Best Internet Security?

[Mags]

Hello,

Have been having chats with friends and one recommended Norton Internet Security 2009, but I notice it doesn't have ad blocking like NIS 2005 used to. I gather Kaspersky is rated very highly, any thoughts?

I had a few problems with NIS 2005 not activating, so had to hastily install two freebies ... Zonealarm Firewall and Antivir Antivirus. The person who made my computer, uses Antivir.

Any thoughts about Kaspersky versus Norton? Or any other recommendations?

Or are these freebies adequate?!

Thanks, Mags

[CCT]

Mags - you want to clarify what you do.

Banking, investments, book-keeping, games, all, none.

If it is just surfing, then Avast/AVG/Avira and Superantispyware and Malwarebytes and Spybot S&D and Hijack This will give you LOTS of protection if run properly.

[Ferrit]

Router properly configured
Norton Antivirus 2009
Malwarebytes +Spybot updated and run weekly

[NooNoo]

Kapersky has been gaining ground lately... Mags you can ask a 100 different people and get a 100 different answers, all of them are valid.

No product is entirely safe, so it is really down to what you are comfortable with. NIS doesn't do adblocking any more since it relies now on popup management in the browser.

My own feeling is that NIS is very heavy on usage. I use Avast and since I am behind a router, I don't bother with a firewall unless I am going somewhere that needs one! I would doubt that would be you. The best firewall is comodo, it is free, but can take a bit of getting used to. I just run spybot with immunise and have it block "all bad pages silently" with Avast. Then I have my usual library of other tools like malwarebytes antimalware waiting in the wings.

[Mags]

Thank you, guys...

What do I do? Emails, Banking, look after my website, ebay occasionally, online shopping at very few trusted sites, poetry, one person on Messenger, download some music, use photographic software, in past have made CD's and DVD's of poetry and music ... NOT games.... good question, what DOES ONE do!

I don't have a router. I use Shields Up to check a Firewall's efficiency ...
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

I've used Ccleaner for a long time to clean up unwanted files after the event, but do that almost paranoidically, but certainly after each Internet session.

I'd already downloaded Malwarebytes after reading elsewhere on Windrivers about it. (doing a full scan and still scanning after 24 minutes ......)

Haven't used Spybot for ages, so will look at it again.

Comodo looks as though it contains both Firewall and Antivirus now...
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

I would get Norton 2009 but adverts irritate me, so need a good ad blocker. Kaspersky has an ad blocker.... but still hovering.

As NooNoo said, so many different viewpoints.

[NooNoo]

Not used the new version of Comodo... should give that a try soon.
Kapersky has a trial... give it a go.

[slgrieb]

Good to hear from you Mags! I don't use a software firewall other than the Windows firewall. For the cost of the hardware, EVERYONE should use a router for their broadband Internet connection even with a single computer just for the firewall. I'm still in the NOD32 antivirus camp, and they have a package that incorporates a firewall and spam filtering, though I don't use it. I use Thunderbird for my email client and it has a great junk filter. My ISP also uses Postini for email filtering.

Norton 2009 is much lighter on system resources than older versions, but I think it still falls short on detecting non-traditional forms of malware. Kaspersky is effective against viruses, less so against other malware, and is a pretty big drain on performance.

I run Spybot S&D every couple of weeks (don't enable System Protection/Tea Timer when you install it). MalwareBytes AntiMalware is a good, free second string for your bow along with Spybot, but I'm still not impressed with it overall. Your best defense is still your brain. Don't open questionable emails, don't download "free" screensavers, etc. and check out any ecard sites before you click the links. I'm sure you know the drill.

[Mags]

Thanks Slgrieb,

I've installed Spybot as you indicated.

And trying out Avast now, instead of Antivir ... and it found a 'virus'? Oh come on ... I don't have viruses ... in fact, it was a valid file from DVD production software that I've used for ages ... so found a thread on their forum to report it ... but having followed the exclusion instructions, it's still saying it's a virus.

I miss Norton, but I'm not getting Norton 2009 because I want an ad blocker .... oh have yet to try Kaspersky, but you've kinda put me off .. there's nothing perfect, I think we assume ...