What are you guy running to keep your puters running fast and clean?

I have some free Norton stuff from my ISP, but I'm convinced I could have something better. There is even a lot of free stuff to download, but I don't want to just be load stuff for the sake of it being free.

Thanks!

 

Dave,

Norton is better than any of the free antivirus programs..

I have been running it for years.. In fact just the other day it blocked an attack.. I never get notifications like that, but as soon as i tried going to a site from a search it bloked it..

What you also need is a spyware/ malware program..

I recommend running Spybot Search & Destroy and Malwarebytes Antimalware as a second line of defense..

If you keep them updated then you should be good to go..

Another thing is stay away from sites that you are more likely to get infections from..

For instance downloading music or files from sharing sites. Also I have to mention, Stay away from the **** sights.. Not saying you frequent them..

 

I use the free version of Avast. Never had problem and run it on the 3 in my house. A lot of people also use AVG.

 

Spybot and Malwarebytes are great tools to run periodically for system cleanup, I'd also add CCleaner for some additional scanning/cleaning. As for actual anti-virus software I run Comodo which gives me anti-virus and firewall all in one nice, neat, easily managed package.

 

AVG Internet Suite 2011 is what I use, they do have a free version but with limited capabilities as compared to the full paid version. I have found Norton to be a bloated software package utilizing too much utilities and a lot of processing in the background, I do have the Symantec Endpoint package at work (same as Norton but business oriented) and it requires a lot of tweaking to get it to be a robust protection package. Another program that a colleague uses and swears by is Kaspersky, very similar to the rest.

Just remember you get what you pay for, and free isn't always the best, and keep in mind what donjamer said is true, you have to apply simple caution to where you travel on the Internet.

Also wolf189 mentioned CCleaner, that is a great free software that will keep a computer running smooth, after time programs get changed, deleted and it builds up crap that needs to be completely purged on a regular basis.

And one last biggie, backup, backup, backup, backup, oh did I mention BACKUP on a regular basis, it's always a IT nightmare when data is completely lost to failed hardware that sometimes is unrecoverable or would cost thousands to recover if not backup securely.

 

SD - agree on the backup....
NO ONE should be without it...

With the cheap price of external usb drives now -
(you can back up 3 or 4 pcs with a 320 gig drive and TB drive are coming down in price too...)
TOO easy to just do a full copy to an external drive while you go out to dinner....

then at least all your data is saved....

now, operating system and all ? make a bootable cd - etc... cheap insurance....

 

Linux.

'nuff said.

 

Linux rules, no AV needed!

 

My experience with most Symantec products (which includes Norton) is that they are bloated resource hogs and are unreliable. Norton's internet products are mostly just resource hogs (they will bog down your computer) and Symantec Endpoint is tempermental and unreliable. Kaspersky probably is the best of the paid versions. A major downside of all the paid AV (AntiVirus) programs is they are finance hogs; you have to pay every year to upgrade them for maximum effectiveness.

The most popular free AV programs are MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials), Avast! Free, and AVG. Since late last summer, MSE, did a slightly better job of keeping nasties off you computer and could be scheduled to automatically run either a partial or a full weekly scan. However, Avast recently released a new version that has added protections that may give MSE a run for it's money. I use Avast and have been happy with it. AVG is still popular because of it's well earned past reputation but has, in the last two or three years, become a bloated resource hog.

Besides AV programs (you should never run more than one AV program since they will interfere with each other), you should run anti-malware/spyware programs. These will usually work well with AV programs. I use MBAM (Malbytes Antimalware) and SAS (Super Antispyware). Both will scan your computer for spyware, virus, trojans, etc. I have been using Spybot Search & Destroy but I recently learned it may be the cause for my System Restore to not be working correctly so, until I can check it out further, I can no longer recommend it.

Glary Utilities will clean internet history, etc. from your computer. I mostly use the One Click feature. It includes cleaning the registery. There is some doubt has to how effective it is at cleaning the registery but it hasn't hurt my computer yet so I just let it run. There is also a feature that will allow you to remove undesireable cookies from your computer (more on this in a bit).

Another source of malware are security holes in your software. Make sure you have your computer set to download updates from Mirosoft. Since there have been some problems with Microsoft's security updates in the past, I have my computer set to automatically download the updates but just alert me when they are ready to install instead of doing so automatically. I like to wait two or three days to see if there are any reports of problems before I install the updates. This also allows me to choose the time of the installation so I won't find my computer unexpectedly restarting itself.

It's a good idea, when possible, to also allow you other software to download updates. Again, it's best if you set them to notify you when an update has been downloaded so you can decide when and if to install it.

An excellent program for tracking your software that doesn't have provisions for automatically downlading security related updates is Secunia PSI (Personal Software Inspector). Secunia PSI will automatically scan your computer every two weeks (it can also be done more often manually) for needed updates and will assist you with downloading and installing them.

Also important is having a good two way firewall. The firewall that came with XP is a joke, especially since it only marginally protects incoming transmissions. A two way firewall will also prevent a nasty that may slip past your other defenses from "phoning home" with your valuable data. I've had excellent results with Zone Alarm free. It is a little bothersome at first because it will frequently ask if such and such program should be allowed to upload or download something but you can "train it" to always allow an upload/download by a particular program, notify you when the attempt is made, or block the attempt everytime. Once "trained," the popups pretty much disappear. Vista and Win7 have better firewalls than XP so you may decide that they are adequate.

When downloading these freebies, make sure you are downloading the free versions and not the paid version or a similar product. I run my scans once a week, one per night, and let the scans run while I'm sleeping.

One last thing (then I'll shut the heck up) has to do with cookies. It seems every website seems to feel it has to put a cookie on your website eveytime you go there. Most are harmless and some are even necessary for storing log in info, etc. but there are a few that are malicious; they can be used to track your internet usage and spy on other things you do. Most browsers have settings that will block cookies outright or will inquire whenever a website attempts to insert a cookie onto your computer. I have mine set to alert me when a website attempts to invade my computer with a cookie (I usually block them).

One final thing (yeah, I lied about shutting up); no matter how careful you are to keep nasties out, sooner or later, a fatal one will get through or your HDD will die so it is vital that you keep frequent back ups. While a local back up in an external HDD is best, even that could die or be stolen or destroyed in a disaster so it is a good idea to also have an off site back up. You could keep it on an external HDD in a bank safety deposit but keeping it up to date will be a pain (and the more difficult something is to do, there less likely you will do it). I use an online back up service called Carbonite for my off site back up. It backs up only data so a local back up is still essential but, if the worst should happen and I lose everything else, at least my data will be safe. Also, Carbonite backs up files almost as soon as they are created or modified (it also keeps earlier versions for a short while) so there is far less data to lose if an HDD dies before a file is backed up or you accidentally delete something (I've recovered a few files that way). Carbonite works in the background and is pretty much automatic so it is as reliable as anything can be. It cost $55/year (a similar program, Mozy, is $60) for unlimited storage but is well worth it.

 

Oh crap!!


Oh crap X2!!

Good lord! That was an education, Jeannie!

I just want to thank all of or members that have put in their 2-cents here.

I often back up my information on a simple 8-Gig Verbatim drive. Anything else I can reload by discs or get by going online.

 

When looking at free versions I have always seen Microsoft Essential and Avast in the Top 5. The other three tend to vary from testing site to testing site.

I have been using the full version of AVG for several years now. One of the best paid versions except it may through up a few false positives now and then from what I have heard. I have experienced only 1. If interested in a paid version then take a look at this list.

Best AntiVirus Software Review 2011 | Compare AntiVirus Products - TopTenREVIEWS

 

I run Norton, and it seems to be better these days. The AV only, not any of their 'advanced products'.

I do my scans overnight and I have it set to not trust anything. ( By default, it skips a lot of stuff).

I've been wondering about McAfee. That seems to be what all of the new machines ship with these days.

hj

 

WebRoot...No problems as of yet!!

 

Because McAfee pays computer manufacturers to put it on the machines. Could that be because they are hard up for business?

 

Norton and McAfee both supply their software to the OEMs.