call me lazy having always left computer security to my partner, where do I start and how hard is it to do?

what forms of security would you advise and how much will it cost

7 replies
  1. g4acre says:

    spyware doctor =$30 from web site or your local walmart. zonealarm firewall free=PC cillin security suite $30 from web or walmart again. spybot search & destroy,-adaware se personal these all run well together and you can get the free ones from this link &a trial version of the paid ones as well. http://www.pcworld.com and get this free tool also http://www.iobit.com make sure that you run the updates on all of them after you download them as they dont come with the latest updates instaled. good luck and its not all as bad as it might seem.realy easy to do.

  2. site mechanic says:

    See that your computer has least one antivirus, one antispyware, one firewall, and one temp files and registry cleaner on your pc. And scan your pc regularly. And run temp files cleaner after end of each browsing session. Apart from that create a limited user account on your pc and use it whenever you want to access internet.Use firefox browser for better protection. Create longer and strong passwords and change them frequently, at least once in a fortnight. Do not open email attachments in unsolicited mail or in the mail sent from the people you do not know. You should be careful not to click on the links sent on the messenger, unless it is sent by someone you trust and you know what it is for

    1) All kind of security softwares are available for free
    http://mypchelp.blogspot.com/2006/10/essential-free-internet-security.html
    2) You can use either ccleaner or awc personal after each browsing session
    http://bestofrest.blogspot.com/2006/11/ccleaner.html
    http://bestofrest.blogspot.com/2007/02/advanced-windowscare-personal.html
    3) You can create a limited user account on winxp for greater online security
    http://mypchelp.blogspot.com/2006/12/using-limited-account-for-browsing.html
    4) Create secure passwords
    http://mypchelp.blogspot.com/2006/09/create-secure-passwords.html
    5) Use Firefox for safer browsing
    http://ffbrowser.blogspot.com/2006/12/firefox-features.html

  3. rlh242424 says:

    http://www.tom-cat.com/security.html

    The link above is a very good site to help you learn about security. It will also provide you with links to download what you need. You can protect your computer with all free programs. You will definitely need a good firewall and anti-virus program.

  4. Sly_Old_Mole says:

    You require the following:

    1. one anti virus program
    2. one firewall
    3. anti spyware programs.

    The best anti virus program is Nod32 but its not free:

    http://www.eset.com/download/index.php

    The best free anti virus program is the one from AOL:

    http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp

    The best firewall is free:

    http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

    The second best firewall is free:

    http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,7228-order,1-page,1-c,alldownloads/description.html

    The best anti spyware program is not free:

    http://www.webroot.com/consumer/products/spysweeper/

    The second best anti spyware (not Free)(Ad Aware SE Pro):

    http://www.lavasoft.de/products/select_your_product.php

    Third best Ad Aware SE Personal:

    http://www.lavasoft.de/products/select_your_product.php

    P.S. Always run more than one Anti Spyware program.

  5. jibbarjabar says:

    Here’s some ideas to “roll ya own” Internet Security Suite for free. Free is always the best.

    1. For your Anti-Virus……(Always use only 1 A-V) and make sure any previous anti-virus is completly un-installed

    I like the FREE, AOL ActiveVirusShield. Don’t let the name AOL scare you. ActiveVirusShield is made by Kaspersky which is one of top-rated anti-virus vendors in the world.

    In recent tests, the most popular free anti-virus, AVG, was only able to detect about 82% of a very large sample of viruses. On the other hand, ActiveVirusShield was able to detect better than 99% in the same test.
    Full test results are here:
    http://www.virus.gr/english/fullxml/default.asp?id=82&mnu=82

    ActiveVirusShield has excellent virus detection rates and is extremely light on using your computer resources.

    Updates many times per day to detect new malware.

    Free to anyone, AOL member or not from:
    http://www.activevirusshield.com/antivirus/freeav/index.adp?

    2. For your Firewall……….(Always use only 1 firewall)

    An excellent free firewall is Comodo Personal Firewall. It can pass firewall “leak tests” that even most of the “paid-for” firewalls cannot pass.

    And Comodo has a great support forum. Where the CEO / President of the company might even himself answer your question! Check it out at:
    http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

    3. For your Anti-Adware and Anti-Spyware needs……………(use 2)

    Pick and choose, 2 anti-spywares from the list below and alternate scanning with them on a regular basis. New spywares are created literally hourly, so no single anti-spyware can really detect all malware. Have at least 2 on hand and alternate scanning with each every few days or so. All are free. All can remove as well as detect.

    Spybot Search and Destroy:
    http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html

    Ewido:
    http://www.ewido.net/en/download/

    Adaware SE:
    http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/

    A-Squared:
    http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

    SUPERAntiSpyware:
    http://www.superantispyware.com/

    Windows Defender:
    http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

    Unfortunately, many “paid for” anti-spyware products are in fact either of limited usefulness or downright scams. When in doubt, look at the list of rogue anti-spyware solutions listed here:
    http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

    4. And to protect your computer from ever getting infected with spyware in the first place………… (use them both)

    SpywareBlaster:
    http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

    SiteAdvisor:
    http://www.siteadvisor.com/

    Everything here is 100% free!!!!!!

    Great luck!

  6. Enfold IT says:

    OK… before you buy anything, think about a few things:

    1] What are you trying to secure?
    2] How much would it cost if I lost any of it forever?
    3] How much trouble would I be in if it got in the wrong hands?
    4] How much time would it take to clean up any of these messes?

    This should tell you about how much to spend on your solution. Now let’s figure out how people can get to you:

    1] Do you browse the general Internet from the machine the data is on? Don’t count things like Windows update, or Quickbooks update.
    2] If not, do other machines have access to the data via any kind of network?

    If it’s an isolated system, as you may imagine, it’s pointless to put spyware protection on it. There’s almost no way to get it on there. However, if it’s on a network, antivirus is good thing to have since these can spread through files.

    Next question, How many computers do you need to secure agasint untargetted attacks like viuses and spyware? 1 or 2? Pick one. Any of the other contributor’s suggestions should be fine. 10+? Buy enterprise software to do it. It ensures that all your machines have the stuff installed and that it’s kep up to date. I use Symantec Corporate Edition, but Sophos, and McAffee are fine, too.

    While you’re at it, look at your firewall… Does it stop viruses there? Do you have more than a few machine? Is the cost of losing your data high? Then get a good firewall. Sonicwall TZ170 (or something similar) with the Global Security option does what you need. It blocks the malware at the firewall, before it even gets to your machine.

    Finally, backup. Make sure you have it, it’s off site, and you trust it. If you’re trying to do it on the cheap, use Mozy (www.mozy.com) for a basic, off-site backup system. If you need something more robust, and certified, go with LiveVault, or eVault, or VaultLogix, or anything with “Vault” in the name.

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