A common problem for computer owners is having the feeling that there is something not quite right with their machine but not being able to get to the root of the problem. Quite often it is because a difficult to spot piece of malware has made it onto your PC and is resisting all attempts to track it down and remove it.

A free option for cleaning this kind of thing off your computer is to download and use the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware program. The file is quick to download and once you get started the interface is pretty simple and intuitive to use. It is also fairly powerful and has proved to be adept at helping you sort out those troublesome pieces of malware which are causing you grief.

A basic scan should take less than 10 minutes to run the first time around, and it uses a heuristics based approach which means subsequent scans should take less to do each time and will also intelligently work out over time which things are real problems and which ones are false alarms. You get the choice of scanning individual parts of your PC or of simply running the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware program on every drive and file you own. This second approach is probably the best for anyone who is checking their computer with this software for the first time and doesn't know where potential problems could be lurking.

The free version is probably going to be enough for most people's needs, but if you want some extra functionality then the paid version gives it to you for $25. With this premium program you can schedule scans, get real time protection that stops malware even making it onto your PC and also schedule updates.

As a free way to add to the protection on your computer this is a great option, and if you like how it runs and sorts things out then upgrading to the free version will make keeping your machine free of viruses and other malware a lot easier.