The need for a second Malware scanner

I've tried to install a couple of these firewalls, with no luck. Comodo, the best that I can remember, had a free full AV / Firewall Suite. The firewall is one piece of software that I have zero experience with, which is probably why I had so much trouble. I know that there many free & paid firewalls, but I've depended on the Windows one for all these years. The only setting that I changed was in XP, where you have the option of "Don't allow exceptions". Being that I solely used public networks at the time, I always made sure that the box was checked.

Too, on various forums over the years, including this one, users have had problems with aftermarket firewalls. My problem is which one to choose, as well as learning to install and configuring it.

I'll do some researching about it. I may have been misinformed, but I was told that unless you have a business, or keep a lot of valuable data on your computer, that the Windows firewall is more than adequate for most home users. And now that I'm wired instead of wireless, I'm as secure as I've ever been. This is my first wired install. I went in that direction for security.

Cat

Funny that this BSOD should come into this thread. It is something that worries me big time on W7 and I see pages and pages of these threads on another forum. Since I have been running Vista and now Win7 I have not had one, excepting for the one I forced the other day when testing suspect hardware. In fact besides that one I cannot recall when last I had one. Now it is said that Kaspersky is a source of the BSOD and as stated here Daemon Tools. I am running both without any issues at all

As long as you're having no issues, run whatever you wish. What may run well for one, may make another system crash.

But as the creator of this thread, I was giving advice based on personal experience about the need of a backup malware scanner. I don't believe it was turned into a BSOD issue. It is my hope that my original post has been helpful to some, if only a few.

Cat

Cat I am not saying it was turned into a BSOD issue I just found it interesting to hear that some of these may be an issue with BSOD. I am actually glad it did come up and was mentioned as it is always better to be forewarned of this pesky BSOD

The Comodo AV - Firewall Suite gives you the option to just install the AV, the firewall or both. It's free.

Learning how to configure firewalls was one of the first things I taught myself about 10 years ago.

Comodo's firewall after first install goes into a "Learning Mode" where the user must answer some questions, sometimes a lot af first, but then it settles in and works pretty darn well.

I used to use ZoneAlarm's free firewall, but it got to be too much of a piece of bloatware and hassle to use. I have used Comodo's free firewall in the past and like I said the first week of use there is a lot of popups to answer. After that it's stays rather quiet in the background.

I've been using G DATA Internet Security since the 1st of May and really like it. Does a great job too.

Yep, that was my experience with Zone alarm too, it got too big and bloated and interfeared with Nero, then I moved to Comodo and still use it today. I do the selective install for just the Firewall.

Personally, I've stopped paying for protection (condoms excepted) and I use AVG free first and Microsoft Security Essentials second for gaming builds which need all the resources they can get, although AVG is relatively nimble. On systems which have frequent internet access I supplement the chosen antimalware app with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware as on demand weekly scanner. Otherwise I use just one app. As for the firewall, I use Windows' offering. I don't need another fat application changing hundreds of registry settings when the built in firewall + the one in your router if you have Ethernet is sufficient.

The firewall is only one part of security anyway. You need to consider your browser, router settings, installed apps (and stop installing new programs, you most likely don't need it) and possibly DNS settings along with traditional applications. You should also check how much info your browser is giving up as a "fingerprint" here: https://panopticlick.eff.org/.

Probably missed something too . . .

Your link doesn't work either as a hotlink or as a web address.

It does. Fixed:


https://panopticlick.eff.org/

Very interesting information. My browser fingerprint was fairly unique, but there's always room for improvement. You can improve your fingerprint, but if you mess with your browser security settings too much, it won't work properly. I once had my security & privacy settings jacked up to the max in IE7, and could do nothing.

Other than checking to see what other Firefox add ons can help me (I have No Script), I'm fooling with nothing. I'm behind a firewall, have excellent AV & malware protection with MSE + Malwarebytes + SAS, and run CCleaner every night to get rid of any thing that may be laying around. And I do a full scan every day that I use my computer with MSE or Malwarebytes.

Besides that, I use PayPal for many of my internet purchases, when there's the option, so my financial information isn't exposed on every purchase. Plus I went from a wireless to a wired install, that alone improved my security. At one time, up until very recently, I was at the point of paranoia with security issues. But I've learned to relax a little and not allow fear to keep me from enjoy using my computer. Sure, use common since, but a good thing can be overdone.

Cat