More than 90 percent of the e-mail that has been hitting my mailbox lately has been either spam or another dreaded virus, which has forced me to take drastic action.

Gathering together my forces, I've been able to fend off these attacks by using several tools, some of which are available free or for a nominal fee. A few even came with my computer.

For Windows XP users, a simple upgrade to the new service pack --- fondly known as SP2 --- gives you basic firewall protection and the upgraded version of Microsoft Outlook 2003 filters out some spam. But, somehow, that still didn't make me feel really safe.

I needed more.

Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm

A trip to www.zonealarm.com reveals a free firewall that is, truthfully, one of the best available. And you can't beat the price.

Developed by Zone Labs, the free edition of ZoneAlarm is more than adequate to give you basic firewall protection. But, if you crave more, the company has just developed ZoneAlarm Security Suite, which includes virus protection, ID and privacy protection, e-mail security, content and communications protection, anti-phishing protection and a spam blocker in addition to the firewall. The basic price is $69.95 for a single user and it increases for multiple licenses.

eTrust EZAntivirus and Norton AntiVirus

For antivirus protection, I'm torn between Symantec's Norton AntiVirus ($49.95) and eTrust EZAntivirus from Computer Associates ($29.95). Both do an excellent job of dealing a deadly blow to any virus-laden e-mails and automatically download the latest antivirus definitions to battle any new scourges.

Symantec Norton System Works

For complete protection, though, I highly recommend Symantec's Norton SystemWorks 2005 ($69.95). In addition to the famed antivirus software, you get Norton Utilities, which monitors the "health" of your PC and can fix most problems; Internet Worm Protection blocks worms at their attempted point of entry; and Norton GoBack, which allows you to step back in time to restore your PC to a more efficient era.

Unfortunately we're not done yet. We still have to deal with what has become known as "spyware." These are nasty little programs that imbed themselves into areas of your computer so they can track everything you do --- or even worse, steal personal information from your PC.

WebRoot SpySweeper

SpySweeper ($29.95) from WebRoot Software Inc. is an extremely comprehensive weapon against these perverts. It constantly monitors your computer for the presence of spyware and zaps the offenders from your PC. There's also a more intense version called SpySweeper Enterprise for networks needing protection.

And for that last, final blow to all those fiends that want a piece of my PC, I use the free antispam and virus protection provided by my Internet service provider, which happens to be Earthlink.

Earthlink SpamBlocker

Earthlink's SpamBlocker has become a major line of defense between my PC and the rest of the world. Virtually nothing gets into my mailbox unless I want it to, which means mail from everyone I don't know or trust is cast down into the depths of spam Hell, never to be seen again.

SpamBlocker actually sorts the offending mail into two categories: Known Spam and Suspect E-mail. It then sends you a list of what is in the suspect e-mail mailbox so you can see if messages you need were erroneously blocked. It also sends everyone in that mailbox and message to decode and send back if they want permission to access my mailbox. But it's still up to the owner of the PC to grant access.

More information on these and other PC protection products can be found at the following Web sites: www.zonelabs.com, www.symantec.com, www.webroot.com, www.my-etrust.com and www.earthlink.net.

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