Need help with security software - Pentium 133mhz

Hey all.
I have a laptop with these specs:
Pentium 1 133mhz (non mmx)
64 mbs ram
1.3 gbs HD

I am running TinyXP Beast Edition. So it takes a lot of resources already.
I use it to access internet using several wireless networks in my town. Most are unsecured, so I need to have good security software. It cannot be heavy on resources though...

Right now I am using ThreatFire as antivirus (it's VERY light on resources and doesn't need regular updates as others).
As for the Firewall I was going to use PC Tools Firewall, but it's too heavy... It's one of the lightest firewalls on the net and still it's too heavy to use!
So I decided do think about it. I need a firewall that will:

Make my internet browsing safe (stops people from "sniffing" the wireless conection to steal my data);
Prevents atacks from outside;

ThreatFire already stops unwanted accesses from the computer to the internet.

I thought about using GhostWall but I have no idea how to configure it to meet my needs
Also, if there is another firewall that you think it's good, just let me know =)
Also, if anyone wants to make use of some old machine, I can give some pointers on what software to choose.

 

I'm guessing the tweaked version of XP that your running doesn't include Windows Firewall?

Kerio 2 is pretty light as a firewall. You'll have to search for it though.

I think you're going to struggle with those specs to get much of the latest software to run on it, sorry.

 

For application aware firewall, old Outpost Free v1.0 will work. For non-application aware, try SoftPerfect. I have used firewalls when the p133 was still a good processor, but at that time it was zonealarm, tiny, wyvern or sygate.

Sul.

 

You can consider the choice the lightest firewall on the market I know: Look'n'Stop (works like a charm and is ultra light on my old laptop with XP on the board and on my second computer with Win 7).
Also you can try DefenseWall Personal Firewall v3 (HIPS with bulit-in firewall module) another very light security application if you have 32-bit OS.
Both are paid.

 

Well... for this kind of HW, I'd suggest something like Fluxbuntu or some E17-based distro - OZOS or Elive would be most lightweight of those 5 mentioned there.

I wouldn't run Windows on this at all... huge PITA.

 

As others have said,you're going to struggle running any 3rd party software with those specs.Would it be possible for you to upgrade the RAM to at least 128mb? You can find this very cheaply on Ebay and it'd certainly make things easier.

 

I think laptop prices are pretty reasonable now, sporting WIN7 with 4 GB RAM and Pentium 4 or better, for maybe $400 on sale. Unless you can't afford it at the moment, I think a new laptop would be less aggrevation than trying to find low resource software.

 

Craigslist is your friend. You can find laptops with wayyy more oomph than what you're using for $100. Seriously. Otherwise, if you want to keep using yours for some reason, I'd go the Linux route and forget running any version of Windows.

 

Hey!
Thanks to everyone who read and replied!
I REALLY can't afford a new computer right now. So, I decided to pick this old one (it was gonna be trashed away by my cousin) and put it to work. I can actually use it to edit text, read pdf, edit images, listen to music, even watch movies on it! (convert them to mpeg1 using the desktop, is fast and works ;P )

Problem is internet and security.

I really don't want to go to Linux, too many bad experiences in the past... I used to think greatly about linux, but I thinks its not for me

Before I coment your sugestions on firewalls, one question:
What about ghostwall? Would it do what I need? How to configure it?

About Kerio, I believe you are think about 2.1.5 right? It's an old version is it any good today? I don't want to have a firewall just to say I do, I want it to protect me
Also, is there any good tutorial on how to configure it to do what I need? (prevent people from spying my network access and prevent hackers from atacking me).

I will keep looking for some good solutions and I will be back to tell you if I found anything good
Also, I am very happy with ThreatFire, it IS a GREAT security software. At least when you want somehting that doesn't need updates every day and is light on resources

 

Oh, I also forgot to mention: I want it to be free. I don't like using pirate software. Only reason I am using TinyXP is because is the ONLY way to use XP on this old machine
Thanks anyway!

 

Linux would be a prefered option, but I didn't mention it originally because you may struggle to get wireless drivers that work with that setup.

Looking at the site for ghostwall, it's a simple firewall program, probably very light. It looks like it uses a series of defined rules to control the traffic and that about it.

It probably prevents inbound traffic off the bat, which means your remaining risk will be from scripts, malformed pages, something you download or surf etc.

 

Trust me, NO decent Linux distro will work with 64 MB of RAM. The most barebones setup I've ever had used about 60 just for the desktop, with no other apps running. On a modern "light" distro you can expect about 128 MB of RAM to be used while idle, NOT including disk cache (which is rather important in Linux).

Regarding the Pentium box, I would very strongly recommend the OP to just get a new computer. Trying to squeeze speed out of old hardware can be fun, but in this case I think it's ultimately futile; the few hundred dollars you'll spend on a new low-end box will be more than compensated for by the money saved on software and the time saved that would otherwise be spent messing around with the sluggish older machine.

P.S. What the heck is TinyXP Beast edition? Is this from the same people who made XPLite?

 

Surprised for a FW no one mentioned GhostWall. I still put it on all the XP boxes I service.

 

Not sure why, but my reply wasn't posted, so here goes another try...

I CANNOT buy a new laptop right now. That's why I am trying to put this one to work. I NEED it.

tinyxp is a windows xp with only the minium resources (services and such). There are many verions of it but some are trash. I like this one, Beast edition, it's a very complete and yet light system.

I have found a small tutorial explaining how to configure Kerio2. I thinm i will give it a try. However, if zapjb will be kind enough to give me a simple explanation on how to configure Ghostwall, I might try that one instead. I think it's newer and smaller, so must be better, right??

Also, I am using mostly OFF BY 1. It's the lightest browser and I believe it is very safe. It lacks some features but still is very usable for a basic web browsing. Also, i use K-Meleon which is heavier than OB1 but lighter than IE, Opera, Firefox and such.

As for threatfire, it slows down the boot of windows. takes another minute to boot with threatfire. I may change things so I will only activate it when I need to access internet, like I do with the firewall.

Any help on configuring the firewall? and also, how to test it after I configutred it? I heard leak tests are not good measure... =/

thanks in advance!

 

If you are stuck with this machine, I'd basically recommend using Windows Firewall with exceptions disabled, plus LUA via SuRun (very light), perhaps complemented by SRP from Sully's Pretty Good Security (which has no overhead at all). You can find tutorials for both of those on this board, just search for "surun".

Regarding performance, a RAM upgrade would probably help quite a lot; even a very slow machine can be usable with the full 384 MB. However, old RAM can be expensive and in the long haul it might be a waste of money. (Assuming that you will be able to get a new laptop at some point.)

BTW: not trying to be offensive here, but did you get TinyXP from a torrent site? If so you're probably already compromised and can forget about security.

 

Honestly don't even think about trying a leak test on Kerio, or Ghost Wall. They're simple and firewalls, they manage traffic and thats it.

You need to start being realistic about what you're going to get out of your system, considering it's specification. Threat fire is modern software, designed to run on systems with considerable more power, it's going to sap your PC.

I'd just run Ghostwall, and don't use the PC for anything which might be a problem if the PC gets infected. You can then wipe it, and start again.

In terms of configuration for Ghostwall, I'd imagine it's probably got enough rules already setup as part of the installation to cover off your basic requirements.

TinyXP Beast Edition, for a previous poster, is a cut down version of XP setup with gamers in mind. It does the bare minimum, no flashy graphics, nothing nice, just basic interface and the least services and software that are needed to run games.

 

Would Tiny XP Include the firewall? if it's that stripped down? Just curious.

 

Kerio 2.1.5 is about as light as you'll find. It does well at controlling internet traffic but has no provisions for controlling processes. Your lightest option for securing against malicious processes would be to use system policy to build a whitelist. With those specs, don't even try an AV. If you're knowledgable, an older classic HIPS can provide security. The newer ones will probably be too heavy. With those specs, there isn't much you can do short of using an older version of Windows and stripping it down even more, but even a stripped Win2K is going to be slow on that hardware.

 

@OP
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=101643&highlight=ghostwall

That's all I care about when setting up GW. It can be set it & forget. That's the way I use it.

 

LOL.

use limited user account and use Sandboxie + Peerblock (all lists) or an updated custom HOSTS file (ie. MVPSHOSTS)
for AV use clamav-immunet or immunet only. (i'd prefer this over threatfire.)

very light

 

For those wondering - I did some research, and it looks like TinyXP is based on a pirated version of Windows, so likely infected with various and sundry crap.

As far as alternatives go... Well, I said that no decent Linux distro will work on hardware with those specs, and that's correct. But there is one rather iffy distro that *may* work.

http://www.delilinux.de/

DeLi Linux is a very, very minimal distro based on a 2.4 kernel. It does not have anywhere near the feature set of a "modern" distro, and there are a huge number of things it won't be able to do. But I think it should be able to get the job done until you get a new computer.

 

... On a Pentium 4, yes. That's three extra applications, and on a Pentium Pro with 64 MB of RAM that's going to be just barely faster than Threatfire. (Which, as it happens, is a bit of a CPU hog.)

 

Can't help you. In our country it is illegal to piggyback on someone else's private wireless network protected or not.Federal offence.

But perhaps you mean local hot spots say coffee shop or library?

 

wow - thats really old.

maybe NOD 2.7 will help you - runs here here on 450mhz
(files posted from De Hollander -> https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=1654639#post1654542)

But you should not expect wonders on this old machine.

 

Thanks once again for everyone who gave some feedback.
Well, I may be coming to a decision: format everything and install win98.
You see, I have been having too many problems to connect to the internet at some hot spots around here, using wireless pen adapter. A friend of mine gave me his old pcmcia cards, one of which is capable of accessing wireless networks. Only problem is the fact that TinyXp won't recongize the cardbus. I spent hours on the itnernet and found no drivers for winxp. So, I decided to move back to win98 as I believe it used to work fine (device manager would show me no problems at all)
Only question is: is it safe? Using win98SE I can use slightly heavier security software. On the other hand, win98 is outdated and I might have some software not working there (Threatfire for example may not work, don't know about ghostwall and kerio)
So, what do you guys think?

Also, I have been thinking, I won't be using this laptop to pay my taxes nor anything. The only thing I REALLY want to be safe is at checking my email. So, maybe there is no need to be so paranoid about security... I don't know, maybe just being carefull and using some special security measures at email will be enough... ??

What do you guys think?
THANKS!