Well, an older sibling has the newest version of Avast Free Anti-virus on a Windows XP Home Edition computer they use, they do NOT have MBAM on said computer, & the ONLY firewall that’s on there is XP Home Edition’s built-in firewall, & they’ve told me that: 1) Avast seems to work quite well on its own (without MBAM) at keeping said XP Home Edition computer safe & secure from any sort of threats (viruses, malware, etc); 2) I have yet to hear from them as far as the Windows XP Home Edition’s built-in firewall failing to protect the computer from hacks & such; & 3) they, like me & the rest of my family, have a strict policy of not downloading unfamiliar programs or files. In fact, with the exception of detecting an edit I made in the last few months or to to the problem computer’s start menu (removing a couple options, but then restoring said options not too long afterwards), the installed version of MBAM on the problem computer hasn’t detected any threats since it was installed on the problem computer many, many months ago.
Besides that, according to the most recent time I had Avast Free Anti-virus do a Home Network Security scan (which was last night, as I do weekly computer maintenance, e.g. Avast Smart Scan & disk cleanup, as well as using the Windows XP Pro disk defragmenter’s analysis tool once a month to see if the harddrive needs to be defraged), it came back with the result of “Congratulations, your home network is well secured”, meaning the residential gateway hub/router/whatever that we lease from AT&T for our landline telephone & internet services is configured correctly so as to not have any internet-connected devices in our ome being visible from the internet.
So, the way I figure it, as long as I have A) Avast Free Anti-virus active/turned on/enabled; B) I have the automatic updates feature turned on; C) I have the streaming updates option enabled, D) I make sure not to turn off XP Pro’s built-in firewall, & I make sure I don’t download and/or install something that might/could hurt the computer or cause it to send out something it shouldn’t, I really see no reason to have any other third-party computer security program besides Avast Free Anti-virus OR any other firewall software besides XP Pro’s built-in firewall on the problem computer.
So, other than the situation with MBAM & Avast, as well as XP Pro’s built-in firewall, what’s your response to what I said I’ve learned about FF ESR, as well as your answer to my question about if I’d be able to access the customizations (saved passwords & bookmarks, installed plug-ins & add-ons, etc.) in Firefox ESR v45.4.0 that I would make sure to save before proceeding with uninstalling Firefox v47.0.1?
avast and MBAM play well with each other. Most, if not all, avast evangelists recommend using both.
This is an ongoing argument but the built-in Windows Firewall is “in-bound” only which means it doesn’t provide HIPS
IMHO…HIPS is a good thing to have. HIPS helps in preventing nasty things from doing any damage. I use Comodo Firewall v8.2 w/D+ (HIPS)
Software not updated is a security risk.
Unless you invest in a different/newer processor you will continue to have issues.
Can’t help you with your FF issue. I use Vivaldi as my primary browser.
Outbound checking sure can help detecting things that are missed by the inbound checking and av.
Besides, people have the responsibility to protect not just their own systems but other systems as well.
Not having outbound checking is like catching a disease and saying “I don’t care at all if others (relatives, friends and such) also get it because of me”.
OK, forget I ever brought up MBAM & Windows XP Pro’s firewall, as that’s resulting in an argument not necessarily relevant to the topic of this thread. In fact, from here on out, I will no longer participate in a discussion about THAT issue.
Now, getting back to the focus of the topic of this thread…
What is everyone’s response to my assessment of FF ESR, as well everyone’s answer to my question of whether or not the customizations (saved passwords & bookmarks, installed add-ons & plug-ins, etc.) I intend on saving during the uninstall process for Firefox v47.0.1 would be accessible to Firefox ESR v45.4.0 after that browser is installed?
OK. So, I take that to mean what I stated about I’ve learned about FF ESR is accurate then.
Now, when I go through & uninstall Firefox v47.0.1 (opting to hold onto saved passwords & bookmarks, as well as installed add-ons/extensions & plug-ins when asked what I want to save), then I install Firefox ESR v45.4.0, how would I transfer the saved passwords & bookmarks, as well as the installed add-ons/extensions & plug-ins to ESR v45.4.0?
OK, so, as far as switching from FF v47.0.1 to FF ESR v45.4.0 & transferring FF’s customizations to FF ESR, what you’re saying to do is:
Just to be safe, save a back-up copy of Firefox v47.0.1’s profile folder first
Then, proceed with the uninstall of Firefox v47.0.1, opting to keep the saved passwords & bookmarks, as well as installed add-ons & plug-ins customizations when prompted by the uninstall process
Next, when I go to install Firefox ESR v45.4.0, make sure to install it in the Mozilla Firefox folder left on the harddrive by the uninstall process @ C:\Programs\Mozilla Firefox
Afterwards, upon completion of FF ESR v45.4.0’s installation, after launching Firefox ESR v45.4.0, modify the configuration to disable add-on signing so as to be able to access AOS’s settings page within FF ESR
So, you’re saying the easiest way would simply be to make a copy of Firefox’s profile folder, store that copy somewhere else on the harddrive, then download the installer for ESR v45.4.0 & run it, essentially installing the ESR over the regular version?
OK, so lemme see if I get straight what you’re saying…
Make a copy of Firefox v47.0.1’s profile folder,
Place said copy elsewhere on the hard-drive
Download the installer for Firefox ESR v45.4.0
Run the installer for v45.4.0, choosing to install it in the already existing Mozilla Firefox folder in Program Files, essentially installing the ESR version over the regular version.
Now, if it turns out that something goes wrong, I can always then go through, uninstall v47.0.1 while choosing to retain whatever customizations (saved bookmarks & passwords, browsing & search history, installed add-ons & plug-ins, etc.), then do a clean install of v45.4.0 & still have access to the customizations.
Well, if it seems like I’m being redundant in asking a question repeatedly, I apologize. I subscribe to the notion that it’s better to be safe than sorry. I just want to make sure that I clearly understand the facts of the situation.
So then, according to you, since the easiest way to switch/replace FF 47.0.1 with FF ESR 45.4.0 is to simply install the ESR over the the regular version (& hope/pray that nothing goes wrong), then that is what I will do at the next point in time that is convenient for me. And, after I’ve submitted this post, the next time you’ll hear from me is when I relay whether or not installing the ESR over the regular version worked (I’ll be hoping/praying that it does so that I no longer have any problems with the browser as far as AOS working properly).