Computer Security

[Black Comb]

Can anyone advise me ref. security?

I've just had new bits installed (processor, motherboard, new ram, new graphics card) along with Windows 7 ultimate 32 bit.

The supplier has installed Microsoft security essentials and says it's enough.
However, with my broadband deal I get McAfee but it won't install until I scrub the security essentials.

Which do you think is the best for overall PC security?

 

[Brosville]

Ditch Windoze altogether and run Linux in some shape or form.........
But if you insist on running slowcoach virus prone bloatware, get rid of Mc Afee, don't go anywhere near Norton, and download the FREE versions of AVG for antivirus, and Zone Alarm as a firewall - job done!

 

[Nellie]

I like MSE. It's free, unobtrusive and as good as any other software as a personal AV solution. It's certainly a lot better than both Norton and McAfee imo. I used to like Mcafee, it was unobtrusive and did what it was supposed to nowadays though it's like norton, a bloaty piece of <expletive> that slows the PC down and bugs the user just as much, if not more, as any virus.

 

[BKF Admin]

I like ESETnod32.
Bros have you tried windows 7,its a nice piece of kit.
I am still running xp but had a play with 7 a few days ago and its a nice OS,much better than Vista and xp.

 

[Nellie]

Ditch Windoze altogether and run Linux in some shape or form.........
But if you insist on running slowcoach virus prone bloatware, get rid of Mc Afee, don't go anywhere near Norton, and download the FREE versions of AVG for antivirus, and Zone Alarm as a firewall - job done!

Don't go anywhere near Zone Alarm. Zone Alarm was good about 10 years ago when there wasn't anything else, the windows firewall is far superior and less likely to try and flog you additional software or scare you into believing that your PC has been compromised than Zone Alarm has been proven to do in recent years. If you run a local network Zone Alarm is, or at least was, an absolute nightmare to administer.

AVG is ok, but at best it's as good as MSE and again wants you to upgrade to the subscription version and in recent years has been slower on the uptake to update its freeware version with common compromises.

Linux? Up to you, it's fine if it runs the applications you need but I prefer it as a sever OS. Security through obscurity has its merits (I use a Mac) but it's fundamentally no more secure than windows and in many respects less so, but when 90% of the worlds computers run windows, that's what people try to exploit.

 

[Brosville]

Well......... you may wish you hadn't asked! - I put my views on it quite bluntly on "another" forum recently - here's a cut and paste! -

"About Windoze....... why on earth does anyone in their right mind pay £85 for such a heap of garbage? A friendly neighbour enlisted my help with her relatively recent laptop running Windoze 7, she was having shutdown problems, and I've just spent the best part of a couple of hours reacquainting myself with the "delights" of Windoze computing
(I'm heading for 4 years running Ubuntu, and various other flavours of Linux)
It's a nice little laptop, dual core jobbie with bags of memory - running Linux, it'd be a complete scorcher - with bloatware 'doze (there's an operating system in there somewhere) it's so slow, slugs and snails overtook..........) Then there's the totally obscure and obfuscatory "there are issues, we won't tell you what they are, press here and we'll sort it out" - so you sit there for 10 minutes watching a "progress bar", and THEN it actually condescends to tell you that it's "been shut down unexpectedly" on 2 occasions, and could it send a report to Windoze HQ c/o Echelon? I know it has, that's why I'm trying to remove the twists in it's knickers! (and no, you can't, wasted enough of my time already....)
So I then spent the thick end of another hour "updating" everything in sight - it is such a slow and painful process, "Intersnot Exploder" manages to "freeze" (I remember freezes, comes with Windows!) I'm amazed more PC screens don't end up with an axe in them!
In comparison, real (Linux) operating systems fire up virtually instantaneously, do not present you with innumerable pop-ups, and "just do it" - updates? - one click "it just updates"
........ why DO people pay for such BAD software as Windows, it's a bally nightmare! </rant over>

I loathe Windoze! - probably designed by Bayer on an off day........

 

[thedeaddiplomat]

A purely personal point of view, but I think it is time Bros stopped pulling his punches and started to say what he really thinks!

for what it is worth, I use Kaspersky Pure - which appears somewhat superior to McAfee or Norton.

 

[oliver90owner]

BV,

why DO people pay for such BAD software as Windows

They want to go with the flow (as in 'sheep').

That is what they have in schools - so it must be good (ha ha).

A fear that microsoft makes programmes which only run properly on their own operating system. (w2hy? - because they used to do that, or at least tried it on).

People like to think they are being 'looked after' with all the updates!!!

May be others.

-------------------------

I daresay Linux would get the hackers if it was the most popular operating system? One good 'hack' can affect so many millions of computers in one fell swoop with windows.

There again, nothing can be any more leaky than windows, can it?. I reckon they must have rewritten nearly all the program at least a couple of times with all the 'updates' (repairs to a failed defence system to hackers, or installation of same because they were so short sighted - or maybe the hackers are better programmers than microsoft?

 

[psafloyd]

Ditch Windoze altogether and run Linux in some shape or form.........
But if you insist on running slowcoach virus prone bloatware, get rid of Mc Afee, don't go anywhere near Norton, and download the FREE versions of AVG for antivirus, and Zone Alarm as a firewall - job done!

I had paid for AVG on my laptop and it has just lapsed, so as I am about to replace it, I went for the free version. THis now comes as a 30 day download, but I don't know if it will remain free after then or just switch itself off.

I would avoid Norton and McAfee like the plague. I found ZoneAlarm far better, but opted for AVG on my main machine last time.

I have run the free AVG on other machines, like our hackabout notebook and it works really well.

 

[iball]

I've been running Free AVG for the last 3 years and never had any problems with it.

Wouldn't touch Norton or Macafee ever again.

Ian

 

[beeboybee]

get a MAC! no virus issues!!!!!!!!!! no software issues No crashing just does what it says on the tin..........

probbably get shot down for this

 

[psafloyd]

It is not true to say Macs do not crash. My main work computer is a Mac and I have been using them for 20 years (yes, I go back to the 9" days, through the LCs, Quads, etc before they started getting really fancy) and they most certainly do crash. Sometimes they crash spectacularly. But they are far, far more stable than any PC I have used.

There have also been some concerns about viruses in recent years, and I imagine that is likely to increase as more people use them (if they do) and it becomes worthwhile for spammers and hackers to break into them.

get a MAC! no virus issues!!!!!!!!!! no software issues No crashing just does what it says on the tin..........

probbably get shot down for this

 

[beeboybee]

perhaps i am exaggerating the virtues of MAC .... when i said don't crash i also agree with you that compared to PC its a rare occurrence rather than a regular event! i think we will see more virus issues in the future but again nothing like PC problems........ as you can see i am a serious mac user for work and home.

 

[RoofTops]

I have the Macafee installation which comes with BT Internet, never had any problems with it.

I would also like to put my vote behind Windows 7. It's backup facilities are great and networking a breeze. Mine is a 64 bit system and supports the 8GB of RAM I need for handling graphics. Crashes are very rare and the system is very good at recovering from them.

Linux is fine of you don't want to do anything out of the ordinary, but it won't fully work on some wireless laptops as the wireless card drivers are not in the public domain. There is a Linux universal driver but it doesn't work with every card.

OpenOffice is also OK for basic work but it is not fully compatible with the latest MS Office, especially with PowerPoint. So if you have to exchange files with other people using MS Office you may have a problem. I used to use OpenOffice exclusively but had to switch to MS Office because of this problem. There are deals around for MS Office - I got Office 2010 for about £170.00 which is a lot less than the full retail price.

Linux with Open Office works OK if you don't want to do much more than look at the internet, send e-mails and write letters (which is probably all 90% of folk want to do) but it does have hardware limitations and I really could not recommend it to anyone who doesn't understand computers. Installation, especially where it comes to drivers, is not straightforward.

The latest MS products make Linux look old fashioned and clunky and because MS has such a dominent position in the market you will struggle to interface with the business world if you don't use it, particularly MS Office.

However, one product is free and the other certainly isn't, so that factor has to be taken into account!

 

[Brosville]

May I humbly suggest that it would be a good idea to actually use Linux before slagging it off - I've used Windoze and several flavours of Linux, and Linux spanks the pants off Mr Gates' bloatware every which way......... "only £170" - which planet is that from?
About the only reason I can see for anyone to use the grossly inferior Windoze is if you're forced to by your company, or possibly if you're a hard-core gamer.
"Clunky and slow" is utter nonsense - Linux frees up a computer to run at speeds unthought of on the same machine shackled to Windoze....
.
"because MS has such a dominent position in the market you will struggle to interface with the business world if you don't use it, particularly MS Office" - is frankly cobblers - it's just that Microsoft use their near-monopoly to try to force people to use their execrable software by deliberately making it incompatible - let's hope they get their fingers burnt again, like they did when they tried to force their appalling browser on us"

I have taught several people to use a computer using Linux, it's FAR easier to learn, is free, and is very intuitive..........

Macs are great too, sadly they are blessed pricey to buy/own and get software for - running something like Ubuntu it's ALL completely free!

 

[VEG]

get a MAC! no virus issues!!!!!!!!!! no software issues No crashing just does what it says on the tin..........

probbably get shot down for this

Guess what Im getting for crimbo

I use avast on all home pc's never had a problem.

 

[RoofTops]

I look forward to seeing the World domination of the computer market by Linux and Open Office. Hasn't happened yet for the reasons I have said.

I have installed and used Linux on 3 computers and removed it from all of them after a period. It is not a patch on the latest MS products running on modern hardware. Happy to accept they suck on low spec'd machines where Linux is better - unless you want to exchange files with businesses other than the local corner shop.

 

[Brosville]

The reason Linux doesn't dominate the home market is because of the near complete monopoly enjoyed by Microsoft, maintained down the years by the most questionable of practices - I am horrified that they are allowed to get away with it....... I had one helluva job top find a machine that wasn't encumbered by one of their dreadful operating systems. At one point Dell offered laptops with Ubuntu installed, now no longer available thanks to pressure from Microsoft.........
As for "interchange of files" - I've never had any problem whatsoever, and I wouldn't be so arrogant as to assume that people "must" use the same formats that I do.
As for £170 for a bit of not very good software (on top of £85 for the dodgy o/s) - you have to be kidding!
You're singing from Microsoft's hymn sheet, and are helping continue perpetuate their unwarranted position....
If it were the other way round, that you had to pay for the crash and virus-free o/s, and crummy, buggy bloatware was free, that would make sense.........

 

[RoofTops]

You missed out the conspiracy between MS and Bayer - I bet they use their systems as well.

I am not singing from anyone's hymn sheet. I've tried both systems and the latest MS products are excellent. Simple as that and the cost is not really significant for my business. But as I said right at the beginning, Linux and OpenOffice (which also runs on Windows) do a fair job and may well be the best choice, especially the latter) for many. I use OpenOffice regularly (yesterday most recently). It is a question of horses for courses.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Having worked with computers extensively for nearly 30 years now nothing gets my goat more than bit twiddling Unix/Linux geeks or smug Mac users slagging off Windows.

Windows is far from perfect, but neither Linux or Mac operating systems are as reliable as they like to think and the reason that there are fewer vuruses currently written is entirely because its been the business and home operating system of choice since the mid eighties.

The computing world would be a hell of a lot poorer without Microsoft.

BUT to get back to the question, in your shoes I'd be happy to use the free version of AVG. But if you'd rather pay then Kasperov, McAfee or Symantec (Norton) are all OK, yes they will slow the computer down, but there is a good reason for this - they are trying to keep you PC virus free and theres a lot of checking needs to be done!