[saraveza408]

I just got a old laptop from a friend Im going to use untill my desktop is fixed. I noticed it has no security programs installed on it all.Whats the perfect combination of security freeware for XP?
Please & thank you

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Hi saraveza408,

Please see the Anti-Virus and Firewall applications on this page. They are free programs.

For Anti-Virus, GeeksToGo recommends Microsoft Security Essentials.
Make sure you read the important note under the Antivirus software section about uninstalling any other antivirus software before installing a new one. Antivirus programs, sadly, do a poor job of completely uninstalling themselves and this is one of the biggest reasons a new antivirus program will not install and/or run properly.
I would suggest looking looking in the Add/Remove programs list to make sure that there aren't any AV's there. Also check the msconfig file to make sure there aren't any still trying to start. And check the C:\Windows\Program Files folder to see if there are any AV folders/files left there.

The Firewalls offer outbound and inbound monitoring/protection whereas the Windows firewall only has inbound protection. If you choose one of these firewalls, they should make sure that the windows firewall is turned off as part of the installation. But it's never a bad idea to check for yourself and turn the Windows firewall off before installing another firewall.

Just pick your poison, download and install.

Hope this helps.
godawgs

[godawgs]

Hi saraveza408,

Please see the Anti-Virus and Firewall applications on this page. They are free programs.

For Anti-Virus, GeeksToGo recommends Microsoft Security Essentials.
Make sure you read the important note under the Antivirus software section about uninstalling any other antivirus software before installing a new one. Antivirus programs, sadly, do a poor job of completely uninstalling themselves and this is one of the biggest reasons a new antivirus program will not install and/or run properly.
I would suggest looking looking in the Add/Remove programs list to make sure that there aren't any AV's there. Also check the msconfig file to make sure there aren't any still trying to start. And check the C:\Windows\Program Files folder to see if there are any AV folders/files left there.

The Firewalls offer outbound and inbound monitoring/protection whereas the Windows firewall only has inbound protection. If you choose one of these firewalls, they should make sure that the windows firewall is turned off as part of the installation. But it's never a bad idea to check for yourself and turn the Windows firewall off before installing another firewall.

Just pick your poison, download and install.

Hope this helps.
godawgs