Personally i dont like norton i preffer mcafee. norton has too much stuff that doesnt really do anything. Like the internet security i have plenty of internet security becuase i know how to get rid of stuff plus i run kerio professional firewall.
mikeandike22
Nearly a Posting Virtuoso
1,496 posts since May 2004
Reputation Points: 33
Solved Threads: 19
As long as you use P2P programs, you will continue to have problems.
This thread has links to free antivirus and firewall programs:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread5690.html
The firewall is nearly as good as Norton without using up as much of your systems resources. Most 3rd party firewalls are better then the XP firewall.
Unfortunately, no antivirus/spy/ad ware program will clean up everything -- you need to have several programs, keep them updated, and scan with them regularly. That thread has additional utilities besides the ones you are already using that can help keep your system clean.
You also seem to have a problem with your memory, as 112MB is not a standard size (and barely enough for XP anyway).
dlh6213
Posting Maven
3,117 posts since Jul 2004
Reputation Points: 63
Solved Threads: 214
I also understand my memory is not ideal for Windows XP. The problem is that this PC comes with the emergency restoration disks so if the hardware is changed, then I can´t restore the original setup anymore. Ever.
That doesn't sound right to me, where did you get that information? You should be able to add RAM without affecting setup. :confused:
dlh6213
Posting Maven
3,117 posts since Jul 2004
Reputation Points: 63
Solved Threads: 214
That doesn't sound right to me, where did you get that information? You should be able to add RAM without affecting setup. :confused:
112Mb is simply a 128Mb module with 16Mb used for onboard graphics. Adding more RAM will NOT mean you can't reinstall the system, the reinstall will work perfectly. 128Mb is not enough to run Windows XP efficiently, and you should definitely add more.
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
Reputation Points: 229
Solved Threads: 149
I would not settle for merely 256Mb of RAM either. Windows XP works very efficently with 512Mb of RAM. That's the amount I personally consider necessary. In a system with multiple user accounts, and on which multi-tasking is frequently carried out, I install 1Gb of RAM.
It does not surprise me in the slightest that PCs get sold inadequately confugured by 'Name Brand' manufacturers. Although the quality of support service is generally extremely good with such systems, they are notorious for being considerably more expensive and underpowered in comparison to 'White Box' systems.
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
Reputation Points: 229
Solved Threads: 149
Zone alarm and kaspersky are good antiviruses which dont take more resources. And a funny thing ... I've also run win xp on 64 mb of ram .. and it worked fine for me .. hehe.
nanosani
Unauthenticated Liar
1,830 posts since Jul 2004
Reputation Points: 45
Solved Threads: 56
hmm.........
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the quality of NOD32 in this discussion. Quite frankly, it's the best performed of all personal AntiVirus products. It does carry a fee, but the cost is quite small, and the system overheads are far, far better than the more widely known products such as Nortons or McAffee. In addition, virus signature file updates are made available much more frequently than with competitors.
ZoneAlarm is a fine product, and Sygate Personal Firewall is a worthy alternative. Norton Internet Security would be about the worst of all available alternatives, perhaps, primarily because of the performance it gobbles up.
But I'd recommend that anyone with better than a dial-up Internet connection use a Gateway/Router beteen their ADSL/Cale modem and their PC, or an All-in-one Modem/Router/Firewall, so long as the one used has SPI firewall protection. They can be found quite cheaply nowadays, and check all incoming information to ensure that it is actually requested.
I also recommend that people discontinue using Internet Explorer as a web browser in favout of a better, more secure browser such as Mozilla, Firefox or Opera, regularly use Spyware detection and removal tools, and adopt safe and sensible browsing habits.
Catweazle
Grandad
4,335 posts since Mar 2004
Reputation Points: 229
Solved Threads: 149
Kaspersky is an excellent product. I switched to it (corporate license, sometimes it pays to work for a reseller ;)) when my license for Panda expired and their support department were completely deaf to support requests getting my account reactivated (after paying of course, they still didn't respond...).
Use it in conjunction with ZoneAlarm (beware of ZA5 though, it blocks some things it shouldn't even when you specifically tell it not to, I stick with ZA4.5 for now).
Ditching IE isn't necessary at all unless you want to be politically correct and show how much you hate Microsoft.
If you turn off automatic execution of ActiveX you're safe (and don't just click OK to everything that wants to run of course).
1) don't visit warez sites, they're hothouses for all kinds of nastiness (plus using warez hurts the software development community badly as well as being illegal...)
2) don't install anything you don't know in advance what it will do
3) don't open email attachments you didn't expect you'd get (even from people you know!)
4) ditch those p2p programs, run legal software and play legal music and movies
5) be careful visiting porn sites :mrgreen:
jwenting
duckman
8,392 posts since Nov 2004
Reputation Points: 1,662
Solved Threads: 337
Hello,
I am currently evaluating Sophos on my Windoze box, my Linux boxen, and my Macintosh. So far, so good.
I also believe in ditching IE. Go for Mozilla Firefox, or consider Opera or Casino. Safari works nice too. IE has a certain set of standards defined that are not platform independant. I would like sites that examine their logs to know that there are other browsers out there than the Redmond Explorer.
Christian
kc0arf
Posting Virtuoso
1,937 posts since Mar 2004
Reputation Points: 121
Solved Threads: 57
why awaken a thread from 04?
jbennet
Moderator
18,523 posts since Apr 2005
Reputation Points: 1,826
Solved Threads: 601
and a link that has more typeo's that my posts .lol
caperjack
I hate 20 Questions
13,069 posts since Aug 2003
Reputation Points: 1,064
Solved Threads: 812
