Jump to content

(OT) Just did a full format - what should i instal

stevestojan

By stevestojan
in The Stadium Wall Archives

 Share

Recommended Posts

stevestojan Hall of Famer

stevestojan

Posted
Posted

My computer was f---ed. Completly. I couldnt even open IE without it "Stop Responding" I was getting more pop ups, pop unders, etc, etc. My homepage changed, etc. So, I FDisk'd it.

 

NOw my question is, what software should I install now that the machine is "clean" to help keep it healthy.

 

I have head of SpyBot, and AdAware... which is better, and why? What firewall do you all suggest? etc, etc. . ..

 

thanks

cåblelady All Pro

cåblelady

Posted
Posted
My computer was f---ed. Completly. I couldnt even open IE without it "Stop Responding" I was getting more pop ups, pop unders, etc, etc. My homepage changed, etc. So, I FDisk'd it.

 

NOw my question is, what software should I install now that the machine is "clean" to help keep it healthy.

 

I have head of SpyBot, and AdAware... which is better, and why? What firewall do you all suggest? etc, etc. . ..

 

thanks

13708[/snapback]

 

I use SpyBot AND AdAware (since they're free). They work GREAT! <_<

Guest Guest

Guest Guest

Posted
Posted

... tsnbd here ... stuck down in Greenville NC ! ... nice place and people ... warm too ! ... anyways, check out "spyware blaster" "cw shredder" "hijack this" and "window washer" "tuneup utilities" and "ashampoo win optimizer" ... i use "yahoo companion" to block popups ... buy a second hard drive and use "norton ghost" to back up ... tom

Guest Guest

Guest Guest

Posted
Posted
... tsnbd here ... stuck down in Greenville NC ! ... nice place and people ... warm too ! ... anyways, check out "spyware blaster" "cw shredder" "hijack this" and "window washer"  "tuneup utilities" and "ashampoo win optimizer" ... i use "yahoo companion" to block popups ... buy a second hard drive and use "norton ghost" to back up ... tom

13770[/snapback]

 

... also, "adaware" and "spybot" as mentioned before

R. Rich All Pro

R. Rich

Posted
Posted
No they don't.  Download Spysweeper and you'll find out how good free software really is.  <_<

13720[/snapback]

 

I'll use all 3. On our older computer, I downloaded SpyBot and AdAware, and we were still being plagued with popups and spyware. Maybe with the Dell, we'll have better luck.

Alaska Darin Hall of Famer

Alaska Darin

Posted
Posted
I'll use all 3.  On our older computer, I downloaded SpyBot and AdAware, and we were still being plagued with popups and spyware.  Maybe with the Dell, we'll have better luck.

13786[/snapback]

There are issues with doing that - none of them work properly for some reason. I've had alot better luck with the subscriber version of Spysweeper than any combination of the free ones.

Guest Guest

Guest Guest

Posted
Posted

Steve - I use Norton Anti-Virus, Adaware and ZoneAlarm Pro for protection. I also run behind a router which adds some protection.

 

Browser and e-mail recommendations are FireFox and ThunderBird.

 

One of the biggest sources of computer problems is malicious installs. I stay away from toolbars, third party pop up blockers and most shareware. A lot of those programs are sloppy in their installs/uninstalls and add thins you really don't need.

 

make sure you update all the Critical WIndows patches including SP2. One last stron advice is to go to the site blackviper.com and read about the various services that Windows runs. You can turn off a number of them. One of them is Messenger Service which leads to undesired pop-ups. Turn off all the services that hey recommend turning off and tailor what runs to your needs. Turning off these services adds to your protection as well as reducing resource demand that slows down your computer.

 

If you're careful about what you install (only reputable software), use anyone of the ad-ware programs listed n this thread (they're all good enough), use anti-virus software, a firewall and NEVER open e-mail attachments no matter who they are from, you can keep your computer clean. I've never had a spybot or a virus. Keep all these programs up-to-date too. I do my updates everyday, but I'm anal. I also back up my hard drive every week too.

 

Good luck and safe computing.

Corp000085 Veteran

Corp000085

Posted
Posted

I use a NAT router, norton internet security 2004 pro, and spybot search and destroy. Spybot is rated as #1 by pcmagazine, or at least it was. Norton has a pop up blocker and spam blocker along with the firewall. I like the firewall because i installed kazaa for a few mp3s and then uninstalled it. However, kazaa leaves spyware behind, which is easy to disable using norton. The moral here is you'll have to spend a few extra bucks (<$50) to get a perfectly clean machine. Free spyware removal programs only go so far.

Wacka All Pro

Wacka

Posted
Posted

Trash the computer and install a new G5 iMac with OSX.3.5 :unsure: No spyware, no popups, no viruses. B)

/dev/null Hall of Famer

/dev/null

Posted
Posted
Trash the computer and install a new G5 iMac with OSX.3.5 :unsure:  No spyware, no popups, no viruses. B)

13886[/snapback]

 

OSX.* = derivative of *BSD, see also my recommendations :D

 

no viruses = not true, some mac viruses are starting to appear in response to apple's music biz. funny how the OS's whose source codes are freely available don't suffer the virus bug as much as those developed by big greedy secretive shady corporations

Fezmid All Pro

Fezmid

Posted
Posted

One thing that hasn't been drilled in yet -- if you don't currently have a router/firewall (hardware, not software), and you have broadband, GO GET ONE!!!!! For example:

 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...ronics&n=507846

 

This will give you the best security -- no worries of Microsoft Messanger messages, other open ports, etc, etc. Basicaly, all internet traffic will be unable to hit your machine.

 

AVG Antivirus is good as well. If you watch what you install, you don't really need to worry about installing spyware removal software. I usually download and install Adaware once every 3-6 months, and never find anything...

 

Mozilla is more stable than Firefox, so I use that. Firefox is the bleeding edge - usually faster, more features, etc, but more prone to crashing. Either is good. Opera (another free browser) gets good reviews as well - I've never tried it though.

 

Hope this helps.

 

CW

 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...