[farahm2]

Hey there people, im talking about things like firewalls and anti viruses etc. What is everything that i need to be completely safe? And also is there a program which offers all of this? Like an All-In-One computer protection program? What would be nice.

[Jason08]

McAfee security center has AV, firewall, Spyware Protection, Windows protection, and a lot more.

[Fluffmatic]

Best single thing to install to get better security?

Simple... Linux ;-)

Reasons for Windows users to try Linux

[perfume]

Dear farahm2,
"A totally safe computer is one which is unplugged from the power source"-A quote i read from a member's post when i joined the site!LOL.
I can assure you that no computer is "fail proof" OR "fool proof", because of two factors. One is the hardware you have in front of you and the second is"You"! Suppose nobody told you that tinkering with the "registry is disastrous", and were mislead to beleive that cleaning the registry is good for your pc, this misconception alone is enough to cause real damage!

The hard drive will fail one day, so develop the concept of a Backup and Restore ( I learnt that concept here)! I,You and others commit mistakes while on a pc which can lead to a pc crash! Thus, there are many imponderables involved. Two software firewalls on the same pc, will lead to conflict.Windows XP and Vista have their own default firewalls and comes along a good firewall for free(Comodo) and just because it's free and effective you can install it! If nobody tells you to just turn off the windows firewall, there may be trouble. The same goes with Anti-Virus programs!Ughh, i'll stop here!

[perfume]

Dear farahm2,
Just took a deep breath! Comodo Internet Security Suite is free and the Comodo BRAND is highly respected in this site, but it's a new-comer!Download it from here: http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/d..._firewall.html (Don't get mislead by the firewall, it has Anti-Virus added)

I personally use and am satisfied with Kaspersky Internet Security suite2009(KIS2009) which has to be bought.You may buy from :http://www.kaspersky.com/kaspersky_internet_security
It has,Anti-Virus,Firewall,Anti-Malware,Anti-Dialing, anti-spyware and Spam filter incorporated. I am not absolutely sure about the "stop at the gate" ability of Comodo, but KIS2009 has what is called" Pro-Active Defence", that is, by definition should not allow viruses and trojans from even entering the system! Cool fearure!

[perfume]

Dear Fluffmatic,
Being a rebel at heart and home, i decided one day to unshackle myself from Microsoft. I requested for an UBUNTU Installation disk and dived right into this Linux version. I gradually found out that MS has made me an uneducated fool as far as computer language was concerned! I was offered a test to find out for myself whether i can handle and be comfortable with Linux (UBUNTU). I failed the test and was advised that i take a few lessons on Linux. It was like being liberated from the dictatorship of B.G and back again into the so,so cosy prison called Windows. I would have taken the lessons in Linux, except that i am a teenager preparing to get in to medical school to become a physician.

Lotuseclat79 was kind enough to see my plight and said"Linux is best,lessons probably later". With Linux, you are like an eagle soaring high, safe from shooters below!

[blitzkreig]

hey,

I some what agree with PERFUME. According to me Todays malware, spyware and viruses are highly sophisticated. U may feel that you're completely protected but there are some loopholes. These malware are able to capitalise on these loopholes and mess up the normal operation of the pc and the computer is in complete jeopardy. A few day ago I got this malware that messed up my entire internet. It wasnt allowing me to google the problem, and it never alowed me to access the security sites, never allowed me to update my AV, Antispy

and
BOOM

[Jason08]

I think "protected" can take on a couple different meanings. You can be completely protected in a way if you have no Internet, because no viruses can get in, but messing with some things on the computer can cause system instability.

[Calabrese]

Like everyone has mentioned I believe there is no such thing as completely protected. For myself, I use Avast! Home edition as a firewall etc...but I also do frequent scans. Avast updates itself which is a nice feature and alerts you of an suspecious content it finds.

It also has a virus/spyware/etc scanner but I've found that I prefer using others that I feel more comfortable with. I use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Spybot Search & Destroy. They both seem to catch what the other misses. Those 3 products have effectively kept me protected.

[wtxcowboy]

used 2 use avast, 4 over 2 yrs but switched 2 avira a/v when avast missed a trojan i had. also use mbam & windows defender as well as threatfire & comodo firewall. use a router & it also has a built-in firewall but still didn't prevent my pc from gettin a trojan not 2 long ago. just goes 2 show ya... nothing is "fool" proof lol. not sure if my infection was from javascripts or flash cuz i play a lot of those games. according 2 the scan, was located in an icon file in iconpackager from stardock which has been on my pc 4 a long time. so who knows!!

[Jason08]

McAfee Security Suite and Windows updates keep my computer protected.

[Kenny94]

Originally Posted by Jason08

I think "protected" can take on a couple different meanings. You can be completely protected in a way if you have no Internet, because no viruses can get in, but messing with some things on the computer can cause system instability.

Three Thumbs Up Jason08. Back Up your stuff!

http://www.switched.com/2009/02/26/8...ur-stuff-safe/

[perfume]

Dear kenny94,
You have a way with rhymes! The photograph adds a nice touch too. B & R was what i was conveying to the original Poster( OP). The OP wants an all-in-one software and let's focus on that! KIS2009, ESET(Nod32), CIS and McAfee are all good! When i originally wanted to install a similar bundled software for my new PC, i was led to Bit Defender as the top of the heap suite, the site being :http://www.bitdefender.com/ .


Even during the second world war times,
The air-raid sirens were better than His rhymes!

Yes,end-rhyme poetry!lol!

[lunarlander]

If you have Windows XP Professional, MS published an XP Security Guide v2 and tells you how to harden XP Pro. It is available here:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sec...fault.mspx#ETE

If you have Vista Business and Ultimate, there is a Vista version of the Security Guide:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Hardening an OS gives the attacker a smaller attack surface by disabling unnecessary features. Windows after a fresh install is quite bloated and has a lot of places for an attacker to poke at.

Also you should seriously consider running it daily using a limited/standard user account, as that prevents some malware from working and prevents malware from making system wide changes. In the Unix world, nobody runs a machine daily using the admin account. MS acknowledges that and has made UAC for Vista to achieve the same end.

Together with running as a standard user, enable Software Restriction. That would leave malware a really limited attack space. Should your standard user account come under attack, all you have to do is create a new account and migrate your documents and photos to the new account and wipe the old account.

Here's more details about that:
http://www.mechbgon.com/build/security2.html

Also along the lines of protection and prevention, use Mcafee's Site Advisor, available here:

http://www.siteadvisor.com/

It places a site rating besides every google result and tells you about malware infested sites before you go clicking on them and instantly infecting your machine.

[Jason08]

Thanks Kenny.