Thinkpads Forum

My T60 is arrivingt today (at least that what the UPS tracking says). I am going to spend the next few days loading my software. I need advice. I currently have the 2006 version of Norton Internet Security (anti-virus, firewall, etc.) I hate it! It slowed my computer down to a crawl and I get time-out errors every time I send an email. I have been dealing with tech support, which is a nightmare and can't find any good fixes.

My question for you guys - if I were to purchase something different for anti-virus and firewall protection to load on my new T60, what do you recommend? Note, I also have Lavasoft Adaware, which I intend to ontinue using, as well as Spybot.

I want to keep this computer as clkean as possible without a bunch of crap software, that still protects it good. Suggestions?

I would give ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite a try. Highly rated.
http://www.zonelabs.com

renee88 wrote:My T60 is arriving... the 2006 version of Norton Internet Security... It slowed my computer down to a crawl and I get time-out errors every time I send an email. recommend?

Why buy? You can get the best free. Avast (anti-virus) & ZoneAlarm (Firewall)

My grandson can play on the virus and worm infested Disney site and Avast catches the worm and virus attacks, about one every 15 minutes. Combined with a wireless router, ZoneAlarm prevents hack attacks

Or, you can buy System Mechanic 6 Pro for under $69 and get Kapersky anti-virus and run free ZoneAlarm firewall. 6 Pro includes a firewall and Spyware sheild but I find Spybot and ZoneAlarm are a little better.

For home computers, I think spyware, malware, and browser attacks are more of a problem that viruses and worms. Keep in mind that the big security software publishers like Symantic & McAfee seem to hype up about two big new threats a year to jack up fear & software sales.

I fixed an XP system last month that had no security at all for two years. The children visited virus and worm infested Disney site and a sister used Limewire P2P daily. I was not as impressed that the system was slowed to a crawl. I was impressed that it ran at all! I scanned it and found hundreds of worms, viruses, spyware, etc.

The viruses & worms were old ones that punks can cut and paste from cracker sites. The real problem, as I expected, was the malware and spyware and a browser hijack. I formated the drive & reinstalled Windows. Installed ZoneAlarm, Spybot, & Adaware & Avast. It is still running strong.

eTrust EZ AntiVirus is the BEST - no hit on system performance, completely unobtrusive, and not one problem after using for many years.

they have a free 12-month trial:
http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/

highly recommended.

Norton Internet Security is a BIG FAT resource hog!

I like NOD32 for antivirus, Microsoft Windows Defender for spyware and the default Win XP firewall. This combination works well and uses very little system resources.

The Google Desktop is also a resource hog. It is worthless for me so I uninstalled it immediately.

Good picks for antivirus and spyware (so far) but a no go for the firewall. The Win XP version monitors ports half-hazard with very false protection. I would stick with ZoneAlarm.

wpwood3 wrote:Norton Internet Security is a BIG FAT resource hog!

I like NOD32 for antivirus, Microsoft Windows Defender for spyware and the default Win XP firewall. This combination works well and uses very little system resources.

The Google Desktop is also a resource hog. It is worthless for me so I uninstalled it immediately.

jobes wrote:Good picks for antivirus and spyware (so far) but a no go for the firewall. The Win XP version monitors ports half-hazard with very false protection. I would stick with ZoneAlarm.

As far as I know the major criticism of the Win XP firewall is that it blocks only incoming traffic and not outgoing traffic. If you have good antivirus and antispyware protection then why do you need to block outgoing traffic? It seems to me that if you need to block outgoing traffic then you are already infected.

avg free... they have a new update every day and it never bothers me while im doing anything. No annoying pop ups or anything like that, its completely free no demo no ads telling you to buy it nothing. It has email scanner and all that other good stuff. I recommend avg free, zone alarm (even though it does nothing but ruin my life, but it keeps you safe), and ad-aware.

Simply I like to know what software is calling home all the time without my knowledge. The Windows version is a half baked solution.

another good free antivirus program is:

www.avast.com

used it for over 3 yrs, never had an infection, and free too!