Security Bundle?
 

I have had some problems with my pc and I think I need some better software to protect my pc. What can I use to keep trojans, spyware, spammail, viruses and so on away from my pc?

FireFox.

Spybot S&D with AVG Free Edition.

Completely free and VERY reliable/customizeable.

(also, use firefox ;) )

Spybot and AVG seconded. I also recommend SpywareBlaster (also free), whether or not you use Firefox.


And personally I use Maxthon for my browser. But the choice is yours.

I personally use:

NOD32 (cheap and best evar.)
Sygate Personal Firewall Pro (recently discontinued but still does a really good job)
FireFox (IE was stripped from my XP Pro install disc by using nLite)

I can't recommend a spyware remover because I don't use any. With this line up, it isn't necessary to run one. In addition to a software firewall, I recommend a hardware firewall such as a Linksys or D-Link router. Any other brand is just shit. Also, surfing the internet with common sense is the a good thing, too. :edgartpg:

What on earth are you talking about? I can't go and do anything I want?! :aargh:

If you want a security suite, check out Norton Internet Security 2006, it has everything you need starting with AntiVirus and a personal firewall.

It controls for spy- and adware, too. Regardless of how your system is set up, I would always do full scans for everything. Even if a program can't do you any harm, it'll still eat up your resources and discspace. And you never know if a really bad program can't use a not-so-bad program to its advantage.

Anway, Norton is easy to install and setup; it starts out with a full system scan, too. Backups are automated and you won't have to worry about them as long as your subscription is still good. (A year with your purchase, and I think there are better offers sometimes, too.)

And yet here you are, recommending a Norton product. Weird.

{Entirely too much} resource usage is my biggest problem with Norton, and while my primary system has 2 gigs of RAM, I still don't particularly care for Norton having 72 running processes at all times. I'm not the only person who feels this way. I personally use AVG free edition for my antivirus needs, and have been very satisfied with it. I do not use a software firewall beyond the built-in Windows one, because I am always tucked safely behind a hardware firewall of some sort. Spybot S&D is my spyware scanner of choice, not that it ever finds anything more than a tracking cookie or ten, since I use Firefox and Opera browsers, rather than IE, and I don't CLICK THE DUCK TO WIN {in other words I practice sensible internet browsing habits}.

I found NIS to be a weak product at best. It's overbloated, and actually IMO it's more difficult to use than some router's firewall/port forwarding settings.

Hardware Firewalls > Software Firewalls for one big reason: Software Firewalls are subject to the same problem that any Windows software has - it can crash.

Plus it takes up way too much processor power. There's better things to devote it too. Like Quake 4. Or whatever.

Norton Internet Security 2006! Don't even waste your time with that crap. If you want a complete security bundle go with Kaspersky Internet Security 6. That will protect you far better than Norton and uses a lot less resources.

Here's what I do to keep my Windows clean and working:
- everyday use happens on a restricted account
- Firefox for web browsing and even Windows Update (through WindizUpdate)
- ZoneAlarm as the firewall, manual configuration (no auto)
- ClamWin against viruses (it is free and updated often, only downside is, it has no realtime check, so regular scans are mandatory)
- responsible web browsing (i.e. no pr0n and crackz sites)
- free/open-source software for as many tasks as possible (Microsoft products are the perfect example for how widely spread and poorly mantained closed-source programs can become a global time bomb ... and a reusable one)

After toying with Comodo Personal Firewall, I'm gonna go ahead and recommend that. Easy to use and pretty darn effective for a free firewall.
Spybot, adaware & ewido are good scanners for detecting well...spyware.
For Antivirus software, AVG is pretty good too.