New Laptop Help

hunter s thompson

hunter s thompson

Joined
Oct 17, 2007
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I just got a bare bones laptop and wireless internet card for my birthday. My question is about the freeware security programs (like AVG anti virus and spybot search and destroy) are out there, that are any good. Any recommendations would be appreciated
 
I don't personally use them because of work security requirements, but I have heard good things about AVG Free, Spybot, Adaware and Ccleaner. Most of them can be found at FileHippo. Don't forget Java, Adobe Flash Player and a browser like Firefox or Chrome. Again, all free.
 
I've used both Avast and AVG, I prefer AVG but that's me. Another good program you might want to use is ThreatFire.
 
Another vote for Avast.

Also, you may want to check out Open Office as a Microsoft Office replacement. It is free.
 
I'd check out Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, I've found its a bit more thorough than Spy-Bot for cleaning purposes. SpyBot also has that Inoculation thing, but I think it may just be for Internet Explorer. I'd suggest using Firefox when it comes to web browsing anyway.
 
I am definitely using Firefox and I will check out Malwarebytes thank all of you for your suggestion keep them coming
 
Good advice so far and I have used most of them in the past.
Until I switched my operating system from Windows to Ubuntu/linux, which needs no anti-malware programs.

You can go to the Ubuntu site and burn a copy of the OS to a CD. Then boot your computer from the CD and try it out without making any changes to your computer.

Since I installed it on my laptop, it runs faster with none of the hiccups that were common with windows.
 
^ Listen to him.

Unless you need proprietary software (accounting, math, etc...) that only runs of Windows, there is no reason to stay with Windows on a laptop. I installed Ubuntu as a gag about 2 years ago on my work laptop, and have never gone back. Sure, I use Windows on my home desktop to play 3D games, but for everything else, Ubuntu is a far better, more secure, and more customizable choice.
 
cnet.com has lists of the most popular anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc. with user reviews and clean downloads.

AVG & Avast are both very good anti virus.
Ad-Aware is very good anti-spyware.
CCleaner is very good at cleaning up your registry & a whole bunch of other things.
It's great.

Another really useful free program is Revo Uninstaller - use it, rather than the built-in program uninstaller, to uninstall programs.
It also has a great feature whereby you can easily control what programs start up when you start your computer.
(Often, you'll find many programs starting needlessly when you start your computer - one of the reasons computers are slow to start up.)
 
This is my wheelhouse as I am a Microsoft certified IT professional. I use and recommend AVG both at work and at home, but NOD32 was a close second when I was evaluating options. Don't bother too much with third party firewalls or spam filters, just turn on Windows firewall and get a Gmail account (really good spam filter). In reality your wireless router (properly secured with WPA2 and nothing less) is a great firewall.

The issue with the free AV is that many of them are a bit neutered. The paid stuff is not that expensive, I saw the other day that tigerdirect had AVG for 12 or 13 dollars for 2 years. You can get some deals if you keep an eye out.

I have a computer that runs Ubuntu (in fact my wife uses it), and while it is true that anti-virus software is not needed, it does not protect you totally. You are still just as venerable to phishing, dns cache poisoning and other internet scams as you are on any Microsoft product. The other major issue is the availability of software. Many things have a FOSS equiv, but the deal breaker for me is really the lack of good, usable GPS software (hand held type), mapping software and good blogging software (there is nothing like Windows Live Writer). It can also be a bit of a struggle getting wireless to work on Linux, although Ubuntu has made strides in this area.

Finally, use a bit of discretion. Don't run P2P software or download illegal software from torrents. You WILL get a virus doing these things. It is only a matter of time.
 
I have used only free programs through my computing days with no problems what so ever.
Current line-up: Avira AntiVir (AVG is really good too), Comodo firewall, Spybot and Ad-Aware
 
I do run AVG, but I no longer run a software firewall (besides the Windows one). I have my Linksys router with a Linux-based WRT firmware, and that should provide very good protection from outside threats.

I also don't run any Spyware protection apps anymore. Basically, I decided that I was only going to use trusted apps, so the only things I install are either open-source apps, Microsoft Apps, and games from Steam. I don't download any movies/music/software from the internet, and I run Firefox with Adblock, NoScript, and SecureLogin. Because of NoScript I am unlikely to get a drive-by infection, and I don't download miscellaneous crap to get a trojan. As a result, my system is as fast now (6 months after installation) as when it was first installed... which is uncommon for Windows, to say the least.
 
Another vote for AVG Free + Threatfire.

The latter is not really anti virus software as such, it doesn't recognize specific viruses, but it does alert you to suspicious activity on your PC, a good add-on to any anti-virus setup.
 
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