How do you protect your computer?

ABV · 10-04-2005

I'm going to be loading windows again on my home computer in the next couple of days, because what I have now is FUBAR. I'm not sure what happened with mine, but I think it's a combination of things. First of all, I'm not even sure if I have a legit version of windows on there right now (I just ordered windows XP Home from NewEgg, it should be here soon). I also think that I have some viruses and other crap on there too. So after I format the hard drive, and load my new legit version of Windows, how do I keep it safe? What do you use for virus protection, or a firewall? I thought I knew enough about this to keep things going smooth, but apparently I don't, which is why I'm posting this.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Rickshaw4evr

Khadgar · 10-04-2005

Just format and install the new os on there. You can use this http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Vir...ml?tag=lst-0-6 for antivirus it works great. IMHO if you aren't stupid about what you download you wont have many problems. You might want to look in to using Firefox btw.

XP has a built in firewall

Super Bleeder!! · 10-04-2005

http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1 <free program, works VERY well!

i use Adaware as well just to get the little stuff because its fast.

rk4g63 · 10-04-2005

First disconnect from the Internet altogether!!!!
Then format the hard drive
Then load the OS
Then load the drivers - video and sound
Then download all service packs or the latest service packs and patches from Microsoft.com.
Then load Zone Alarm - it's a free firewall
Then load an antivirus - Norton or McAfee are good
THEN go online

Optional -
Then install a pop-up blocker. Popup killer is free. StopZilla is OK too.
Then install a spyware blocker/remover. Spybot is good.

Jakey · 10-04-2005

Isn't XP Pro recommended quite substantially over XP home? I know that IBM only sells their absolute bottom line laptops with XP home, everything else comes with XP Pro. I can get Microsoft products dirt cheap through Iowa State since I'm a student so if anyone ever wants me to check into pricing I would be more than happy to.

Steeltwo · 10-04-2005

i myself run

linksys router
xp firewall
tiny personal firewall
mcaf. antivirus
spybots tea timers that stops all reg enteries
and a pop up blocker that has yet to allow a popup on my pc since I put it on almost a year ago.

use spybot and ad-aware for removal of crap once a week.

at most i'll get 2 pieces of material a week, if I wait a month, it goes up to 4 pieces.
it's enough to stop what I want stopped and not totally hinder my computer like zone alarm can do.

ABV · 10-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jakey

Isn't XP Pro recommended quite substantially over XP home? I know that IBM only sells their absolute bottom line laptops with XP home, everything else comes with XP Pro. I can get Microsoft products dirt cheap through Iowa State since I'm a student so if anyone ever wants me to check into pricing I would be more than happy to.

I've read that the only advantage that Pro has over Home is that you have alot more networking capabilites. You can still network with the Home edition, but only a couple computers. There might be other small differences, but that's the big one that I found. Since I hadn't planned on networking, I decide to go with the Home edition.

Just out of curiosity, how much can you get the home edition for? I paid $86 (they had a one day sale) on newegg.com. You have to buy it with a piece of hardware, but that was a $5 cable that came with a $5 instant rebate (free).

Jakey · 10-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickshaw4U2NV

Just out of curiosity, how much can you get the home edition for? I paid $86 (they had a one day sale) on newegg.com. You have to buy it with a piece of hardware, but that was a $5 cable that came with a $5 instant rebate (free).

I'll check tomorrow.

AJ · 10-04-2005

don't use IE. And stop accepting all the porn I send you!

IndiEP · 10-04-2005

LOL. I'm looking at these long lists of programs and sets people take and I don't do anything what so ever to my mac. I don't know if there completely immune to pop ups, viruses or spyware but so far it'd seem that way. But for my PC, thats a little different.

Matt D. · 10-05-2005

I run WinXP Pro and don't use any anti-virus, no firewall and RARELY run Adaware and Spybot S&D. I stick to my guns with Firefox (replaces IE) and Thunderbird (replaces Outlook Express) and I'm as clean as can be. The only virus I've ever had was Nimda, and that was a few years ago and was easily cleanable.

http://www.mozilla.org/products/ is your friend.

Steeltwo · 10-05-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndiEP

LOL. I'm looking at these long lists of programs and sets people take and I don't do anything what so ever to my mac. I don't know if there completely immune to pop ups, viruses or spyware but so far it'd seem that way. But for my PC, thats a little different.

because the haxors and script writers already know you're screwed up enough as it is, so why would they want to complicate things?

os x has it's flaws. But apple has the ability to test their software for the big loop holes BEFORE they release the software. Unlike MS, to where once it hits beta, two days later it's for sale

TsiEagleTalon92 · 10-05-2005

All I have on my computer is AVG free edition spywareblaster and adaware that I never need to use and I am yet to get a virus or have any spyware. Haven't had spyware for 7 months or so.

Jakey · 10-06-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jakey

I'll check tomorrow.

Make that Thursday.

**Tachyon** · 10-06-2005

Feel free to ignore me because I am just a tired, grumpy, IT peon that has had a full day of dealing with.... users.

1. Seriously, forget the firewall. The chance of you personally being 'h4xed' is far less then a 6 foot chunk of space rock smashing into the launch control computer for the government's nuclear missile arsenal, and by fluke, launching an ICBM towards a random patch of road that your car just happens to be occupying on the way to 7-11 to grab a Twinkie at 4:19 AM.

2. Viruses: don’t get me started… The fact that people still buy virus protection is beyond me. Nowadays, about the only serious virus threat comes in the form of holes in M$’s pretend Fisher Price OS (I.E. blaster) I have never run virus protection on my personal computers. I can count on two fingers the number of times I have gotten a virus (even back in the day when it was a valid threat). This includes much use of shady crack/serial websites AND hundreds of public LAN games with some real grade R assclowns. I my option Symantec uses so many resources that I consider it to be a virus.

3. Spy ware. Spy ware is the singular most common problem of any fubard computer I have run across in the last 3 or so years. I use to have major problems with this. I once had such a unique blend of abhorred spy ware that it actually prevented me from getting more spy ware. It was like a war was going on. One piece of ‘ware would attempt to overwrite the competing company’s spy ware and vice versa… Unfortunately, the programs respawned themselves ever time they were deleted so it just went into an infinite loop of deleting / spawning when I would boot… I found it cute in a geeky kind of way. Anyway once Firefox was released all my spy ware problems went away.

I use to spend hours logging system processes and trying to track down their threads in the registry. I am convinced there are certain strains of spy ware that cannot be removed, short of a format. It was like I was back in the win9x days reformatting every 3 weeks…

This is the single most important piece of advice for any windows user: USE FIREFOX!

With protecting yourself, it all comes down to how smart of a user you are. It doesn’t take too much smarts to figure out what is an obvious threat. Just surf wise and stay from warez-like sites (and blatantly installing program-based spyware like GAIM) and the threat is really quite minimal.

Anyhoo, now that I got that off my chest, I will do some smiling

bah... I can only smile 4 times before the board throws up on me...

Jakey · 10-06-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickshaw4U2NV

Just out of curiosity, how much can you get the home edition for? I paid $86 (they had a one day sale) on newegg.com. You have to buy it with a piece of hardware, but that was a $5 cable that came with a $5 instant rebate (free).

If I'm interpreting things right, I can get XP Pro for $84 but I'm going to call and check.

Steeltwo · 10-06-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tachyon

2. Viruses: don’t get me started… The fact that people still buy virus protection is beyond me. Nowadays, about the only serious virus threat comes in the form of holes in M$’s pretend Fisher Price OS (I.E. blaster) I have never run virus protection on my personal computers. I can count on two fingers the number of times I have gotten a virus (even back in the day when it was a valid threat). This includes much use of shady crack/serial websites AND hundreds of public LAN games with some real grade R assclowns. I my option Symantec uses so many resources that I consider it to be a virus.
...

got blaster and sasser? Everyone that I knew that had XP got owned by blaster and half got hit by sasser.

how about netskya-z?
i can't count the number of pc's i've had to clean that off of.

as for running your computer wide open on the internet, go nuts
i'll give it three weeks before it is used as a funnel for some porn downloader.

**Tachyon** · 10-06-2005

Blaster and Sasser were both aforementioned holes in windows (Blaster a DCOM RPC vulnerability in port 135, and Sasser an issue with Local Security Authority Subsystem Service) Both can be circumvented by having either the appropriate patch installed or upgrading to SP2.

I have never gotten netsky-z (communicable through email) but I did get an outbreak of Funlove about 3 years ago that came from a friend’s computer (through a suspicious email he should have never opened) and spread over LAN.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steeltwo

as for running your computer wide open on the internet, go nuts
i'll give it three weeks before it is used as a funnel for some porn downloader.

I, along with a great multitude of people I personally know have been running with out firewalls, antivirus, (which does not protect you from initial holes in windows security) and IE for the last two years, without incident. In fact I even talk with some of my friends who run firewalls and AV about the number to times they are port scanned or get real virus threats. The results were laughable. People are using this stuff as a crutch for common sense. I view radar detectors the same way.

Of couse this is all my personal opinion. Professionally, I agree with Steeltwo

Outlaw1 · 10-06-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tachyon

In my opinion Symantec uses so many resources that I consider it to be a virus.

That was kinda funny.

Steeltwo · 10-07-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tachyon

Blaster and Sasser were both aforementioned holes in windows (Blaster a DCOM RPC vulnerability in port 135, and Sasser an issue with Local Security Authority Subsystem Service) Both can be circumvented by having either the appropriate patch installed or upgrading to SP2.

who has up to date patches?
not many

plus if I remember correctly, blaster's patch was only out a day or two before the big wave of crap. And for the next few days, getting the patch from MS's servers took a LONG time. I remember download speeds of 3-4k.

Quote:

I have never gotten netsky-z (communicable through email) but I did get an outbreak of Funlove about 3 years ago that came from a friend’s computer (through a suspicious email he should have never opened) and spread over LAN.

never got a case of that, did get some darth vader one thru ICQ a long time ago.

Quote:

I, along with a great multitude of people I personally know have been running with out firewalls, antivirus, (which does not protect you from initial holes in windows security) and IE for the last two years, without incident. In fact I even talk with some of my friends who run firewalls and AV about the number to times they are port scanned or get real virus threats. The results were laughable. People are using this stuff as a crutch for common sense. I view radar detectors the same way.

Of couse this is all my personal opinion. Professionally, I agree with Steeltwo

a few friends have had their computers trojan horsed a little while ago. It's funny, they'd pop in their cd drive, the game would be running and it'd pop out. or their printer would start printing some ghey porn. :-D

at work, the crisco pix picks up around 18-20 scans per day. And during the blaster and sasser times, it was getting hit on the port about 10,000 times per day at least. It was probly more.

and ameritech says their network is secure
HA