protection ~ .... product specs???

[Sacred]

I hope this doesnt sound too lame, but I really need some guidance. I had reason, quite recently, to seek out *solid info* on pc's, internet use and the resultant protection needs. I lost my previous firewall and antivirul.. etc, and have only just started to become stable enough to resume the hunt online for info on *real* pc security.

Having stumbled across Wilders.org and it's associate sites, I have been taking a more *vested interest* in the *background* tasks happening on the system. Armed with a little knowledge, 97% stubborness and the various recommendations from these sites _tools necessary 4 the system, I downloaded a few demos, bought a couple of needed utilities etc.

I felt quite confident and a lot easier about the whole damn thing until it came down to configuring these little suckers. In less than 3 days the rate at which my confidence has plummeted has officially broken warp speed. Surely *everyone* was stupid at one point of their life, and needed to learn? I assure you, not everyone knowsthe ins and outs of net sucurity, especially not me.

Even the purchased products have little or no useful instructions on how to set up their software or to do much else including troubleshoot... information necessary to help a noobe understand and operate these highway sherifs.

Ok I'll ardmit it, I'm application literate, but have -7% programming apptitude, and I know at some point in my life I was born a blonde, but .... can someone please point me in the right direction. Please help me find the directions to get me towards *dealing with my pc-protection needs* before I commit !!hara kiri!! or worse still...go on a *seek and destruct misson* The later being a very ugly sight even after 8hrs of solid drinking, and that's sayin somethin!.

Seriously, I'm a fast learner, but I need some **real** help to get me looking in the right direction.


Many thanks in advance
~Rose

[Pieter_Arntz]

Hi Sacred,

I wish I could tell you how to proceed in a manner that never fails.
My own guidelines (which I seem to break a lot :D)
1. Install OS
2. Get available Updates and patches
3. Make a backup
4. If the OS is Windows, try to loose everything you are not going to use and replace these first (i.e. Browser, e-mailclient, chat-program etc.)
5. Install AV, Firewall, AT and other resident guards
6. If everything works like that, make another backup
7. Install spywarecleaning program, registry cleaner, startup-manager, cookie-manager etc.
8. Scan your computer with everything you got.
9. Backup time again

This is of course open for debate (I'm pretty sure I forgot a few things).
And this is meant for starting from scratch, which may not be completely the case for you.
If you need any help on specific issues, feel free to ask. There is almost always someone around using a certain application and willing to help.

Regards,

Pieter

[root]

Hi Rose. You can get a lot of help around here, but we need to be more specific, such as, lets take it one question at a time.
For starters, you may need a little money for some programs, but you mentioned you did get some already, if I understood you.
If you have a problem with configuring, what is the first program, and what questions do you have about that program?

[Sacred]

Tried Look 'n' Stop, but uninstalled it this morning because it wont play nicely with tauscan, jammer, wintasksPro and AVG pro.


I keep getting system lockups - either my configuration is way off or they are conflicting big time.


Am trying Sygate..but I suck really badly at creating rules - I don't know enough about protocols, subnets, packets, etc and knowing how to configure it would be a great start.


Any assistance would be amazing :)

~Rose

ps. Own TDS, NIS2002, NAV2002, NIS 2003Pro, NAV2003...NIS/NAV cause my system to destabilize, and TDS is conflicting with the cable connection.

[snowy]

Rose

do you have ANY firewall right now ??

how is the resources on your computer.??

[snowy]

Look n Stop has a "enhanced rules set" built in...did you notice that ? Also, the look n stop forum is here at wilders.........all the help possible would be offered you......
...its a good firewall Rose........

[Pieter_Arntz]

For some directions on Sygate PF: http://personal.atl.bellsouth.net/i/k/ikpe/

Regards,

Pieter

[root]

Hi Rose. Jammer is Agnitums older version of a firewall. Before you try another firewall, you would want to uninstall Jammer. Also, Tauscan is an AntiTrojan and if you have it running resident, and then try to install TDS or another Anti Trojan, you may have conflicts.
It is good to have a layered approach to security, which means having some backups, but that doesn't mean trying to run backups at the same time.
So, If you want to try another Firewall, Get Jammer off your machine. Then run a good registry cleaner like jv16 power tools. Only delete the green ones.
I would get rid of Jammer because Agnitum has replaced that with Outpost, but at this point I would say hold off until Outpost version 2 is released if you want to try that.
When you try to install another anti trojan, make sure Tauscan is not running in the background. You should be able to run TDS3 without having any problems. A good registry cleaning may fix that problem too.
Its ok to have two anti trojans on the same machine, but only run one at a time. Same with AVs. Never have more than one firewall on your machine at a time. A firewall should be your last line of defense. That means if all your other efforts to keep your machine safe have failed, your firewall will be there to protect you then.
Since you have Sygate on, I'm sure Pieter will be able to help you get that set up ok. Its a good firewall.