do i need any other security?

General Topics
1

i’m running avast 4.5 free version,i use vista,do i need any other security software to run alongside or does avast cover everything,thanks

2

Hi davidhwdn!

do you really use avast 4.5? (if so, why not update/upgrade to 4.8?)

which is your OS?

I’d say it is recommended to use some additional software, but it depends on your OS…

yours
onlysomeone

3

i didn’t know there was a newer version,thanks.i use vista and firefox as i had trouble downloading stuff with IE,where can i find 4.8

4

Hallo davidhwdn,

I would recommend (my) security setup if you are using Window$:

In addition:

  • Regularly update your Window$
  • Only use Firefox to browse the web
  • Only use IE to patch download Window$ updates
  • Don’t have two anti-virus or anti-spyware RESIDENT programs running
  • Avast and Malwarebytes are ok as resident programs though
  • Do a full boot-time scan at least once every two weeks
  • Run the anti-spyware programs at least once a week

And above all - stay away from the porn sites LOL.

Good luck!

Avastfan1

5

thanks very much,it seems like a lot to protect but who am i to argue lol

6

Hi davidhwdn,

It is indeed a lot of security. However I have taken the advice of experts on this board (like Polonus and the other Gurus) in developing my approach.

I have used the above setup for a while now (circa 3-4 years) and never once had a virus, trojan or spyware problem. Apart from a few false positives which arise from time to time I can personally recommend the above setup. (False Positives are detections which wrongly classify a file as infected).

If you already have a firewall or anti-virus program (other than Avast) you should not install ZoneAlarm or Avast. Also turn off Window$ firewall - it’s also a rubbish firewall. There are loads of firewalls which can better protect your system.

Finally, I can strongly recommend listening to the advice from the Gurus on this forum. They are really helpful, friendly and extremely knowledgeable.

Good luck, welcome to the forum and feel free to post any other questions you may have!

Avastfan1

7

-= Hijack This…
-= Spybot S&D
-= Spyware Terminator… [i dont really uise this very often]

8

Hijack This is a tool only needed if you think your system is infected.
The program itself does nothing to protect you from getting any type of infection.

9

Since you have ‘form’ for outdated applications ;D
I would also suggest a visit to this site, which scans your system for out of date programs that have patches to close vulnerabilities, http://secunia.com/software_inspector/.

10

I second this.
Besides, Spybot is not that useful nowadays. I’ll change it for MBAM and SuperAntispyware.

11

All you really need is the newest version of avast!, Opera, WinPatrol & ZoneAlarm.

avast! has a great antispyware built into it’s antivirus, it has a single scanning engine for fast, low resource use protection.

The other softwares that have been recommended to you are good for second opinions and if you get infected. Remember, no software can do any good if you do something stupid like downloading a malicious program. :wink: