[parman]

Hi everyone

Having had 1st class help from this forum in the past i'd like to ask for some opinions. Having reached my subscription renewal once again for Norton Internet Security, I thought why should I. I know there is some very good antivirus and firewalls out there for free. I am looking for opinions as to what people think is the best to use. Is the firewall built in to XP SP1 any good ? or do i look for something better ?

[Advertisements]

I use Norton AntiVirus 2005 and the free firewall ZoneLabs offers. I wouldn't know whether these two are the best products out there or not but they do seem to work just fine for me. Take note though, Norton is a buy-only product - there is a trial version available but it just does not do the actual software justice. ZoneAlarm comes for free, as I mentioned earlier, and is an absolute dream to use, although computer-savvy users might like to try Kerio Personal Firewall before, which is supposedly better but also a heck lot harder to configure.

Avast, AntiVir and Grisoft all offer free versions of their anti-virus programs, all excellent. I've not yet tried out Grisoft's program, though, only Avast and AntiVir, and I personally prefer Avast. That's not to say that AntiVir isn't any good, of course - its just a personal preference.

EDIT: Ooh, sorry, forgot to add this bit. Only use Windows' built-in firewall during that period of time when you do not have a full, actual firewall installed on your computer. While the Windows firewall does offer some degree of protection, it is still extremely vulnerable and sneaky malware programs can still sneak pass its shields. And once you've chosen and installed a firewall of your choice, remember to disable Windows firewall as two software firewalls working at the same time will cause some serious problems for your PC. Same goes for anti-virus programs - two or more turned on together can cause conflicts.

Edited by cassykins, 29 June 2005 - 07:05 AM.

[cassykins]

I use Norton AntiVirus 2005 and the free firewall ZoneLabs offers. I wouldn't know whether these two are the best products out there or not but they do seem to work just fine for me. Take note though, Norton is a buy-only product - there is a trial version available but it just does not do the actual software justice. ZoneAlarm comes for free, as I mentioned earlier, and is an absolute dream to use, although computer-savvy users might like to try Kerio Personal Firewall before, which is supposedly better but also a heck lot harder to configure.

Avast, AntiVir and Grisoft all offer free versions of their anti-virus programs, all excellent. I've not yet tried out Grisoft's program, though, only Avast and AntiVir, and I personally prefer Avast. That's not to say that AntiVir isn't any good, of course - its just a personal preference.

EDIT: Ooh, sorry, forgot to add this bit. Only use Windows' built-in firewall during that period of time when you do not have a full, actual firewall installed on your computer. While the Windows firewall does offer some degree of protection, it is still extremely vulnerable and sneaky malware programs can still sneak pass its shields. And once you've chosen and installed a firewall of your choice, remember to disable Windows firewall as two software firewalls working at the same time will cause some serious problems for your PC. Same goes for anti-virus programs - two or more turned on together can cause conflicts.

Edited by cassykins, 29 June 2005 - 07:05 AM.

[starjax]

windows xp sp2 firewall is pretty decent. not as good as a full blown application like zone alarm or sygate's firewall. Its what I use. if your not at sp2 then you don't have all of the security features including the upgraded firewall.

[parman]

Thanx for the replies guys. I had heard mixed reviews on the SP1 firewall, and with the reply from cassykins I will steer clear of using it, one of the reviews i read on AntiVir was very favourable and seems to be 1 of the best freebies out there ( although as cassykins says... Its all down to personal preference ). All in all I am now confident in trying out these freebies to my hearts content with no worries. Also If they are good enough for all the experts and helpers in this forum for them to provide links then I should never have doubted there capabilities in rooting out all the parasites trying to infultrate our systems.

[itsjustme99]

Ive personally had alot of trouble with NORTON AV.... i am now installing AVG because of its good reputation....Zone Alarm Pro is definately the best firewall ive ever used