Samv6271

I don't know what forum this should go in, this one seemed closest

~~~


My McAfee subscription is coming to an end, (no thanks to them, they re-billed me after 2 years for $90 for a subscription continuation without asking, underhanded toolbags).


I've been quite unhappy with McAfee, I went through the Hijackthis forums a while back and found out that McAfee has missed A LOT over the years.

So now I'm on the prowl for a new anti-virus, firewall, scanner deal, you know - a security package of some sort. What should I get? There is a plethora of free software out there, what is the best? (or the best combination?) or is it better to pay for one of the major brands?

ps I'm running XP-SP2

Thanks a bunch,
~Sam V

justpassingby

Hi Samv6271 !

I'll move you to the general security forum where I believe you'll have more answers. Edit : I've binned your other thread. Please read the forum rules about multiple posting.

This will probably be an interesting read :
PC Safety and Security--What Do I Need?

Personally I prefer dedicated programs that do just what they need to do instead of all-in-one powerhouses. I use Avira Antivir and XP's integrated firewall, found them both to be efficient while very light on cpu and memory ressources. As per the spywares, I don't click on ads nor open e-mails from unknown senders. I run an adaware scan monthly but haven't had a single infection (besides tracking cookies) in 3 years time.

nickster_uk

I generally agree with justpassingby's advice regarding dedicated programs but I've also found ESET's Smart Security suite to be very good. It combines anti-virus, firewall, anti-spam and anti-spyware. It doesn't use much resources and is very reliable.

For ad and script blocking, I use Ad Muncher....it's one amazing program...in fact, no other ad blocker comes close to being as good!

Samv6271

Sorry about the duplicate post, I there was a site-error when I clicked post and I thought it didn't go through ~~

so NickUK, would it be a good idea to run Avira Antivir AND ESET's Smart Security suite, plus the monthly scan with Adaware? Or should I just pick one of the first two?


And just a quick note justpassingby, and you might already be aware of this, I read the "What do I need?" article you linked to, and it says specifically that XP's built-in firewall isn't as protective as many other firewalls becasue it only monitors inbound activity, so if you DO get infected, nothing is stopping the malicious program from "calling home".

justpassingby

The best solution is to avoid getting infected in the first place, but should you get some malware then another firewall may indeed do better than XP's to prevent the malicious software from "calling home". XP's integrated firewall doesn't allow to create specific rules to monitor the outgoing traffic but it'll still block unrequested incoming traffic. That's sufficient as long as your computer is not infected by other means, for instance if you inadvertently installed a malicious software by running some executable file on your computer. If you think you're not safely protected then you may feel more secure with another firewall, I'll leave it to the security techs to recommend you a good one.

Again, the best protection against spywares is yourself : don't run files or install programs you don't know anything about and, as I already said, don't click on ads or open e-mails/attachments from unknown sources.

Edit : about using avira and another security suite with an antivirus solution I would advise against that, unless ESET's security suite allows to deactivate the antivirus part. You shouldn't use 2 programs for the same purpose as they could conflict with each other (for instance if they try to scan or quarantine the same file at the same time) and create stability issues and security breaches.

Samv6271

Well I installed AntiVir and tried to update it, it couldn't connect to http://dl5.avgate.net
it just counts time up and doesn't transmit any information
so I uninstalled McAfee completely, and still can't update AntiVir

suggestions?

Samv6271

I decided I'd rather have all my security-stuff in one place, so I uninstalled AntiVir and installed ESET.

Seems to be running just fine :)

saturn_5

Avast! Free Home Edition, Spybot Search and Destroy. Get rid of Macafee/Norton. Processor Hogs and too much money. The former are both free and work great.

ejames82

if eset is working properly, you made a very good decision.

justpassingby

Yup, you can choose between an all-in-one solution (often the most user-friendly solution) and several dedicated programs, just don't mix them.

Be warned that Eset's Smart Security suite (just found out that it's based on NOD32, which is indeed a very good antivirus) is only free for 30 days, after that period you'll have to pay to keep using it.

Samv6271

Yup, I got ESET working just fine, so far i've been happy with it -- thanks for the sugestion :)

Does anyone know where I could get some of those nifty little online-security-test dealios, where a website tests your protection?

tetonbob

Something like:

Steve Gibson's Shields Up

https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

Steve Gibson's Leak test

http://www.grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm

PCFlank Leak Test

http://www.pcflank.com/pcflankleaktest.htm

Symantec

http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/h...OGIJPUVGCWETOM

Samv6271

I can't remember why, but I uninstalled ESET and downloaded tiny firewall 2005. I've just ended my 1 month trial, and I've been extremely happy with it so far.

Unfortunately, when I go to the link provided in the program, (www.tinysoftware.com) it automatically sends me to CA.com

Thinking that the company had changed names,
and so happy with my experience with Tiny,

I purchased their internet security suite for $60, and installed it. It was not at all what I was looking for, and was thoroughly a waste of time.

I sent customer care an email, and right asking for a refund and for a way to purchase a license for Tiny.

I got an email back that said they're going to refund me $20, that didn't mention Tiny at all.

I sent them another email, asking why it was only $20 and again asking how to buy Tiny.


It looks like CA bought Tiny at some point, and at that point they planned to continue selling Tiny products individually. But now it doesn't seem like they are :(


As far as I can see, this might very well be the right time to go to one of those serial-number-generator websites, and just go ahead and get it illegally.


... help?

amateur

You might also get a bonus and end up with a nice infection. Majority of the infections we deal with are caused by visiting these sites and downloading such products. I would very strongly advise against it.

tetonbob

To add to what amateur has stated...

If you do so, and find your machine gets infected, do not ask us for help in removing it.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/secu...-software.html

Samv6271

Yeah I'm aware of the risks of that, and don't plan to do it (especially without a firewall!)

I just really want to license Tiny-Firewall ... and CA customer support has been little short of HORRIBLE so far ...

justpassingby

Tiny personal firewall has been replaced by CA Personal Firewall.

Found this free version : http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=tpfirewall. Obviously it's outdated so I suggest you try another firewall.

Samv6271

I just really don't want to purchase another CA product and be unsatisfied ... do you know (or is there any way to find out) if the CA firewall is as customizable as Tiny Firewall was?

The rest of the CA products in that pack seemed to be laid out with VERY little room for configuration, and changing how parts of it worked was VERY difficult.


Tiny firewall is the only firewall I've EVER encountered that
**tells you about parent applications starting child-applications,
**allows you to see, in real time, what percentage of your bandwidth different programs are using,
**and that doesn't come with a stupid list of programs it THINKS should be able to access the internet.
(what I mean by this: McAffee, for example, seems to come with a list of trusted processes, like system processes, that it allows to contact the internet. Unfortunately, there are a lot of OTHER programs in there too, like Real Player! Who wants Real Player installing its own updates without asking them!?!)

Samv6271

haha I'm kinda sad I won't get to keep my Tiny-firewall :(
I liked it so.

but yeah, I might go with NOD32 antiv and Zone-Alarm firewall ... how do y'all feel about those??