Freeware replacements for Norton Internet Security?

On Apr 10, 6:11 pm, "Ron" <BigELil....DeleteThis@msn.com> wrote:
> On Apr 10, 5:26 pm, Tx2 <this.is.an.....DeleteThis@lid.address.u.know.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > A friend of mine has Norton Internet Security 2006 on her PC, the
> > subscription of which has now expired.
>
> > I am personally not a fan of NIS in any form, and have suggested she
> > look for an alternative solution to her Internet 'protection'.
>
> > Her financial situation means she is not in a position to spend money on
> > this, and nor is she particularly proficient on the PC, so I have
> > suggested a combination of the following for both ease of use, and zero
> > cost:
>
> > Antivir, Spybot S&D, SpywareBlaster, ZoneAlarm, WinPatrol, and an MVP
> > HOSTS file.
>
> > Is this a fair level of 'security' utilities to install on her PC in
> > place of NIS?
>
> > My only concern is ZoneAlarm, as I do read some folks experience issues
> > with it. I would alternatively consider perhaps Comodo Firewall?
>
> > She connects to the Internet via a USB ADSL modem, so doesn't have the
> > protection a router would otherwise offer, so needs 'uncomplicated'
> > programs that will 'look after' her in the event of a security warning,
> > that is, give her a recommended course of action to take.
>
> > Comments.
>
> My father has 4 computers, and uses nothing but, AVG anti-virus, and
> Ad-Aware anti-spyware with Windows XP which has it's own firewall.
>
> He has never had a problem.
>
> Even after I sent him a copy of Spy Sweeper (commercial ware) the
> sweep turned up negative. (tracking cookies only)
>
> IMO, Spybot and any firewall except for Kerio, is not for
> "beginners".
>
> I agree with using Spyware Blaster since basically it just keeps
> "bugs" away.
>
> I also like Spyware Terminator as a easy to use program, with it's
> "shields" off.
>
> This is a really good site for freewarehttp://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm

I meant to add, that McAfee Site Advisor is a very good tool to keep
from downloading adware / spyware.

"Tx2" <this.is.an.inv.TakeThisOut@lid.address.u.know.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.20861157839ad00d9896a6@News.Individual.NET...
>
> A friend of mine has Norton Internet Security 2006 on her PC, the
> subscription of which has now expired.
>
> I am personally not a fan of NIS in any form, and have suggested she
> look for an alternative solution to her Internet 'protection'.
>
> Her financial situation means she is not in a position to spend money on
> this, and nor is she particularly proficient on the PC, so I have
> suggested a combination of the following for both ease of use, and zero
> cost:
>
> Antivir, Spybot S&D, SpywareBlaster, ZoneAlarm, WinPatrol, and an MVP
> HOSTS file.
>
> Is this a fair level of 'security' utilities to install on her PC in
> place of NIS?
>
> My only concern is ZoneAlarm, as I do read some folks experience issues
> with it. I would alternatively consider perhaps Comodo Firewall?
>
> She connects to the Internet via a USB ADSL modem, so doesn't have the
> protection a router would otherwise offer, so needs 'uncomplicated'
> programs that will 'look after' her in the event of a security warning,
> that is, give her a recommended course of action to take.
>
I think your selections are good. I would add an antispyware application
with a resident shield. Currently I'm using Spyware Terminator and like it
a lot. During installation it offers the user different configurations
based on skill level, such as Beginner, Advanced, Expert, with descriptions
of how it will work for each level. If you install it for your friend and
do a complete scan you can classify all of the software it doesn't initially
recognize. That minimizes the pop-ups later on. I also suggest keeping the
HIPS feature off as it demands a lot of user interaction which might
overwhelm your friend.

FWIW, an inexpensive router could be installed between the ADSL modem and
the computer for the added security it would provide. I just saw one on
www.newegg.com for under $20.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000400028...4093&bo

www.spywareterminator.com

> My father has 4 computers, and uses nothing but, AVG anti-virus, and
> Ad-Aware anti-spyware with Windows XP which has it's own firewall.
>
> He has never had a problem.
>
> Even after I sent him a copy of Spy Sweeper (commercial ware) the
> sweep turned up negative. (tracking cookies only)
>
> IMO, Spybot and any firewall except for Kerio, is not for
> "beginners".
>
> I agree with using Spyware Blaster since basically it just keeps
> "bugs" away.
>
> I also like Spyware Terminator as a easy to use program, with it's
> "shields" off.
>
> This is a really good site for freeware
> http://www.techsupportalert.com/best_46_free_utilities.htm

For most of my customers I install AVG, Spyware Terminator and turn on
the Windows firewall. Although I think Outpost is the easiest firewall
to manage, I learned it was too much fuss for the average user.

On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:26:19 +0100, Tx2 wrote:

> A friend of mine has Norton Internet Security 2006 on her PC, the
> subscription of which has now expired.
>
> I am personally not a fan of NIS in any form, and have suggested she
> look for an alternative solution to her Internet 'protection'.
>
> Her financial situation means she is not in a position to spend money on
> this, and nor is she particularly proficient on the PC, so I have
> suggested a combination of the following for both ease of use, and zero
> cost:
>
> Antivir, Spybot S&D, SpywareBlaster, ZoneAlarm, WinPatrol, and an MVP
> HOSTS file.
>
> Is this a fair level of 'security' utilities to install on her PC in
> place of NIS?
>
> My only concern is ZoneAlarm, as I do read some folks experience issues
> with it. I would alternatively consider perhaps Comodo Firewall?
>
> She connects to the Internet via a USB ADSL modem, so doesn't have the
> protection a router would otherwise offer, so needs 'uncomplicated'
> programs that will 'look after' her in the event of a security warning,
> that is, give her a recommended course of action to take.
>
> Comments.

I would agree with Spywareblaster, Winpatrol, MVPS HOSTS File. Zone Alarm
Free is a resource hog and not the best of firewals in the free category.
Since the user seems to be somewhat of a novice I won't suggest a HIPS,
although Neoava Guard is very effective & can be configured for beginners.
For the firewall, I think Comodo is much more difficult to master than the
newer versions of Kerio, which are basically set 'n forget. I used Kerio
when I knew absolutely nothing about firewalls. I would suggest
downloading Kerio 4.2.2 from filehippo.com, as it uses much less resources
than the newer Sunbelt versions (about 12-14 MB as compared to the current
version's 40 MB usage). I think Comodo, especially with its HIPS-like
features, would probably freak a newbie out. I have used Winpatrol to
monitor startups as well as changes to the HOSTS file. Spybot S&D is
pretty much outdated, although useful in some instances. A free AS app
like Superantispyware is a much better choice. With Antivir, you don't
need a resident antispyware app. However, the one concern I would have is
that Antivir produces a large amount of false positives, and the
possibility of a novice deleting a needed file is very real. Another AV
choice would be Active Virus Shield, which is essentially a free version of
Kaspersky AV (minus some features), and produces very few false positives.
Personally, that would be my choice if I decided not to pay for my NOD32.
I would also suggest something like HostsMan or eDexter to manage HOSTS
file and also speed up web-surfing.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Apr 10, 5:26 pm, Tx2 <this.is.an.....TakeThisOut@lid.address.u.know.com> wrote:
> A friend of mine has Norton Internet Security 2006 on her PC, the
> subscription of which has now expired.
>
> I am personally not a fan of NIS in any form, and have suggested she
> look for an alternative solution to her Internet 'protection'.
>
> Her financial situation means she is not in a position to spend money on
> this, and nor is she particularly proficient on the PC, so I have
> suggested a combination of the following for both ease of use, and zero
> cost:
>
> Antivir, Spybot S&D, SpywareBlaster, ZoneAlarm, WinPatrol, and an MVP
> HOSTS file.
>
> Is this a fair level of 'security' utilities to install on her PC in
> place of NIS?
>
> My only concern is ZoneAlarm, as I do read some folks experience issues
> with it. I would alternatively consider perhaps Comodo Firewall?
>
> She connects to the Internet via a USB ADSL modem, so doesn't have the
> protection a router would otherwise offer, so needs 'uncomplicated'
> programs that will 'look after' her in the event of a security warning,
> that is, give her a recommended course of action to take.
>
> Comments.



First and foremost, run the Symantec tool to remove NIS from the
workstation. And then download one or all of the following

aVast home - register it and it'll be great.
FreeAVG - again, it's great.
Computer Associates EZAntiVirus - not as obvious, but still does a
great job.

As for a firewall, you probably don't need it if your internet
provider gave you a router, most routers do NAT, which hides you
behind the device, and the 'need' for a router is lessened by that...

> As for a firewall, you probably don't need it if your internet
> provider gave you a router, most routers do NAT, which hides you
> behind the device, and the 'need' for a router is lessened by that...

Like the Microsoft firewall, routers only provide inbound protection.