Hey All,

I had Avast at 1 time and ran that with Adware and SpyHunter. I have windstream as my IP and they were offereing McAfee Security Center program so I thought it would be great bundled up and not as much hassle( YEAH RIGHT! LOL). I havent been all that happy with McAfee due it blocking emails that are legit, and when it does I have no way of letting them through at that point. I've messed several business and personal emails due to this.

But if I was to delete it and go ala carte, what would be the best thing one's to get for maximum protection? I still run Adware, but here lately I havent been able to get it to update. It says it cant connect so im 74 days out of date as of this writing. When suggesting security programs Im also interested in some kind if site protection for my kids eyes. This 1 in McAfee does it sometimes and sometimes not. And then it blanks out some pics that I know are fine.

So if you were me, what would you install and use?

Hi SONICMAN2, to Bleeping Computer



I would recommend K9 Web Protection from BlueCoat (FREE)




If you are looking for free protection:

AntiVirus:

• AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic

Firewall:

• COMODO Firewall Pro

AntiSpyware:

• Keep Ad-Aware
• Spybot - Search & Destroy
• SpywareBlaster
• SpywareGuard

Also, if you need help with Ad-Aware, you can visit the Lavasoft Support Forum, or ask me; I am a Moderator for Lavaosft.
(*NOTE: I am not a mod for Bleeping Computer, just a HJT Trainee).

Thx SS. I went to the Lavasoft FAQ page and found something that was describing what was happening to it:

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I cannot perform a web update of the Definition File after upgrading Ad-Aware SE; there is an error in retrieving the update.
This problem may be caused by one of the following factors:

The Definition File on your system might be corrupt. To check, locate the directory "C:\program files\lavasoft\Ad-Aware SE\ folder." Delete the files "defs.ref" and "def.ref.old." Try to update again.
If the update stops after only five percent is processed, your firewall is most likely preventing the update. To correct this, disable the firewall for the duration of the update or configure the firewall to allow requests from Ad-Aware SE to pass through.
Web update confirmation dialogs are suppressed. To correct this:
Open Ad-Aware SE.
Click the "Ad-Aware SE Configuration Window" icon.
Click "Tweak."
Click on "Web Update Settings" to expand it.
Deselect "Suppress Web Update confirmation dialogs."
You have inadvertently turned on the "Use HTTP Proxy" option. To correct this:
Open Ad-Aware SE.
Click on the "Integrated Web Update Tool" icon.
Click on "Configure."
Deselect the "Use HTTP Proxy" option.
Try updating the Definition File again.
If none of the above is preventing the update, we recommend that you try performing a manual update. To do this:
Close Ad-Aware SE.
Download the latest Definition File in ZIP format here http://download.lavasoft.com/public/defs.zip and save the file to a temporary location.
Unzip the contents of the file either with a ZIP utility or with the built-in support in Windows to the Ad-Aware SE installation directory, which usually is "C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware SE\".
Open Ad-Aware SE.
Confirm that the latest Definition File is installed by checking the "Initialization Status" in the main program window.

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I tried the 1st suggestions, but still no go. It says a firewall is blocking it but I've turned everything off and still only goes 5%(farther than it was going). So I downloaded it manually and that works and IM running a UP TO DATE scan as I type! LOL And a quick question...how many process modules is too high? Its showing 2800+(dont seem to remember it being that high before).

Under the spyware you have listed you suggest running all those?

Yes, and here is why:

Ad-Aware --> Scanner
Spybot - Search & Destroy --> Scanner/Real-time protection against spyware
SpywareBlaster --> Runs in the background, protects from spyware downloads
SpywareGuard --> Runs in background protects against spyware and changes caused by spyware

Each one offers different degrees of protection.


Also, with the problem you are having with Ad-Aware, if you would like, you can register on the Lavasoft Support Forum, and we can help you there.

Here is another program you can add if you want:

Comodo BOClean Anti-Malware

This free program runs in the background and blocks trojans.

OK, while we're redoing all my protection, is there anything for all this spam I get in my email that wont block my good stuff? McAfee was doing a good job, but once I found a email that was blocked that wasnt supposed to my only recourse was to manual enter the email address in the program to not block it in the future PLUS I couldn't get the email that was blocked in the 1st place! grrrrr

SS,

With all that running in the background how does that effect the operation of the desktop while running games and such?

I see the Kids protection, the spyware/malware protection & removal, antivirus, and firewall. With McAfee gone now, I dont have any spam protection for email(Outlook Express). Do you have a suggestion for that. After that I should be set I believe.

I use Thunderbird as my Pop E-mail client of choice. It has a hueristic feature that allows you to "teach it" what are legitimate and illegitimate E-mails, and I find it to be more secure than OE. But the best place to block spam is at the server; if your E-mail provider allows you to set up your own filtres, take advantage of it.
Regards,
John

I will look into that JG. I used to have Earthlink as my ISP and they did block spam on the server. But Windstream offered DSL 1st in my area so I jumped ship and they havent caught up I guess to do that. So I have to do it local.

Thx for the info!

Got Thunderbird up and running. Going to have to get used to the new interface. Otherwise it seems to be working on blocking stuff so far.

Thx again John!

Options/Privacy/Junk will get you to the hueristic: "enable junk filter logging" should be checked.
Cheers,
John

Cool..got it John.

Works great. 1st time I havent used Outlook. You wonder why others dont do that. Or even at the ISP level why they all dont put some kind of spam filter on there like Earthlink does.

Have a great day!

I think it a good policy NOT to have your primary E-mail address from your ISP. That way you can change ISPs without the hassle of changing E-mail addresses and notifying everyone.
Despite some shortcomings, GMail is a viable alternative with lots of storage and support for POP (Google loves the folks at Mozilla, so they support Tb and Ff). And, of course, it is free.
Cheers,
John

Now thats a great idea. I never thought about it like that.

Thx for the advice!