computer security

[jno]

When I got a new computer a couple of months ago it had what I suppose was some sort of short-term Symantec anti-virus programme already installed. This is about to run out. What are the best products to replace it with? Free is good but I don't mind paying modest sums if it's worth it. I'm running Windows XP and I was told it had a firewall; I don't know how good it is, so any advice on that score would be welcome too.

(Apologies to those who may have answered this question dozens of times before, but the site search doesn't reveal any previous posts on the subject.)

[wildwood]

AVG (grisoft) and Avast are good free anti-virus programs for basic protection.
You can also pay for these and get the super version if you like.
Even the free version gives adequate protection for the average home user. Firewalls are provided by XP and most broadband modems.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

The site search hasn't been working for over a week so it's not surprising that it's not showing any similar questions ;-)

Yes, this has been asked hundreds of times before. While there might be a few dissenting voices, the majority of ABers seem to agree that you don't need to pay anything for decent security software. (In particular, some of the paid-for products from Norton and McAfee are regarded as worse than many of the free products, because they tend to slow computers down).

There's also a general consensus that the Windows firewall is 'a bit of a joke'. The most popular firewall, with ABers, is Zone Alarm Free Edition:
http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/company /products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp
(NB: Use the link in the right-hand column. The other, more prominent, link takes you to a time-limited trial of a commercial product).

The principal alternative to Zone Alarm, which is used by some ABers, is Comodo:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/downloa d_firewall.html

[Buenchico]

The most popular free anti-virus program, among ABers, is definitely AVG Free:
http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download?prd=afe
However, some users have expressed dissatisfaction with the latest version. So you might like to consider the second most frequently recommended free anti-virus program, Avast!
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

(NB: Whatever you choose, make sure that you've only got ONE firewall and ONE anti-virus program running. Otherwise system conflicts might occur).

Lastly, some anti-spyware software is a good idea. Ad-Aware probably tops the recommendations from ABers:
http://lavasoft.com/single/trialpay.php
(NB: Use the left-hand link for the same reasons as before)
SpyBot Search & Destroy is also popular:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/ind ex.html

(Because those anti-spyware programs are 'run on demand', rather than 'run in background' software, you can have both on your computer without any conflicts).

Chris

[jno]

thanks for the advice. I've installed Avast. I've had no trouble with the Windows firewall, touch wood, so I'll stick with it.