BleepingComputer.com: Security Suites

I have a 78 year old neighbor who just got his first computer & asked me to help him get started. To avoid going over every other day to "clean" out infections can anyone recommend a good "set & forget" security setup. I know you all are proponents of freeware & I too use all freeware w/ exception of Spy Sweeper, but my neighbor needs something completely uncomplicated.

If he is running Windows XP service pack to you can use the inbuilt firewall as regards to a anti-virus and anti-spyware there are a few tools to have a look at which are simple but yet effective.

For anti-virus have a look at A.V.G the free version which can be found at http://free.grisoft.com/
For anti-spyware there is a few, Microsoft has one called Windows Defender which can be found here http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/s...re/default.mspx

There is also Spybot Search and Destroy which can be found at http://www.safer-networking.org/ however I did have problems connecting to their server just a minute ago so i think they are doing some work on it but its a good program

The problem with the Windows firewall is that it only moniters inbound traffic. "That means if malware has compromised your PC, it is able to SEND OUT your credit card data, and all other personal info." (from Sunbelt)

If you want suggestions for free security applications, take a look at this:
Freeware Replacements For Common Commercial Apps
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic3616.html

If your neighbor wants to purchase a security product, either a suite or seperate AV and firewall,
have him first go the products website. See if a trial is offered, if so download, install, and take it for a test run. There is no one size fits all when it comes to computer security programs. What works for me may not work for others. The trial offers a chance to see if the program plays nice with your system, and if it is user friendly. If after installation the computer slows to a crawl, uninstall and find something else.

On another note, maybe your neighbor can find a class to take that would teach him the basics of using a computer. Community colleges and senior citizens programs may offer the classes.
Check around your area to see what is available.

Thanks for your input, Cyclops2k5 & Queen=Evie. I may let him experiment with McAfee's Security suite. Set it to default and see what happens. I'm setting him up w/ Firefox w/ Adblock & NoScript & stern warnings about "questionable" sites and hope for the best.

After you set him up with McAfee, check back with him to make sure it isn't affecting his computer's performance.

Is that a known drawback of McAfee? I have heard Norton is a resource hog, that's why I went with McAfee? I personally have never used any of the security suites, but for my neighbor, let's just say the fewer decisions he has to make the better. Patience is NOT his strongest attribute.

You may want to think twice about Security suites - they are resource hogs and "users" get impatient and quickly learn they can turn the suites off not understanding about firewalls protecting them. If you had a free firewall installed using minimum resources and a decent A/V and A/S you may save yourself more trips to the neighbor's to remove malware. If the neighbor wouldn't be offended there are alot of learning resources out there geared toward kids which could help the neighbor's learning curve about safely using computers.

SLTtrucker, on Feb 26 2008, 10:02 AM, said:

SLTtrucker, Some people use McAfee and never have a problem with it, just as others don't have problems with Norton, Trend Micro, or other suites. The other side of the coin is that all of these can and do cause issues for others. Panda slowed my system down to a crawl. So did McAfee antivirus, which messed things up so much I had to do a reinstall of Windows just to get rid of McAfee.
When I used Norton, my computer ran fine. The key is to find something that plays nice with your system, which is why I recommended using a trial of a product. As Tork mentioned, suites tend to hog resources so take that into consideration.
One thing to check out is your friends ISP may provide a security suite free to its customers.
He can install and try it out.

Something else to think about: you can use a security program and your computer works just fine with it. Then one day things start to go wrong-you scratch your head, call the computer every name you can think of, threaten to throw it out the window. Nothing you do solve the issues. A possibility that a lot of people don't think of is an update to the security program. Sometimes updates can cause problems. Then you decide to uninstall the program and go with something else. And think gee I wasted my money paying for that program, it hasn't expired, and I can't use it. At least with a free program, you've not shelled out money for it.

I heartily agree agree with you Queen-Evie. Thanks everyone for your input. If my neighbor finds McAfee too irksome, I'll let him use the Windows firewall, free AVG & Super Anti-Spyware. For the limited time he'll be online at any one time that may be sufficient. Initially, it looks like I'll be there quite a bit anyway. He seems to feel I'm his resource center.

Everyone needs a resource center. You're a good neighbor to help him out. Remember, you were new to computers once and needed help. Let us know how he does.