what kinda virus/spyware protection?

just go tmy new d620 in the mail today. it has mcafee. but it seems a lot of people find better luck in free virus protection software. Im a new college student, living in dorms, im gonna be running off the dorms broadband connection. So im wondering what is the best programs for me in my situation?

 

A free version that is popular is called AVG. There is a second one called Avast as well.
Your University might provide and recommend a free version as well

 

For anitvirus, I recommend Avast! home edition; zonealarm for firewall; and lavasoft ad-aware and spyboy search and destroy for antispyware.

 

hey,
For viruses many people use a vareity of programs. However, the ones that in my opinion have stood out as being great are:
AVG Antivirus
Avast!
I have also heard Nod32 is a good but dont knw too much about it.

The reason why I say these programs are good is because they are not only effective but also consume less resources.

As for spyware, Ad-aware has always been my top tool. However some people like to make sure and have 2-3 of these programs installed. So you might want to check out:
Ad-aware
ewido ( the same guys who make AVG make this as well)
Spybot

Try researching around the net and you can find a wealth of information. including who prefers what and why they prefer it.

hope this helps...

 

If you need all-in-one protection, get ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, however it isnt free.

JC

 

I ran that for awhile, but the anti-virus protection was pretty weak.
Also, it slowed down my start-up and shut-down times.

For anti-virus I use Avast! and I love the Comodo firewall.
Both are free.

 

Hm, well, it is running pretty smooth on my notebook, and i dont see any slow down on my notebook as well. Of course, I never ran into viruses for a loooong time, I disabled that feature.

JC

 

AVG and ad-aware,
Just use firefox and stay away from pr0n sites and you wont get spyware.

 

another good thing for firefox is an extension called NoScript that gives you full manual control over active x controls. this way, ads on sites never work unless you have to have them enabled to view the site.

 

Yes NoScript is a great Firefox extension.That also with Adblock on Firefox, I never get popups or spyware, even from some sites where I might get them...

But Im not really worried about my CPU being hogged by Macafee (Core Duo 2.16) So im just sticking with that. So far my system is clean. The Macafee firewall ist bad either. I love watching the console sometimes and seeing the pings and such that it turns away, sometimes 5-10 in a minute! Well actually that was before I went to college. Now I get nothing on it. I guess my college has a really good firewall on its network. Bad thing is it makes using Limewire impossible (calling to computer science major room mate to see if he can hack firewall for me so it works)

 

I use NOD32, Ad-aware, and Spybot with a Linksys router firewall.

BTW, removing the free trial version of Mcafee was the 1st thing I did when i got my Dell laptop.

 

where do i download avast!? where i found it it costs money or its only a demo.

 

http://avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

 

ok, so wiht avast should it be running constantly? like have the icons in teh bottom right ?

 

look, i connect my laptop to the internet by a local 300 Pc network, so i talk real/hard life protection here, not just the internet.
here, if you enter the network without protection, in about 30sec your comp restarts, in 1min it is lost, formated.
so in order to protect yourself, i must say:
1.zonealarm its a must, so you can get to browse the net with no worry.

once you get to the Net,
1.use firefox, that plugin works like a charm.(script disable)
2.use the anti-virus, ALWAYS. not only that your av should work 24/7, you also set it to automatic update(12 hour at least, 1h at most). i use kaspersky av, it update itself every 30min or so(the people working there are trully 24/7 protecting you - its says to be the only one in the world that can give you an antidote for a virus, at 1h max after the virus is detected, somewhere on the web). saved my a couple of times, i really trust that russian genious kid product .(not free though - if you want protection, you wont find it for free, i'm sure of this)
3.spyware doctor works for me, but heres a hint: install this to prevent, not to heal. once u got that spyware....its so hard to get it out of the system...

the idea is:
1.most of the antivirus programs are ok, some better, but if you keep it up to date and running 24/7, you should be safe, no matter the program.
2.zonealarm is a must.
3.you dont need to use 24/7 antispyware kit, if the antivirus can deal with this matter(kaspersky like), but a scan with a standalone spyware application every week is a must

late edit: these 'rules' work just great for me, my last problem on the net was a couple of mounths ago, and only because i overwritten the actions of the antivirus and allow a suspect program.

take a look: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Kaspersky-Antivirus-Personal.shtml

 

the best anti spyware is spysweeper imho, but it not free, for free i would go ad aware by lavasoft. for antivirus i have norton(i know no one likes it) but avast is great and free

 

I use zone alarm, for completer protection. It is annoying to keep educating it on permissable changes to the computer. my problem is that i say"ok" to everything so how do i know if the laptop integrity is really being breached. I recall with norton and mcaffe it was a more brainless functionality. anyway zone alarm suite is what I have.

 

ok, got spybot, ad- aware, and avast goin righ tnow. i uninstalled mcafee, cuz it kept poppin up. but what about a firewall? what should i do for that? And when u say firefox is tha tthe browser? and y is that prefered over internet explorer.

 

To answer your firefox question.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=69123&highlight=opera+firefox

JC

 

Another free solution for a firewall is the Kerio personal firewall. It is known for being light on resources. The free version looses some of the content filtering features such as cookie and ad blocking but the firewall features remain.
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm

Another free spyware solution is spywareblaster. The free version does not automatically update. There is also Windows defender from Microsoft which is free.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/sbdownload.html
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

Another free antivirus alternative is AntiVir.
http://www.free-av.com/

I personally use NOD32 for antivirus protection. I use Spybot search and destroy and spywareblaster for spyware protection. For firewall I use my router and leave the Windows firewall on.

For the free antivirus alternatives I found I liked Avast the best. It requires that you register. People that have a concern for that should check the privacy policy. Choice is always good!

 

well im glad i read this thread...i was thinking of getting norton internet security 2006...can anyone tell me why it is not so popular?? I think i may get zonealarm as many of you seemto be fans i like the game mode feature as i get taken out of full screen when watching a movie whenever a "recent attack on my computer is blocked"

 

a list of some popular applications - that i used and liked - to protect your laptop:

browser: firefox with no script plugin: http://www.noscript.net/whats

antivirus:
-kaspersky: pay : http://www.kaspersky.com/trials
-avast: free : http://www.avast.com/eng/download.html

firewall:
-zone alarm: pay : http://www.zonelabs.com/store/appli...catalogHome&dc=12bms&ctry=&lang=ro&lid=nav_ho
-sunbelt kerio: free : http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Kerio.cfm

anti spyware/adware:
-spyware doctor: pay : http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/
-spybot: free : http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

they are not slowing down your pc, they are safe and easy to use and they are world wide known. remember: whatever antivirus you use, keep it up2date!!
if you are not an expert, you should know that all the antivirus programs are almost as good, as long as you let it update itself regulary, you are protected. you should chose the application that suits you best(ease of use its a must).
in rest, stay away from bad websites and obscure downloads/install requests

 

one word: zonealarm: does it all. forget the rest. period.

 

If you have broadband, check to see what your ISP offers. RoadRunner offers a free subscription to Computer Associates' EZ Trust Suite, which includes a firewall that appears to be based upon Zone Alarm. It also includes antivirus and antispyware programs, as well as an anti-spam program for your email reader.