I have an older desktop PC:
Intel Pentium 4 CPU at 3 GHz
1 GB RAM
Windows XP Professional
My security setup is:
Avast! 5 Free Antivirus
SUPERAntiSpyware Free (on demand)
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free (on demand)
SpywareBlaster Free version
Sandboxie Free version
I use my PC for various things, the most “resource eating” is recording & mixing music, that’s why I have to keep my system running light.
So, what do you think I should add to my security setup and perhaps what shloud I remove? I’m thinking of adding one light firewall (probably Kerio 2.1.5 or Personalfirewall). Do you think that I even need a firewall if I have Sandboxie (which I’m thinking of buying a license for). Do you think I shloud remove SpywareBlaster and maybe SUPERAntiSpyware too? Please feel free to comment, rant, advise etc. Thank you!
Removing SpywareBlaster is a waste of time as the program doesn’t run in the background, it is inert get updates, apply update close program done until the next time you decide to check for updates.
Likewise uninstalling an on-demand won’t gain you much as it isn’t running the program. Yes it will run a services in the background if you want to have it in the right click menu so that you can scan selected files.
I have XP’s firewall ON, but I guess that’s not enough… Do you think that I need to add anything else besides a firewall to my security setup?
I thought about removing SpywareBlaster because with Sandboxie I think I don’t need it, but you have a point. And I think that MBAM finds more malware than SAS, so… Well, for now I’ll leave them all in the system.
Whilst the windows XP firewall is usually good at keeping your ports stealthed (hidden) it provides no outbound protection and you should consider a third party firewall.
Any malware that manages to get past your defences will have free reign to connect to the internet to either download more of the same, pass your personal data (sensitive or otherwise, user names, passwords, keylogger retrieved data, etc.) or open a backdoor to your computer, so outbound protection is essential.
You don’t want to become a slave to your security applications, it is they that should serve you and not the other way round, if you spend more time keeping them up to date you have to wonder if you haven’t got the balance wrong.
Yours should be fine, some might suggest WinPatrol to monitor registry changes (and some other features/tools), etc. either the free or the small one off payment for the WinPatrol Plus version.
Yes, I agree with you. I’ll check out WinPatrol to see what it is. I have another question, since now I’m choosing between free firewals - do you know SoftPerfect Personal Firewall? Is it any good? I think it’s very light.
