I have gone through all the posts I could find but i still cannot decide what to do.
What is the best system.
Windows essentials or a set of programs?
If it is the set of programs then Which combination should i use?
I just use avg and spybot.
I know it will bring lots of differing opinions but from them i can decide.
Well I hope so.
Thank you all again.
Seriously, it depends upon your definition of "best". There is nothing wrong with MSE and Spybot. It is a starting point at a good price entry.
Best lowest Price? I ran Spybot for years, and was happy with it. I just recently replaced Spybot on my computer with a paid program that I believe will offer better protection. First time I ran the paid program it found something that Spybot (and another paid for program) had missed.
Ease of Use? There are systems that have better interfaces, depending upon your level of expertise.
One program or many? Most will agree that one program, no matter how good, does not provide the same level of protection against all types of threats-viruses, trojans, malware, phishing,,,,. A layered protection system is good.
I just this week looked around again, and changed a couple of my software programs for upgrades to software programs that were not around earlier. One free, one paid. I believe they offer a better layered solution for my needs.
I have a considerable investment in hardware and software, just like most people. As I depend upon my computer for work related purposes, I cannot afford to have the computer get screwed up by drive-by software attacks. Plus, I am an engineer. So, I tend to overkill on solutions like this, such as having two separate backup drives. You need to find the level of comfort that you want to stay at.
If you are looking for a list, any two people will provide you with at least 3 alternatives.
As of this morning, am using the following:
Norton 360 (provided free by Comcast)
Maleware Anti-Malware Pro (just bought this yesterday)
Norton DNS (free, didn't even know about this until yesterday)
Hitman Pro (free scan)
Trojan Hunter (considering dropping this, as I believe this is covered by other software now)
Tune-Up Utilities 2011 (overall performance enhancer, which I use to carefully clean the registry, etc.)
Sandboxie (free, about to start using this)
Allway Sync (this is a separate program that I use for backing up data files on different drives....not really protection oriented, but very worthwhile).
Note that I did not get all of the above at one time, and it is an evolving list.
Good luck. The next response to this thread will offer a different solution. The problem is not protection, but too many good choices!
Going back to MSE and Spybot, if nothing else, use something!!!!
Cheers,
MSE (Free) and Norton (Paid)
Seem to be the most popular here, although there are others.
Also, having a secondary On-Demand scanner is a good idea:
Malwarebytes (highly recommended)
Spywareblaster
SuperAntiSpyware
Whats "best" really comes down to personal preference, and your own browsing habits.
But generally speaking, A good Real Time AV, and a Secondary On-Demand is what most would recommend.
I also think a Imaging program should be considered as well in your Protection plan. A good idea when all else fails.
Keep in mind there is no such things as a AV that can prevent everything.
If something bad happens to get by your defenses, there are occasions where clean up is nearly impossible without further damage. The result is a clean install. With a clean system Image, it will save you that trouble, and you will not loose alot of DATA.
MacriumReflect (Free)
Acronis (Paid)
The single most important, tried and true and a real warm fuzzy is an image backup. Creating one when your system is setup the way you want it to be
and then make an image of your hard drive on an external hard disk.
Like in Real Estate the three most important words.
BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP
Rich
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