hey,
so my father has bought himself a laptop and wants to go online. what cheap decent firewall software for windows is there out there? nice if it doesn't hog all the system resources like i've seen the norton package do.
being a complete novice he'll click all the wrong banners, what are the best anti virus and anti spyware software? same here, would like some resources left for the user. one piece of software or seperate?
can you trust the firewall built in in xp sp2?
thanks, kent.

Zone Alarm free is excellent.

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/c ... wnload.jsp

For antivirus...Clamwin all the way.

http://www.clamwin.com/content/view/18/46/


HTH

A wholehearted recommendation for Tiny Personal Firewall - get it at oldversion.com. I used to use ZoneAlarm, but Tiny lives up to its name, and it's more powerful than ZA in that you can set more precise rules as to what gets blocked.

I can't comment on antivirus. I don't run one. They're all too resource-hungry for me.

I like AVG for AV, the Windows firewall is probably sufficient, though as you say, a persistent noob will defeat any security. My dad included

I hate remote troubleshooting over VNC when he is stuck on dialup

If your dad is one of the types that clicks on all the pop-ups and ads, then you should install firefox with the Adblock and Flash Block extensions ans show him how to use it.
No flash/pop-up ads = no spyware!
I personally use AVG Free antivirus and Ashampoo Firewall (free) and Ashampoo Antispyware
I woudl recomend AVG, but not Ashampoo firewall or Ashampoo antispyware.
The reason is that Ashampoo Firewall is too simple for my use and Ashampoo antispyware just plain stopped working. Granted the later just means that my install of windows is buggered.
AVG also do a bundle with a firewall as well.

Another vote for ZoneAlarm. I've been using it for years with no issues. The Windows built-in firewall is better than nothing, but I like the messages ZoneAlarm gives when it detects an issue.

For free AV, I recommend Avast!. I tried AVG a while back and didn't like the interface, but the newer versions are probably better. I've been pleased with Avast! though for the past two years.

For firewall - ZoneAlarm Free or Sygate Personal Firewall (some older versions, before they have bought by Symantec). The latest [Sygate] is very lightweight, but efficient. I'm using ZA though, because Sygate doesn't like Fast User Switching.

Windows internal firewall doesn't control outbound traffic - this is main its weakness.

For antivirus I'd recommend AVG Free.

I'm running ZoneAlarm and AVG free versions. I used to have ZoneAlarm Pro and Norton AV, and am just as happy with the free programs. I tried Avast, but it seemed to slow down my startup while it checked for updates. AVG at least shows what it's doing during updates, and closes much more quickly when there are no updates to download.

I would also check nod32 antivirus if you are looking for a light on resources antivirus while still efficient. Trial is 30 days free and you can reinstall it again.

Hello,

I have had good luck with Kerio firewall from Sunbelt Software. It has a very convenient "no pop up" mode.

For AV, I have been using NOD32 -- it is quite good, indeed.

For both AV and AV in one package, I have been trying out Kaspersky Internet Security -- it works well, but has one "new network" approval dialog after every startup, that I can't figure how to avoid yet. It costs a fair bit ($70, I think?), and I probably will register it, because it is easier to keep track of one program rather than two -- it is for someone else's machine.

Yes.

And the inverse of this question (which sadly people do not seem to ask) is can you trust the software firewall companies? And the answer: hell no. Having worked for a networking company, their code generally sucks, and it ranks among some of the worst engineered, most intrusive, most restrictive software ever. They are selling people a product based largely on an invented fear, and this is clearly a remarkably profitable scheme.

I think it is far more pragmatic to use the built-in firewall, patch your OS regularly, and read up on browsing safe.

thanks for all your input guys, you have narrowed down the search for me considerably.

teaching safe web browsing and email use is of the gravest (sp? importance, i agree!