Hi folks
Hopefully I will be online at home soon but the PC does not yet have any anti virus software.
As I will only be using it for Scoobynet and Ebay, and my Emails will be a hotmail account, is there a risk of getting a virus?

If so what is the best(cheapish) solution.

cheers
Mark

 

Thanks Jason

It is only a 266 PII. It will not cause any problems on this slow old PC?

Cheers

 

If you are using Hotmail I can guarantee you'll get a virus. Soon.

AVG is OK, Avast! is supposed to be better, and also free. And pick up a copy of ZoneAlarm too - also free. With the Blaster worm still on the loose you need a firewall, at least long enough to patch Windows.


M

 

I would go with Avast, as I've certainly had more success with that than AVG. Zonealarm is good, but it is a big clunky program. Not a good idea on a PII 266. Try Sygate - much smaller and less harsh on resources. To be honest, most things are going to struggle to a certain extent on such a low spec machine. Don't expect miracles.

Hotmail does include full McAfee AV checking for all attachments. I've found this to be very effective. Follow the basic rules, use the junk mail filters and delete anything from people you don't know and don't open attachments unless you are sure about the contents.

Chris

 

Cheers guys

Ok, now sorry for being thick but what exactly is a firewall? I am always hearing about them but have no idea what it is or where it goes

Is it true that you can get a virus simply by connecting to the internet and not downloading anything?

 

OH YES !!!!!

 

Oh b*gger!!!

 

A firewall protects your network from unwanted Internet traffic. The primary functions of a firewall are to let good traffic pass through while ‘bad’ traffic gets blocked. The most important part of a firewall is its access control features that distinguish between good and bad traffic.

When installed, a firewall exists between your computer(s) and the Internet. The firewall lets you request web pages, download files, chat, etc. while making sure other people on the internet can not access services on your computer like file or print sharing. Some firewalls are pieces of software that run on your computer. Other firewalls are built into hardware and protect your whole network from attacks.

Everyone connected to the Internet should be running some sort of firewall. Programs can be downloaded on the Internet that can scan huge ranges of IP address for vulnerabilities like file sharing services. These programs are easy to download and run. Almost no network knowledge is needed to use these programs to exploit or harm your computer. Any kind of firewall will keep you safe from these types of attacks.

Software Firewall
Software firewalls are programs that run on your computer and nestle themselves between your network card software drivers and your operating system. They intercept attacks before your operating system can even acknowledge them. Many free firewalls of this type exist on the Internet. Here are some free firewalls

Simple NAT firewall
The firewalls that are built into broadband routers and software like Microsoft ICS are very simple firewalls. They protect your LAN by not letting anyone figure out how to ‘directly’ talk to any of the computers on your LAN. This level of protection will keep out almost all kinds of hackers. Advanced hackers may be able to take advantage of certain inadequacies of NAT based firewalls, but they are few and far between.

Firewalls with stateful packet inspection
The new trend in home networking firewalls is called stateful packet inspection. This is an advanced form of firewall that examines each and every packet of data as it travels through the firewall. The firewall scans for problems in the packet that might be a symptom of a ‘denial of service’ (dos) attack or advanced attacks.

Most people are never subject to these types of attacks, but there are some areas of the Internet that invite these kinds of attacks. Most often, these attacks come from being involved in certain kinds of competitive on-line gaming or participating in questionable mIrc channels.

 

Wow! thanks Lightning.

looks like I am going to have to fill my hardrive to the limit with loads of free stuff so I can surf in safety. That is if I can get it all set up and running before a trillion viruses download themselves on to my poor unsuspecting machine and vape everything

Aren't there laws against this sort of thing? Can't they tell where these viruses come from and go round and give the ******* a good kicking

 

A virus is a little cleverer than that - it is usually sent from you own mailbox, so all friends in your e-mail list get it from you.


Remember to go on a protected computer first and create a CD with all the latest virus definitions and firewall updates and windows patches before you even plug your modem into the computer.

 

Good idea that!

Just need to find said computer. The one at work doesn't even have a disk drive - tightwads