I have been able to avoid most malware by paying attention to the installations of programs and seeing the fine print and checkmarks that if time is taken can be removed, however.. some have persisted and installed without my knowledge. I want to say, this is by far the best source for the removal and questions about malware I have ever seen. It is too bad more people are not aware of it, or too untrusting to try it.
If you are aware of your system, and keep a backup, trying a new program to maintain it should not be a scary proposition.
To those that question this program, it is for me, and I have been working with computers since 1982, the best malware removal service I have had the good fortune to find.