SpudFiles

yea my comp was really REALLY slow and i didn't wana mess with it so i spent 4 hours on dell spupport re-formatting it and reinstalling the Operating sysytem. yea that saved me time >.>...

anywho, i need a good anti virus protection system. my budget is my dads walet. any ideas? basicly i need a good package to keep my comp safe and running well.

I use AVG Free edition for viruses. For spyware and other malware, you'll need an additional program, though.

if your looking for a good firewall use zone alarm

I highly recommend Avast antivirus. It's free, has a higher "catch" rate than Norton or McAfee, uses less ram (runs faster), and oh yeah, it's free. AVG is good also, but I prefer Avast. I run it on 5 machines here (all the Windoze boxes...).

Also, SuperAntiSpyware (though take it out of startup so it doesn't hog ram all the time) and CCleaner are must-have programs.

For a firewall, a hardware router kept properly updated is the best defense (better than most software firewalls). If you want a software firewall, Comodo is great.

Avoid McAfee, avoid Norton, avoid Windows Live OneCare.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.

I honestly think that most anti virus programs today are a rip off and slow your computer down even more with all the updates and services running in the background. You are always interrupted with messages asking weather to allow or block internet access to programs. I just use avg free and windows firewall and i have never gotten a virus and nothing has ever gone wrong with my computer except the occasional spy ware program doesn't/cant do anything anyway.

The best way to protect yourself is to not go to dodgy sites and don't download or install unfamiliar programs especially from limewire/kazaa etc. And don't click on pop ups.

Any who that is just what I think. Oh and another thing, a hardware firewall on your router is also a good thing to have for security.

Anti virus: www.free-av.com

Firewall: Sygate Personal Firewall (google it)

Also get Spybot S&D, and Lavasoft Ad-Aware to do periodic cleanups of Ad/Spyware.

These are all free...and awesome.

Of course, a protection system is only as good as the comptency of it's user...don't download random crap without making sure it's legit first. I would also reccomend you use something other than IE7.