One or two ?

[calien]

After reading the forums here, I think I found the right place.

I've read Blackspear message about level of security and I saw he recommends Online Armor. It looks like an outstanding product.

I have spysweeper and trojanhunter. Are these two as good as Online Armor ? Or should I get rid of them for the other one ? I must say since I bought trojanhunter (after a nightmare with a trojan) I never got one any more. I choose it after reading many forums and reviews too. I am very pleased with spysweeper too.

I am surfing to find out a good firewall. I don't want one with bells and whistles and too big, I have already an antivirus (AVG), an antispyware and an antitrojans. I use Opera browser and Courier e-mail client, where you can switch off the active X, html, etc. But I feel I would be safer with also a firewall.

I was very tempted by kerio 2.1.5 (the best ever!) :) but I know I am not enough skilled to installl it. Outpost pro? Look'n stop? Another ?

PS. I forgot to mention I have also a battery of weapons, like Hijackthis, CWshredder and more.

[hollywoodpc]

Hi calien and WELCOME !
For a firewall without the bells and whistles , Zone Alarm Free . I do not like to recommend it but , as a free , simple tool , it works well . As for Online Armour , it does differing things as opposed to TH and SS . IF you want OA , buy it . Do NOT ditch the others . OA CAN , in theory , protect you from all that those other two do but , it adds some things that the other two do not . Very nice layering if you use all 3 . Very nice setup indeed !!

[Tassie_Devils]

Hi Calien, welcome also from me. :)

Pretty much what Hollywoodpc recommends also.... do not get rid of those 2, but I also thoroughly recommend OA.
Love it.

Cheers, TAS

[calien]

Thank you for your answers and your welcome posts. Now, before installing a firewall, do I need to disable the AV and AT first ? And when should I enable them again?

Because I know for the firewall to be effective I have to start the comp again.

[nicM]

Hi Calien,{QUOTE-> But I feel I would be safer with also a firewall.

<-QUOTE}

SURE!!! That's the first thing I would do here! :o. The few you mentionned (Outpost, L'n'S) are good, but about Kerio: why not the 4?? ??? (you wouldn't have to load rulesets here and there to keep it "up-to-date", and there are more security options in the 4 anyway).

Maybe you should turn off your AT before to install your FW (even if it shouldn't be harmful), but there's no need to turn off Av.

Cheers,
nicM

[Tassie_Devils]

Yep, I opt for Kerio 4 also. Now, as to installing, [whatever Firewall you get] just make sure you don't have any UNnecessary proggies open or any browsers. I would leave the AV running, yep, turn off the AT can be an option, install and it will want to connect to the net straight up after install anyway, if so, let it.

But I would personally then do an immediate reboot, once things come back up, the first thing I would do is to open up apps that need access, like any/all browsers, email clients, get them running right, making sure they connect to net ok and you can browse/get email. :)

Then, open up any security apps which need to be connecting to net, and do an update with each of them, regardless of when you last updated, this then lets you to 'allow' not only the program to run, but the updater.exe of each access.

Once that's done and depending on the Firewall if it has application checks, [each time you open a new program if the FW has an inbuilt application check it will ask you if you want to 'run' this program] simply open as many apps up to allow them to run to stop popup alerts in future.

Start browsing then to see what alerts, etc you may get.

Have fun.

TAS