free security & protection.

i'm just wondering what free security some of you lot using. also is anything i'm using any good or do i need more. i'm using:
windows xp home sp2
avg free antivirus
windows firewall
aol spyware protection
i have norton internet security 2oo4 preinstalled on my pc but i do not use it as it made my pc very very slow when i installed it. i have upped the ram from 256 to 512mb, would this make a difference with how norton would work.
i'm not very experienced on pc's so any advice would be great to keep me safe.

 

Hello roger dovey and welcome to wilders!

I am sure you are going to get lot of good suggestions in here. I would like to ask few questions?

1) Do you have router?
2) Are you using IE7 or another browser?

I would get a software firewall which also have outbound protection aswell. Windows firewall is lacking that feature. There are few free ones out there. I would recommend Comodo Pro firewall.

I would change your antivirus program to avira or avast, both have free version and they are good. You could also look into SpywareTerminator for realtime protection against spyware. It is also free.

On-demand scanners i would go with Superantispyware free and AVG Anti-Spyware Free.

I would recommend using alternative browser to IE7. Firefox or Opera.

 

AV: avast, AOL AVS, or Avira
FW: Comodo FW
AS: Comodo BOClean (if you want realtime), SUPERAntiSpyware and/or AVG AS (ondemand)

And use Firefox or Opera instead of IE.

 

Hi, as by your own words you are not very experienced may I suggest you learn how to configure your browsers settings.
A poorly configured browser can mean sites taking advantage and installing or changing things without your knowledge.
Personally I use Firefox and Noscript but if your sticking with IE then it can be tied down quite well.
Secondly I would recommend regular image backups with something like Acronis True Image to get you out of any trouble.
All-in-all have a good look round this forum.

 

Freeware that I currently use:

Firewall:Comodo Pro.
Antivirus:Avast Home.
Antispyware:A-Squared and SUPERAntispyware on-demand scanners.Spyware Blaster for prevention.
Browsers:Opera and K-Meleon.

 

Blink Personal Edition. It's free for 1 year. Check it out.

http://www.eeye.com/html/consumer/products/blink/index.html

 

Try Castlecops: Free Security Suite for a wide selection of good choices. It includes instructions on securing IE.

 

Firefox with Noscript addon as first line.

Sandboxie and Returnil second line.

AOL Active Shield and SuperAntiSpyware as on demand.

Sandboxie and Returnil are virtual type of apps and may take a bit of getting used to but once accustomed to how they work I doubt if you would be without them.

IMHO anyways.

 

Returnil Virtual System
PowerShadow
Ghostwall
Prevx 2
DriveSentry

 

hi, thanks for your reply. yes i was using ie7 and i have a broadband router.
since your reply i'm now using:
firefox.
avast.
comodo firewall.
spyware terminator.
SUPER antispyware.
do i need to add any more as you did state some others in your reply. also i asked about trying norton anti virus 2004 again.what do you think, as its a program preinstalled on laptop, but it did make my pc slow last time i used it.
thanks

 

If you go back to Norton,you may have to upgrade to a more current version.

 

Do yourself a favor and avoid NAV 2004 like the plague. As stated above, a more recent version may be ok. I've seen favorable comments regarding 2007, but trialing it first is, of course, always the best bet.

 

WinPatrol is a nice program to have also.Paid or free.

 

I agree.

 

ProSecurity, Defense Wall, and Returnil.
SuperAntiSpyware on demand.

 

OP, your current lineup is quite similar to mine, and I'm real happy (and clean) with it.
I suggest getting the "noscript" add-on for Firefox. This will provide significant added protection from..you guessed it, malicious scripts.
(Adblock is a useful add-on too, but from an irritant standpoint more than a security one.)

SpywareTerminator 2 will be out soon, the Beta has been out a few days, and shows a few bugs...I'm going to stick with 1.9 for a time after version2 stable is out and demonstrated to be mainly bug free.

I keep a few other scanners handy, just in case, but haven't needed to use them.

WinPatrol is very good, and with an endearing "alert" noise (that I haven't been able to find/isolate anywhere!) but since using SpywareTerminator I've reluctantly removed it. Not sure, but I don't think it provides any extra protection, and the free version isn't (quite) realtime.
Give it a try, maybe. See if it alerts you to any changes that ST doesn't. It didn't with me, but I'm generally a fairly safe surfer.
CCleaner
is a very good file cleaner, and often the first step in a malware disinfection procedure, nicely configurable, good support, popular.

Unlocker
is a useful tool to help with finding locked files (you know, the ones that go "cannot delete xxxx.exe: it is in use by another program) or rather, finding what is "locking" them, and then unlocking them, should you need it. Can help decide what's likely to be a false positive, too.
All the best.

 

If you are referring to Scotty's bark you can disable it thru Options the just uncheck play sounds. Personaly I like it. Not all security software is for everyone. You must try/test out and decide for yourself what works best for you. Wilders is an excellent place for suggestions/help for making these decisions.I have learned so much sence first discovering Wilders some time ago.I try to help at times when I believe I have information that will be helpful to the poster,as I appresheate all the help I have gottin/will get.
Just one more suggestion to the OP.
It's a good idea to have some sort of recovery/image/restore software.
One of the best investments I have made.(software wise) It will save you from many of headaches in the future.

 

My set up is below in my sig. They are all free now too. No conflicts, no nasties on my machine, and all play well together. I also believe my coverage while maybe not ideal is up to the task.

 

I was, and I know, and no way would I have wanted to disable it.
I just could never find it as a separate file anywhere.
Others have tried, too.
Think it must be integral with the application.

 

My signature covers all my security apps, apart from Windows/Office updates.

 

Blink Personal (free for a year) and Powershadow occasionally.

I've also downloaded the latest Sandboxie v3 and sometimes use it. Works like a charm on this computer.

 

Hey Chuck57 how are you? I want to ask if you're BPE auto update is working?

 

Have a look at Avast (only version where freeware is teh same as tested at AV-comparatives, e.g. AVR en Antivir do not have spyware blacklist).

Spyware Terminator has a nice IDS for a freeware AS product. You can add Bo-clean as AT.

SAS for on-demand

Regards Kees

 

AV: Avast Home
Firewall: Comodo Pro
Spyware Protection: SuperAntiSpyware Free, AVG Antispyware Free, Spybot S&D (ditch the tea-timer), Ad Aware 2007

Windows Defender isn't very good but it does have real-time protection and it's free, and once it found something my other apps didn't.

Avira Personal Edition Classic is a good free AV, but it often has update problems and has a nag screen that bugs you to buy their products everytime it updates. So I recommend Avast Home.