I'm looking for some good gear to protect my pc, however, out of principal, I only use freeware. So what are your recommendations?

I used to have AVG and ZoneAlarm, but I think ZA sucked, because it kept stinking up my windows and general connection to the internet. (wife couldn't share files via network) AVG is ok, but it's a bit...silent. I recently installed COMODO firewall, it any good?

I dont use freeware so I can't help you unfortunately.

<font color=skyblue>I use Avast, and have had good success with it. I dropped ZA when I purchased a hardware firewall embedded in a router. I am told that a hardware firewall is always better than a software one. Still, I have the WindowsXP firewall enabled on top of that.
I've never heard of COMODO.
I agree that AVG is not for me either. </font>

The dirty secret on firewalls... you don't need one... XP's firewall is all you need, using anything else on a homecomputer is like having the national guard looking after your house while you go on vacation... overkill. [img]smile.gif[/img]

just use your sense while browsing, a good antivirus (AVG or Avast are the best free ones) and run AdAware twice a week or so and you should be safe.

But thats just my opinion I could be wrong... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Far as free antivirus goes, I know of AVG, Avast and AntiVir. AntiVir's been the one doing best in whatever comparisions I've seen, so, that the one I'm using nowadays.

Never had a problem with ZoneAlarm, so can't suggest anything else there.

I'll disagree with you on a hardware firewall being better than a software firewall, Larry, and rendering a software firewall useless.

A hardware firewall is great at keeping stuff out that's not supposed to be coming in.

However, it doesn't do as well with stuff that's already in, trying to get out.

If you get a trojan or something like that, your hardware firewall will probably not worry about it too much, and will let it through.

Plus, if one computer on your network gets infected with something (say, a game imported on a flash drive... something that one of your kids will do in a couple of years...), the hardware firewall will not protect any other computers on the network. It only protects from the outside world.

Or, more likely, you'll let someone use a computer (a parent, in-law, or other relative) who isn't computer-savvy, and they'll open one of those bad emails that they get... *poof!* Your protection goes up in smoke.

*edit* to clarify, it's not a question of one or the other, but using both. They address different things, and both are needed IMHO.

I use both... hardware and software. My hardware is a Linksys router. My software is ZoneAlarm. So far, so good... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Getting back to JrKASperov's questions, I don't have any problems with sharing files over our network. I have had to tell ZA about my home network and say that it's allowed, but that's it. I do the same thing with the shared printers and server, too... they have fixed IP addresses. Frankly, you *should* be getting questioned on communication with another machine unless you've okayed it.

Hmmm... and doing that might just eliminate the in-network protection I talked about above, except that your software firewall should register permissions for individual executables. So it's got to be an allowed program communicating to an allowed IP address.

My standard batch of protection:

Spybot S&D
Ad-Aware
AVG Anti-virus
ZoneAlarm
HiJack This (for serious cleaning only)

[ 11-26-2006, 09:12 AM: Message edited by: Bungleau ]

<font color=skyblue>FYI, two of my favorite utilities to run these days are CCleaner and MRU Blaster.

http://www.ccleaner.com

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.html

</font>

[ 11-26-2006, 12:52 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

I use Sygate. There have been no visible symptoms of infection for several years.

Why would you post, if you have nothing to say...?

I bought 2 copies of Norton Systemworks in the Spring and I'm kind of regretting it now. My wifes' PC is about 7 years old and used to run fine for her, until we put Norton in. Now it's very slow. It's very unfriendly as far as reducing the settings in order to increase performance. I can't believe a company that's so big would make software that's so lousy. I'm really thinking of taking it out of both PC's and doing to free thing also.

[ 11-26-2006, 07:54 AM: Message edited by: Variol (Farseer) Elmwood ]

Yeah that program is awesome for cleaning up all sorts of unneeded crap and registry issues. Got a bad installation of BGII? Scan the registry and fix it! I hate how windows always keeps some parts of installed programs in the registry. Also, ccleaner is handy for examining what's in your windows startup list. Don't like to startup Quicktime? Delete the entry!