A must have Internet Security Programs.

[marcus_damascus]

aight, i only uses a dial-up modem so i created a batch file that will run the
following prior to my internet connection:

Norton Antivirus : Zone Alarm Firewall :
Spybot Search & Destroy : Spywareblaster, which i all regularly updates..

but i just wonder if these were all enough to secure my pc from intruders or any malicious spyware and alike?
Please kindly post any reactions regarding the combination of these programs..
perhaps you may recommend any other powerful programs to use rather..
coz u know, like Norton Antivirus, it accumulates huge memory, which slows down system performance, although its a great tool to use.. i really enjoyed my PCsystem on my offline days when i reformatted my hd until i installed this NAV and i needed to get online... i almost prefer to access internet at some internet cafe rather than to install this NAV in my pc..

Also, do you think these programs are well enough to secure peer-to-peer connections such as WinMX..

Your posts will be greatly appreciated! Ciao!

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Dump that bloatware NAV.
Instead get the free AVG from http://free.grisoft.com

You should also get Adaware Personal SE from www.lavasoftusa.com.
To run it, click 'Start', UNcheck 'Scan for negligible risk entries', select 'Perform full system scan' and click 'Next'. Let AdAware remove anything it finds.

Run both Spybot and Adaware at least once a week, with updated definitions.

I'd advise against using any P2P.

 

[MrGaribaldi]

I agree with RBS that avg is better in your case than NAV... It too does have it's downsides, but for your uses it should be sufficient...

As for if it's enough, it depends on what you use your system for when you're online... You're not really at risk from hackers, as systems on dial-up are of little to no use for them (aside from the challenge of hacking your system before you go offline ).

You could get away with not having either Adaware or Spybot running, but it depends on your browsing habits. If you only stick to cnn.com, techspot.com and other reputable sites, and don't open any unknown attachments, you should be safe, but if you download files, visit pr0n sites or do anything else that's a bit of the beaten track, having the programs running in the background will make sure that those pesky little things won't infect your system...

 

[marcus_damascus]

AVG seems to be very popular..

i'd like to try this AVG, but first, may i know if it has a very clean uninstallation,
just in case i'd rather not to use it?

and also, does disabling the "Auto-protect" of NAV would totally stops all the background processess of it? ...so i can install AVG for a while?
Will it have a serious conflict and detection of NAV program along with the installation of AVG?

May i use both program? running it alternatively?

big thanks to all of you! have a very good day!

ciao!

 

[gbhall]

AVG install/uninstall

In my experience AVG has completely satisfactory install and uninstall. The only slight quirk is when they bring out a substantial upgrade, it often does not upgrade well, but if you totally uninstall before installing the newer version there is never a problem.

In my experience of Norton AV, disabling auto-protect does not stop many, if any background processes. For instance it will suddenly pop-up to remind you to download the latest virus database at any random time, even when apparently turned off. You do not state your verson of Norton AV. This is important, as earlier versions were a bit better than later versions. But any regular user of this techspot will discourage you from using NAV at all.

I have used NAV2003 and AVG simultaneously for many months, although (a) this practice is frowned upon. (b) I would not know about any of the many other versions of NAV. (c) there is not really much point, as AVG seems to have the edge in many ways over NAV.

My personal preference is to run AVG permanently, and also have another AV package (in my case another free one - AntiVir (German based) address here http://www.hbedv.com/ the reason is to have two alternatives, one for on-line, the other for offline weekly deep checking, which AntiVir is particularly good at, and very fast.

An advantage of AVG is it only downloads incremental virus databases, whereas AntiVir needs you to download the whole database every time.