nlasasatha
06-17-2010, 07:06 PM
Helpful Tips for a Safe and Stable System
This is written up for everyone who has no clue how or what you need to do to have a nice, stable system.
Run an Antivirus
Run an Anti-Malware
Run a Firewall or configure Windows Firewall correctly
Do not download warez or other illegal programs
Do not download from shady sources
Now, I'm going to explain each one.
Running an Antivirus is a simple one. You have many choices and many selections. They range from over $50 a year for protection, to free of charge. They each have their pros and cons, but they do their job just the same. Choose ONE and stick with it unless you have a lot of problems with your current one, in which case, uninstall it and install a new one. You should never run two antiviruses at the same time. Doesn't matter if one is on-demand and one is a live scanner, or if both are live scanners. They can and will conflict.
If you've managed to run two antiviruses in tandem, good for you. But if you get infected, then the two of them can get in each other's way, preventing you to have a workable solution, or worse still, the two might conflict in such a way they prevent your Windows system from booting, even if your computer is considered 'clean' by both.
That being said, if we ask you for a HijackThis log, and we see two antiviruses on there, we will demand you remove one. This is common sense 101, and should have been the case from the get-go.
Best Choices in Antiviruses:
In reality, try them all and see how you like them. Each person is different and no one solution will solve everyone's issues. This is a general recommendation, nothing more.
Avira Free or Premium Editions (http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php)
ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus (http://www.eset.com/)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus (http://www.kaspersky.com/)
Norton Anti-Virus (http://www.symantec.com/)
Avast Anti-Virus (http://www.avast.com/)
Panda Cloud Antivirus (http://www.cloudantivirus.com/)
Keep in mind, this is a short list. There are more out there, try them and see how you feel about them. Check our Useful List (http://www.raymond.cc/forum/spyware-viruses/7292-useful-antivirus-antispyware-tools-comprehensive-list.html) to see more selections.
Running an Anti-Malware is, while not a must, is highly recommended. Unlike antiviruses, they do not conflict as much as antiviruses do, unless they have a real time scanner. If that is the case, be warned that they don't all play nice with each other. For this, there is no clear cut case of yes or no, but you should try them out and see for yourself.
Best choices in Anti-Malwares:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware [MBAM] (http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php)
Super Anti-Spyware (http://www.superantispyware.com/)
Spybot - Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/)
LavaSoft Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoft.com/)
Spyware Blaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) [Blocks before it comes in]
Running a Firewall is one of the easiest things you can do. If you're running Windows XP SP2, Vista, or 7, you have one built right in. A simple Google search (http://tinyurl.com/yl872pj) can help you set up your built-in firewall.
Failing that, there are other choices too. Comodo (http://comodo.com/), Online Armor (http://www.tallemu.com/), and PC Tools (http://www.pctools.com/firewall/) Firewalls all provide free versions of their firewalls to customers, so they all are recommended. And they are also not very heavy on a computer system along with a learning mode, so they are able to be set up and configured without any problems.
The other ones should be clear-cut, as they are simple recommendations that will keep you clean for years to come.
Any other suggestions can be added onto this post.
This is written up for everyone who has no clue how or what you need to do to have a nice, stable system.
Run an Antivirus
Run an Anti-Malware
Run a Firewall or configure Windows Firewall correctly
Do not download warez or other illegal programs
Do not download from shady sources
Now, I'm going to explain each one.
Running an Antivirus is a simple one. You have many choices and many selections. They range from over $50 a year for protection, to free of charge. They each have their pros and cons, but they do their job just the same. Choose ONE and stick with it unless you have a lot of problems with your current one, in which case, uninstall it and install a new one. You should never run two antiviruses at the same time. Doesn't matter if one is on-demand and one is a live scanner, or if both are live scanners. They can and will conflict.
If you've managed to run two antiviruses in tandem, good for you. But if you get infected, then the two of them can get in each other's way, preventing you to have a workable solution, or worse still, the two might conflict in such a way they prevent your Windows system from booting, even if your computer is considered 'clean' by both.
That being said, if we ask you for a HijackThis log, and we see two antiviruses on there, we will demand you remove one. This is common sense 101, and should have been the case from the get-go.
Best Choices in Antiviruses:
In reality, try them all and see how you like them. Each person is different and no one solution will solve everyone's issues. This is a general recommendation, nothing more.
Avira Free or Premium Editions (http://www.avira.com/en/pages/index.php)
ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus (http://www.eset.com/)
Kaspersky Anti-Virus (http://www.kaspersky.com/)
Norton Anti-Virus (http://www.symantec.com/)
Avast Anti-Virus (http://www.avast.com/)
Panda Cloud Antivirus (http://www.cloudantivirus.com/)
Keep in mind, this is a short list. There are more out there, try them and see how you feel about them. Check our Useful List (http://www.raymond.cc/forum/spyware-viruses/7292-useful-antivirus-antispyware-tools-comprehensive-list.html) to see more selections.
Running an Anti-Malware is, while not a must, is highly recommended. Unlike antiviruses, they do not conflict as much as antiviruses do, unless they have a real time scanner. If that is the case, be warned that they don't all play nice with each other. For this, there is no clear cut case of yes or no, but you should try them out and see for yourself.
Best choices in Anti-Malwares:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware [MBAM] (http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php)
Super Anti-Spyware (http://www.superantispyware.com/)
Spybot - Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/)
LavaSoft Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoft.com/)
Spyware Blaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) [Blocks before it comes in]
Running a Firewall is one of the easiest things you can do. If you're running Windows XP SP2, Vista, or 7, you have one built right in. A simple Google search (http://tinyurl.com/yl872pj) can help you set up your built-in firewall.
Failing that, there are other choices too. Comodo (http://comodo.com/), Online Armor (http://www.tallemu.com/), and PC Tools (http://www.pctools.com/firewall/) Firewalls all provide free versions of their firewalls to customers, so they all are recommended. And they are also not very heavy on a computer system along with a learning mode, so they are able to be set up and configured without any problems.
The other ones should be clear-cut, as they are simple recommendations that will keep you clean for years to come.
Any other suggestions can be added onto this post.