My friend Joanna is getting a laptop and needs some security.

She is getting Windows Vista and I'm going to set her up with Comodo BOClean, Spyware Terminator, I need a good free virus scanner that is Vista compatible. Should the Vista firewall be ok or should I install Comodo Firewall? Any other security programs I need to include. She is a huge computer newbie.

 

Avast has been trouble free on my XP. It also is compatible with Vista.
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast-antivirus-and-windows-vista.html

When you install BOClean follow this advice, especially #2 and #3 in the first link.
http://forums.comodo.com/index.php/topic,8442.0.html

http://forums.comodo.com/index.php/topic,8504.0.html

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't Vista's firewall have two-way protection? You might use it until Comodo's new version is out a while and all the little bugs are found. Hopefully the new version will be more newbie friendly. It will have hips and I'm not sure if it will clash with ST hips. Comodo V3 is suppose to beta the 14th. I hope this helps.

 

For new users the KISS rule should apply as far as the programs you set them up with.

 

HIPS won't be enabled for Spyware Terminator and she lives 2 hours away so it might be hard to do some stuff so I might have her call me and I'll give her step by step instructions.

 

Just make sure she has Vista's UAC on, and help her out on using UAC, because in alot of ways it negates the need for a even more complex-to-use HIPS. Granted there are easy ones like Cyberhawk and Prevx but I don't know if they're Vista-compatible, and I don't see the reasoning in adding one more security program when there's one already built-in to do the task.

 

Never heard of the UAC what is it?

 

UAC is a abrviantion of user account control to lower user rights in vista.
so the admin account isnt a true admin account and if you want to make big system changes you have to answer a prompt similar to HIPS programs
lodore

 

How can I set that up properly?

 

Vista's UAC is on my default. There's not much configuration - its either on or off. When you, for example, try to install a service, it'll prompt you and you have to "allow" or "deny". You'll have to teach her how to use it though - otherwise she'll just click "allow" to everything which defeats the point.

See here for a screenshot:

http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/windows/2006/12/19/graphics/uac_prompt.jpg

 

http://www.free-av.com/

 

I found UAC a real pain when i tested vista at college for a practical.
you open up control panel and adminstive tools and it asks a prompt.
I know its safe to open administive tools lol.
once it gets widly used alot of home users would eiether disable it which really means its like your back on xp with a different start menu
or they will get a freind who knows about computers to disable UAC because it gets in the way.
older users wont userstand the prompts.
and teenagers wont care about secuirty and will eiether click yes on all of them or turn it off.
so make sure you train Her how to answer the prompts.
lodore

 

I think AVAST Home is ready for Vista. If it is, that one would be easy for her to download and install. The only thing is that the standard GUI is pretty NOT user friendly in Avast. You will want to have her download an alternate skin.

AOL Active Virus Scan is another good one (again, if it is vista ready).

These are the first 2 I would go for.

 

I'll give her Avast home.

 

Go with Spyware Blaster 3.5.1, Spyware Terminator real time shield enabled no HIPS, Avast free edition, WinPatrol, PC Tools Firewall Plus & Opera browser.

I recommend staying away from any & all Comodo products. Run from Comodo!!!

 

I'll also set her up with SpywareBlaster and Firefox with adblock plus, adbock filter set G auto updater, noscript and cookie control. Oh and CCleaner.