Which Internet Security ???

[Hangar-7]

I have Windows Vista's basic firewall + Avast. Is there any need to add another Internet Security program? I was thinking of not renewing Norton Security. I used Comodo before but don't think it is any better than Norton.
Is 360 really worth getting?

Any suggestion please?

Cheers

[Helimadlarry]

If there is one piece of advise I could give anyone about norton 360, it would be to stay as far away from it as possible. I previously had it installed on my pc and to say it caused big issues would be an understatment. I installed it on a brand new installation of windows XP and it made the whole computer at least 1/4 slower than before it was installed, not to mention the incompatibility with other software. I've had the same issues with other "Symantec" branded software also, so it is not just Norton 360 thats been an issue for me. After uninstalling Norton it was like I had just deleted a huge virus. Programs started working properly again and whole pc sped up. I'm currently using Iolo system mechanics pro, which I have been for 3 years now and I can't fault in any way. Except the £30 anual subscription. Which is nothing concidering the continuous updates of the programs many features.

Of course my experiance with Norton software is just an opinion, and I am in no way saying that anyone should not use the software. Just that my personal experiance has left me with resentment to ever use it again.

p.s. Sorry for the waffling.

[pchristy]

Any suggestion please?

Linux!



--
Pete

[heliboy]

I run vista and avast!...i went to see a friend in his computer store the other day he had an influx of 25 computers with a virus that locks out your antivirus....he tols me he had never seem to have this many computers in for the same thing ...he said he didnt mind like

anyone heard of anything new on the virus front???

[Chris Hinds]

My top 3 would be:

1. ESET NOD32
2. F-Secure
3. Kaspersky

All three are good, F-Secure uses an amalgamation of the Kaspersky engine and elements of the NOD32 method. NOD32 is the fastest while Kaspersky is the slowest. You have to pay for all of them though.

Avoid Norton and McAfee, both too big, bloated and slow.

[del19_82]

My experience with f secure isn't good, I have it on my works computer and it failed to find the virus that was plaguing it! I use avast on my own laptop!

[Mike W]

Most people use routers , so configure your NAT properly and that should cure half of it .... I also run avast here and have been doing for a few years .. norton bloatware

[crash-alot]

I use
AVAST
and
Outpost Firewall

[Hangar-7]

@Helimadlarry - Funny you should say that - coz i had similar but lesser degree of problems with Norton Internet Security and lots of people told it is pants but since I paid for it last year I kept it there not expecting anything from it.

@ Pete - Linux! I heard various reports but what are your pluses and minuses are? Share with us please.

@ Chris
My top 3 would be:

1. ESET NOD32
2. F-Secure
3. Kaspersky

I have not heard of first two but third one is on my little list.. (G&S)

@Heliboy - my computer got corrupted recently when just for a few days I was running COMODO for Avast and unistalled Norton. The computer ran at a snail pace Re-installed Vista so everything is OK -- fingers crossed. I also had full backup so hopefully have not lost any important data.

So there may be a epedimic of virus now - watch out!!

Cheers

[Three6ty]

Any suggestion please?

Get a Mac and don't look back

[Paulice]

I've used Free antivirus - Avira AntiVir for many years and never had a problem, But get the paid version.

[pchristy]

Pete - [/I][/I]Linux! I heard various reports but what are your pluses and minuses are? Share with us please.

I won't use anything else on my computers now! Even my wifes is running Linux!

Advantages:

1) Its free!

2) It installs in about half the time of Windows!

3) Its free!

4) It has a far wider range of software available for it than windows, and most of it is free!

5) For the most part, it doesn't get affected by viruses, most of which are written for windows, so you don't need to worry about anti-virus software. (Although this doesn't stop you from passing viruses on, so some people fit (free!) anti-virus software to prevent infecting others.)

6) You can try it without installing it! Many distributions run as "live" CDs, so you can boot from the CD and run it from there. Its a bit slow doing this, but if you like it, you can then tell it to install to the disk!

Disadvantages:

1) There aren't many games written for it, and most flight simulators won't run under it.

However, there is a (free) program called Wine (Wine I Not an Emulator) that will run many windows programs under Linux.

And if you have a powerful enough computer, you can run windows in a virtual machine under Linux for those games and flight sims. By keeping windows isolated inside the virtual machine, you can keep it safe from infection.

Distributions to try:

If you are a geek and like getting your hands dirty, use Slackware. Its the purest distribution of the lot, and can be tuned to your requirements. However, its not for the faint hearted, and takes a while to optimise!

I run Slackware 64-bit on my main machine at home.

If you want something you can run from a live cd to "try before you buy", get Mandrive One (You can download it (free!) from Mandriva )

If you like it, you can install it to disk. At this stage it is advisable to have a broadband connection, because then it will install loads of extra software. It comes with OpenOffice (free equivalent of Micro$oft Office), and Gimp (free equivalent of Photoshop, though perhaps not so user friendly).

Almost any other software you can possibly want is freely downloadable either from Mandriva's repositories, or if its covered by American patents (invalid in Europe), from the Penguin Liberation Front (PLF) (don't ask!!!).

If you get stuck, there's plenty of forums like this one to help you out!

My wife has Mandriva on her machine, and I now spend less than a tenth of the time "fixing" it as I did when she had Windows on it. I've also just installed Mandriva on a netbook (the CD image will also run from a memory card!). In both cases it correctly identified ALL the hardware immediately, and I didn't have to go hunting for drivers for anything!

You can also buy a boxed set, which comes with an instruction manual, but you shouldn't need it!

Go for it!



--
Pete

[Hangar-7]

I won't use anything else on my computers now! Even my wifes is running Linux!........ Go for it!



--
Pete

Thanks Pete for writing such an informative post - I'm sure many others like me will find it useful. I was aware of the fact that Linux is less succeptible to virus attack ... but softwares for it put me off. I started my computer days with Apple then came MSDOS and made life easier ... we all fell for it and now virus attacks, software upgrades .... a real moneymaking venture for BG. I'll give Linux some serious thoughts but keep Vista for the time being.

Thanks again for your suggestion.

Cheers

[Hangar-7]

Most people use routers , so configure your NAT properly and that should cure half of it .... I also run avast here and have been doing for a few years .. norton bloatware

I use a BT router as a part of the package .. but still get vitus attack. Avast in that respect probably has protected my computer. Avast being such a large software, it was marginally slowing down my computer so I went for Comodo as a test...

Cheers

[Toolman]

I managed to catch an Inforseeker virus this week at work, got an email from DHL claiming I had missed a delivery. Ran the attachment to see my parcel tracking, Dupe!!

I don't know what I was thinking! In my defence I was stressed and was waiting on some parts which our customer was screeming for! Bearing in mind I do our companies IT as well! It least I knew straight away what I had done, and was able to cure it.
This particular virus is only detected by 25% of virus checkers, and not Avast which I use on all my PCs. I would recommend, having a hardware firewall for starters. And don't run any email attachments unless you are absolutely sure what it is! Also the dreaded zone alarm can be useful too.

Tim.