Fresh Install - Protection Program Confusion

Hi,

I've just reformatted after a virus I didn't want to spend a week fixing and I've followed the steps here to get a firewall, anti-virus and other programs but now I am totally confused what I leave running all the time and what I just run sometimes.

I have Zonealarm (free) and Avast (free) but that's what let the virus in to begin with (windows security center - wouldn't even let me get the info you need before rebooting the pc)

Now I also have, ad-aware 10 (free but its on pro trial at the moment) spybot S&D and spywareblaster. Spybot SD resident is running.

This is where I am confused. I can't run 2 anti-virus at the same time, ad-aware has processes running everywhere and starts itself (which Im sure will make avast angry) Spybots has tea-timer running. Im not sure if they all run anything else but surely it will make start-up times gradually more unbareable.

How do I make things run just some of the time? I tried to follow the instructions for ad-aware but they are old and I don't even see the options given there to tick etc Should I just run ad-aware as the anti-virus and ditch avast all together or are they different types of protection?

Confused

OS: XP Pro

I have Zonealarm (free) and Avast (free) but that's what let the virus in to begin with

You can always use another free A/virus program if you wish to, and combine it with any other F/wall program (XP built-in is not great, but better than nothing). I find that avast! has dropped just a bit lately and now I only use Microsoft MSE free A/virus (others will offer other advice also)
Spywareblaster is always a good idea, and do not use the "Active Pro Trial Version" of Ad-aware, since this is an active scanner.
Spybot S&D can be used as an "Inactive scanner" (do not use TeaTimer function) -
Malwarebytes Pro version is very good as it will stop many infections from executing, or the free version is a good cleanup tool.

Again, personally, I feel that Ad-aware is getting a bit dated and limited, and that most others are better now.

So; Pick any Antivirus that You prefer , Pick a F/wall that You prefer , Add a Malware scanner (Malwarebytes and SUPERAntiSpyware are my 2) , Add Spywareblaster and that is a decent list -

Regards -

Choosing a Firewall
Supplementing your Anti-Virus Program with Anti-Malware Tools


FYI: mvps.org is no longer recommending Spybot S&D or Ad-Aware due to poor testing results. See here - (scroll down and read under Freeware Antispyware Products). Further, most people don't understand how to use Spybot's TeaTimer and that feature can cause more problems than it's worth. TeaTimer monitors changes to certain critical keys in Windows registry but does not indicate if the change is normal or a modification made by a malware infection. The user must have an understanding of the registry and how TeaTimer works in order to make informed decisions to allow or deny the detected changes. If you don't have understanding how a particular security tool works, then you probably should not be using it. Additionally, TeaTimer may conflict with other security tools which do a much better job of protecting your computer and in some cases it will even prevent disinfection of malware by those tools.

As for Ad-Aware.

Ad-Aware...have gone into a downhill spiral over the past five years and recently sold the company to Solaria... Majorgeeks stopped listing Ad-Aware as a “pick” some years ago as we watched the quality of the company slip over the years...it can’t stand up to the new generation of anti-spyware applications...

What does the future hold for Ad-Aware?

More effective alternatives are Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and SUPERAntiSpyware Free.

Hi,
Thanks for the replies!

I did do some hunting around and more reading so I ended up removing ad-aware for the reasons stated above and it also stuffed so many things in the computer I got more lost because so many things seemed to be running at once.

Now I have ZA, Avast, SuperAntiSpyware & Spybots S&D. I was reconsidering S&D because of tea timer, it wouldn't let me shut down and it is confusing. I don't run SAS all the time though because I'm not sure if I should lol.

So if I drop SSD, would I "run" ZA, Avast and SuperAntiSpyware all at once? That's my main area of confusion, I don't want things fighting with each other lol. I do have the free version of Malwarebytes I didn't install yet, since Im still making a mess, but then I'd still have the same question, would that be a sometimes program or an all the time one?

I thought if I added a 3rd layer then it has to be better than 2, I also think I got infected through IE which I just don't use now, I prefer firefox anyway.

Thanks for the information, more reading for me.

So if I drop SSD, would I "run" ZA, Avast and SuperAntiSpyware all at once? That's my main area of confusion,

SUPERAntiSpyware Free does not provide real-time protection or scheduled scanning so there is no need for it to run at startup. A purchased upgrade to the "Professional" version is required before those options can be activated. SUPERAntiSpyware Pro offers a 15-day fully functional free trial where you can try all features unrestricted. See SUPERAntiSpyware Free vs Pro Comparison Features. If you're not going to purchase the Pro version, then I recommend to disable SUPERAntiSpyware Free's startup and use the program as a separate stand-alone on-demand scanner.

I do have the free version of Malwarebytes I didn't install yet, since Im still making a mess, but then I'd still have the same question, would that be a sometimes program or an all the time one?

Same thing with Malwarebytes. There is no need to run the free version at startup. The real-time protection features are only available if you purchase the Pro version. If you're not going to purchase the Pro version, then it too is better used as a separate stand-alone on-demand scanner.

I would personally drop ZoneAlarm Free and replace it with something better like PrivateFirewall. ZoneAlarm got into some trouble a while back on using fake virus alerts to get people to buy the pro version.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZoneAlarm#Scareware_virus_alert_popup

Also drop ad-aware. They were bought out by a scam group that is known for selling free versions of software under a support plan including Ad-Aware Free Edition and AVG Free Editon. Recommend purchasing Malwarebytes' pro(lifetime license) for $24.99 which will complete your protection. Spybot is no good anymore and not kept up to date as often as others and quite buggy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavasoft#Controversies

Hi!

Thanks again, I wasn't aware of any of that. What a shame, both well-known names that the average user (like me) simply trusts and goes back to. I will take a look at PrivateFirewall, and I was pretty sold on malwarebytes pro but the license was confusing me, you just cleared that up (thought it was subscription)

I've kept SuperAntiSpyware as a stand alone (and still have avast for now) I don't really use IE anymore either, seems to be everytime we do, something happens eventually despite following all the security guides in protecting it lol.

More reading! Computer runs nicely now, sometimes wiping out a year of junk can be refreshing!

Pick any Antivirus that You prefer , Pick a F/wall that You prefer , Add a Malware scanner (Malwarebytes and SUPERAntiSpyware are my 2) , Add Spywareblaster and that is a decent list -

Why is this necessary? Why can't one program scan for viruses and malware?

cheezfri

These two topics will answer your questions.

Choosing an Anti-Virus Program
Supplementing your Anti-Virus Program with Anti-Malware Tools