so you can get help removing them without having to pay.  http://www.ewido.net ewido anti trojan  ad-aware se personal anti adware http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/  spybot search and destroy anti spyware http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html  http://www.avast.com avast antivirus  http://www.ccleaner.com cr*pcleaner registry cleaner and privacy tool  microsoft have two free online scanners that look for malware. http://safety.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx you can also download microsofts free windows defender from the official microsoft site, and the malicious software removal tool.  remember to update and run all of you anti malware programs at least once a week.