I was just wondering if having Avast! 4.8 Home, Windows Defender, and Windows Firewall is a good package? Along with my Linksys WRT54GS. I just reformatted computer and thought: “Do I really need Ad-aware 2008 or Spybot, and a different firewall?”
Is Comodo Firewall still annoying? I used remember hating it when it asked me for the save applications over and over again even if I checked out the “Remember.”
I basically use the internet: chat on aim, surf the net, and a lot of p2p.
I would think that’s a fairly secure package. If you are using XP rather than Vista, the firewall is the main point of vulnerability, as it does not have outbound control. So if you get yourself some malware which is not (yet) detected by Avast you will have no idea, as it it will phone “home” without telling you it’s doing that.
Depending on what it is you download and run using p2p, that scenario is quite possible. Any program you download should be considered malware, really, unless proven otherwise.
I find Comodo only slightly irritating, once it has bedded in and learned what you want to allow or not - which is the same with many firewalls - the number of alerts/pop-ups should drop right off.
I’m using an old version. It needs “retraining” every time there is a significant program update, in respect of that program, which is as it should be.
I would definitely consider a two way firewall, others to consider as well as Comodo include Online Armour or ZoneAlarm, maybe Kerio or Jetico if you know how to set up rules.
Demand spyware scanners don’t take up much room on todays hard drives. I keep a few, but not AdAware. Better would be MalwareBytesAntiMalware, (MBAM for short) and/or Superantispyware. Both have free or paid for versions, and have similar functionality to AdAware, but in my opinion (and many others) much better.
Spybot…that’s your choice. The program is still actively developed and supported. The integrity and motivation of the vendor is well established. Many reports I’ve read indicate it definitely has its uses. The current version is 1.6.0.3.0.
You may also want to consider some kind of behaviour blocker or HIPS. Both Comodo and Online Armour firewalls have these included, and it is perhaps this component of Comodo you found irritating. All depends how “hands-on” and involved you want to be with what the computer processes, I guess, plus how important it is you stay malware free. Do credit card transactions/ have private data or photos? Fairly important.