First of all, let me state that what I hate more than unwelcome 'residents' in my PC (like Spyware, Malware and Virii) is a resource hog. I've carefully balanced my available RAM with only necessary task bar items so as to keep my PC fast and humming along error-free so I'm picky when it comes to installing new software.

When I got the opportunity to test eTrust's PestPatrol, I was quite excited as I've heard good things about it plus its supposed to have a small RAM footprint).

PestPatrol is part of the CA eTrust Internet Security Suite which includes EZ Antivirus, Personal Firewall and Anti-Spam. The download was zippy and so was the install. As expected, it ran an initial scan to get a picture of my PC and prompty reported that I was clear except for some tracking cookies.

The interface for the Suite is excellent. The interface is clearly divided into the 4 major tools with large icons for each. Scans are extremely fast and surprisingly, does not use up much resource. I've used a competing product before and there was always a noticeable lag when the scheduled scan kicked in.

Another nice feature is when a spyware is quarantined, there's a direct link to the Spyware Encyclopedia on the CA site so you can find out more about it.

So far, I've used it for nearly a month and am loving it. I don't notice its presence, and it keeps my PC spyware free. What else could you ask for?

» Get eTrust Pest Patrol Anti-Spyware protection for your PC