The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Loading Anti-Virus Software Onto A New Notebook

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by Erle, Jul 27, 2006.

  1. Erle

    Erle Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hello again,

    I guess this may come across as a really silly question :eek: but am hoping that you guys will be able to help.

    I've recently purchased a HP Pavilion DV8308TX notebook. I haven't received it yet but was going through the forum and you guys have recommended that I load Ad-Aware and ZoneAlarm and Spybot and some others.

    However I wanted to know what would be the best method to download these. As in, would it be safe to connect to the internet to download these various anti-virus software considering that the notebook is new and doesn't have any existing software on it. It does come with a 60 day trial version of Norton Anti-Virus but thought I'd check for your opinions.

    Sorry if its a really dumb question but I'm really new to all of this.

    Thanks,
    Erle
     
    Erle, Jul 27, 2006
    #1
  2. l33t_c0w

    l33t_c0w Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    174
    Messages:
    1,159
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    it ought to be safe, provided you're behind a firewall, and don't go around downloading a bunch of other stuff before you get them installed ^^

    (XP service pack 2 has a built in firewall that blocks unrequested incoming traffic, or a hardware router does the same thing even better.)

    You do want to make sure you've got Windows updated before you browse the general internet though. (There have been some really nasty exploits in the past.) I'd recommend using an alternate browser, such as Opera or Firefox, available for free from www.opera.com and www.mozilla.com/firefox.
     
    l33t_c0w, Jul 27, 2006
    #2
  3. _radditz_

    _radditz_ Fallen to the Sith...

    Reputations:
    120
    Messages:
    1,584
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Norton is a system hog that really slows down your system. As soon as you get your laptop get the following: AVG free, Zonealarm, Ad Aware and Spybot. Disconnect from the internet, uninstall Norton, install the programs and re-connect.
     
    _radditz_, Jul 27, 2006
    #3
  4. adinu

    adinu I pwn teh n00bs.

    Reputations:
    489
    Messages:
    2,842
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Just cuz u dont have any AV/firewall doesnt mean that ur gonna kill ur computer if u go online for a couple minutes. Heck, if u watch what ur doing and not goin to shady pr0n sites, u can live and surf the web 24/7 w/o needing an AV.

    So dont worry about it, just plug in ur notebook and download the stuff online, then use it. You will be fine. But if ur really paranoid, and god forbid one should go online w/o an AV, then downlowd the stuff on another computer, burn then to a cd, and then transfer them to ur new laptop while still being offline.
     
    adinu, Jul 27, 2006
    #4
  5. Erle

    Erle Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Thank you all so much for your help. Was real worried but not any more. Will let you guys know how I go.

    Just had a call today and the notebook's gonna be delivered on Monday. :D
     
    Erle, Jul 27, 2006
    #5