Protecting my new computer...

[BCA]

Hi all,

As you know, my new computer arrives shortly and I would like to hear suggestions as to how its best to protect it...

I havent specced any anti-virus stuff as I'll probably use AVG again, does anyone have any recommendations of other anti-virus programs/ pop up blockers/ anti adware/ firewalls??

thanks in advance,
Ben CA

[beano500]

Don't throw it out of third floor windows.....


....not all of them manage to bounce.

[Kinky]

Ben,

What brand of PC did you get?

Only ask, as if you got a Lenovo [IBM] PC, then it will come with a program called 'Rescue & Recovery' - whereby you backup the system, and if anything goes wrong - press the right button and your system is retored to the last backup.

I back mine up nightly.

K

[Trooper2]

Make sure you plug it (and the peripherals) into a high quality surge protector, I'm fairly sure it was a lightning strike a few months back that wiped out my motherboard.

[_dan_]

I'm behind a router hardware firewall (NetGear), with that I use AVG free (updated daily), windows firewall, Microsoft Antispyware and run AdAware and SpyBot S&D now and again.

Never had any nasties on the PC and they're all free!!

[rsvmilly]

BCA said:

Hi all, As you know, my new computer arrives shortly and I would like to hear suggestions as to how its best to protect it...

Go to Micro$oft and 'Update Windows'.

Just make sure you don't attach it to the internet via a USB modem. It'll be infected with crud before you even have a chance to patch it.

[ehasler]

I had the same question recently - some useful replies here:

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=95&t=220906

Having tried a few trial versions of various packages, I've gone for AVG (free), ZoneAlarm (free) and MS Antispam as well as a hardware firewall built into the ADSL modem/router.

[aranell]

Ditto all of the above...
Plus, ditch IE and get a proper web browser. Opera (www.opera.com) and Firefox (www.getfirefox.com) are two pretty good browsers. They tend to disallow popups and I'm pleasantly surprised that I've picked up only three pieces of crud (according to AdAware) in the 5 months I've used Opera on this laptop

I only ever use IE for Windows Updates and for my banking site (because it crashes Opera)

[agent006]

rsvmilly said:

Just make sure you don't attach it to the internet via a USB modem. It'll be infected with crud before you even have a chance to patch it.

Get a proper network router. It'll be much safer as it adds an extra firewall layer to the connection.

[FunkyNige]

I use -

Browser - Firefox
Antivirus - AVG
Firewall - XP firewall + hardware firewall on the router
Anti-spyware - MS anti-spyware, Spywareblaster and Spybot Search & Destroy

Haven't had a single piece of nastiness on my machine in the past year.

[Ballistic Banana]

I Use,

Zone Alarm firewall/AV/spyware along Hardwire Firewall on the Router
AVG - Virus guard
Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Spyware along with mailwasher

Only pay for the ZA package

BB