What do YOU use?
By Cate Eales
Appeared August 20, 2009 on castanet.net
When I help a home or business computer user out of a
jam, or when I set up a brand new, fresh-out-of-the-box computer for
someone, there are several important choices to be made. Computers need to
be protected from malware. The important files on them need to be backed
up. I'm often asked, "What do YOU use?"
Antivirus and antispyware programs are a must
You are going to need a good antivirus program, and a good antivspyware
program. Some programs incorporate both "anti's" but not all.
I use VIPRE
Antivirus + Antispyware. on my business computer. This is not a free
program, but it is very reasonably priced. It doesn't hog system resources
and slow things down.
(click to enlarge graphic)
A good, free alternative to VIPRE is
Avira.
AVG Free is also free
(!), but I find it takes up way too much memory and really bogs down
computers with 1GB of RAM or less. I am also not crazy about the toolbar
and link scanner AVG insists on installing.
I use the Web of Trust
add-on for my Firefox and Internet Explorer to warn me about potentially
dangerous sites. It's generally accurate, and doesn't slow things down the
way the AVG link scanner can. I don't use the Norton Site Advisor because
the ratings are often months out of date and it slows everything down.
While VIPRE does an excellent job protecting the computer from viruses and
spyware, no one product can be perfect all the time. So VIPRE always runs
in the background, but I run a
MalwareBytes
scan every so often as a precautionary measure. Sometimes it will catch
something that VIPRE doesn't notice. MalwareBytes is free for the basic
version. You can pay for a version that will run all the time. You do not
want to have more than one program like this running all the time. It will
slow your computer to a crawl.
Firewall is recommended
A firewall will add a layer of protection. Windows XP and Vista come with
a built in firewall, which is better than nothing. If you don't use a
third-party firewall, at least make sure you have the Windows firewall
turned on. (Vista instructions
here. XP instructions
here)
Several third party firewalls will offer more protection than the basic
firewall found in Windows.
ZoneAlarm Free used to be my first choice, and it's still effective. I
became frustrated with ZoneAlarm, though, because they make the free
version so hard to find, and because it had a habit of making Windows
think it was not running when it was, and throwing alerts at me. I
switched to PC
Tools Firewall Plus which is also free, and is rated higher than
ZoneAlarm in some studies. I configured it as "normal user" rather than
"expert" and it just chugs along without being too intrusive.
It is possible to go overboard
Like antivirus programs, you don't want to have more than one firewall at
a time. So if you have an antivirus program and want to switch to another,
be sure to uninstall the first one and restart your computer before you
install the new antivirus program. If you want to add a third party
firewall, switch off the Windows firewall first. If you want to change
from one third-party firewall to another, uninstall the first one, reboot,
and then install the new one.
One good antivirus program, one good antispyware program, and a firewall
should run all the time. You should consider supplementing this with an
occasional on-demand antispyware scan. Too much protection running all the
time will slow your computer down too much. Whether you use the same
programs as I do or something else, please make sure your protection is up
to date!
Next time: Backing up important files, and handy utilities.
Links
VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware
http://www.vipreantivirus.com/
MalwareBytes
http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Avira
http://www.free-av.com/
AVG Free
http://free.avg.com/
Web of Trust
http://www.mywot.com/
Vista Firewall
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/bfe523a9-7eec-4d3f-add1-2f68b9cfa1c01033.mspx
XP Firewall
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283673
PC Tools Firewall Plus
http://www.pctools.com/firewall/
ZoneAlarm Free
http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-pc-security-free-firewall.htm
Computer Care Kelowna
http://computercarekelowna.com
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--
Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your
computer get along!
Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users
and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment
phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and
suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com.
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©
Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved
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