Suggestions for what to use on new computer?

Hello, we're getting our new computer next week (if it makes a difference it's a Dell Studio XPS 9100). Was wondering what suggestions people may have in order to hopefully avoid picking up anything harmful or that will slow our computer's performance. Suggestions for browser (I use Mozilla, wife uses Explorer), e-mail (we have Outlook Express), and anything else that may be helpful (any types of blockers, etc.). Thank you in advance.

Hi jberry5
Your new machine will probably come installed with Win 7…most do…
So no more Outlook Express, but there are alternatives.
Some thoughts for you:

1 Make sure physical access to your computer and its cabling and peripherals is restricted solely to authorised people who have been trained in safe computing. Remember if a bad (knowledgable person) can get access to your machine then protections can be defeated….

2 Use only one antivirus application (running resident in memory) and update it several times a day

3 Use a software firewall in addition to the hardware firewall that is included in most home routers.

4 choose passwords for your router and your computer accounts that are considered more secure…for example a mixture of lower and upper case letters numbers and don't forget to include $,>?&%!+# etc. in the mix…never ever use any word that has ever appeared in any dictionary in the world (in any language!) the moreallowable characters in the password the longer it will take to crack…. aim for at least 12, and do not use the same password for everything….. if the bad guys get that one then they get them all. Consider the advantages/disadvantages of using a secure password manager…change all your passwords regularly…a moving target is harder to hit….

5 Once your machine is up and running and before anyone has time to break it!, take a disc image, verify it, and keep at least one extra copy safe on removable media offsite, together with a bootable CD that will enable you to boot your computer and access say an external hard drive where your disc image is kept iso that in the event that one day your computer will not start ( wont even get into Windows) you can reimage and be up and running again in less time than it takes to walk the dog….. Make incremental disc images as appropriate or other arrangements to back up important stuff (things that you wouldn't want to lose) on a frequest basis.

6 Peer to Peer file sharing is very popular and does has legitimate uses, however a lot of folks are tempted to use it to download files in contravention of copyright and other rules, and to obtain for free those things that are more properly paid for and licensed.

The best advice is to stay away from it…as its a major vector for the distribution of malicious code..worms, viruses, trojan horses etc…files downloaded through this medium can be "spiked" by the bad guys with malicious code (difficult sometimes to detect) in the same way that some bad people may "spike" a drink in a nightclub, bar or disco….

Our virus and malware removal forum here on WTT has lots of other good authorative advice written by experts in their field, its well worth taking a look….
In the meantime here's some words of wisdom that they sometimes prescribe!
But above all…enjoy your new machine!
Regards
paws

Visit Microsoft's Windows Update Site Frequently
It is important that you visit http://www.windowsupdate.com regularly. This will ensure your computer has always the latest security updates available installed on your computer. If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.

Use and Update your AntiVirus Software
It is very important that your computer has an anti-virus software running on your machine. This alone can save you a lot of trouble with malware in the future. It is imperitive that you update your Antivirus software at least once a week (Even more if you wish). If you do not update your antivirus software then it will not be able to catch any of the new variants that may come out.

Use a Firewall
I can not stress how important it is that you use a Firewall on your computer. Without a firewall your computer is succeptible to being hacked and taken over. I am very serious about this. Simply using a Firewall in its default configuration can lower your risk greatly.

Use only one antivirus and one firewall on your machine
Having more than one anti-virus program and one firewall on your machine, even if only one is running, can cause conflicts and slowdowns in the performance of the machine.

If you need more information on free anti-virus or firewall options please let me know and I will give you some recommendations.

Make your Internet Explorer more secure
This can be done by following these simple instructions:
1. From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
2. Click once on the Security tab
3. Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
4. Click once on the Custom Level button.
5. Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
6. Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
7. Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
8. Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
9. Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
10. Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
11. When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
12. If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
13. Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

Keep your Java, Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Up to Date
Older versions of these programs can contain security vulnerabilities. It is very important to keep them updated.

Update and Run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Scan your computer with this program on a regular basis just as you would an antivirus software making sure you update definitions each time you scan.

To simplify making sure you have the latest version of many of your security programs and applications, you may want to consider:
Secunia's Personal Software Inspector (PSI).http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/ is a free utility that scans your computer for installed applications and checks to see if they have the latest security patches and updates. If it finds any applications with possible security issues, links and/or instructions are provided for the necessariy updates.

Filehippo's Update Checker. http://www.filehippo.com/updatechecker/ is free utilitiy that scans your computer for installed software, checks the versions and then sends this information to see if there are any newer releases. Available software updates are displayed and you can decide which ones to download and install. Among many other types of programs, they includes a number of the Anti-Spyware, Firewall/Security and Anti-Virus programs that have been recommended (though not all of them). Note: Definition files should be updated from within the programs themselves. The Update Checker look for newer versions of the software program, not definition files.
would suggest you read:
Tony Klein's excellent article: http://forums.whatthetech.com/So_how_did_I…ace_t57817.html
PC Safety and Security–http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f112/pc-safety-and-security-what-do-i-need-525915.html
How to Prevent Malware http://users.telenet.be/bluepatchy/miekiem…prevention.html

Thank you for the advice. This will be our computer here at home with mainly just my wife and I using it. Here are some of the specs for the new computer: PROCESSORS: Intel® Core™i7-930 processor(8MB L2 Cache, 2.80GHz) OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, Englishedit MEMORY: 9GB Tri Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 6 DIMMs HARD DRIVE: 1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache OPTICAL DRIVE: Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability VIDEO CARD: AMD Radeon™ HD 6450 1GB DDR3 SOUND CARD: THX® TruStudio PC™ USB 3.0: Standard USB 2.0 + 10/100/1000 Ethernet SECURITY SOFTWARE: McAfee SecurityCenter TRUSTED ID: Trusted ID,IDSafe, 12 Month Subscription, Digital Delivery Some of the things we have on our computer right now are: WinPatrol (free version) Norton AntiVirus Outpost Firewall Cisco Linksys E2500 (I believe with hardware firewall) wife uses Explorer, I use Mozilla Are there other things like WinPatrol we should be using? Thoughts on internet browsers, I've heard many are going with Google Chrome now? Also, any suggestions on e-mail programs? I was figuring on Outlook Express, didn't realize that's no longer a possibility. You mention taking a disc image, could you explain how that is done? We definitely avoid P2P stuff like the plague, learned that the hard way and the reason I originally registered on this website.

Hi, That sounds like a mighty powerful machine you have there….and I can understand you wanting to keep it working correctly.

A really important thing is the operator…… and how he/she uses the computer……no amount of software (or hardware) will protect you if the operators fail to use the computer in a safe way…….the trouble is it can be a bit time consuming researching and implementing safe operating procedures, and consequently a lot of folks don't bother, and just buy a few protection products and hope that will keep everything hunky dory!

Win Patrol is good and your other products should go a long way in protecting you….. IE9 is now considered more secure than a lot of other browsers by a lot of folks but as always its your call.

A couple of points need checking:

1 Make sure that your Norton does not include a software firewall…..its not a good idea to run two software firewalls at the same time
Norton and Comodo) if you find that Norton does include a firewall IE you have a Norton/Symantec Internet Protection Suite that includes a firewall, not just an antivirus, then I would be inclined to leave it running but uninstall the Comodo firewall.

2 You mention McAfee…. if you have McAfee running a resident in memory antivirus product then there is a good chance that it will have potential conflicts with Norton Antivirus……. The rule is have only one antivirus product running resident in memory…..

The replacement for Outlook Express is subject to personal choice….. some folks are moving away from a specific email client and using web based email….. there are advantages and disadvantages, so its as well to research your prefered options to check that there are no unseen snags and that you are using exactly what you want.

If you like the Outlook Express type of Email client then you could consider Microsoft Office Outlook (part of the Microsoft Office suite) or for a free alternative, Windows Live Mail (this may be already installed in your computer) Thunderbird is also good and has somewhat similar features to Outlook Express. If you need email whilst you are researching/deciding on a potential email client, then I would recommend that you start by using Webmail as this will only need your user name and password with no actual setting up required as would be the case with an email client.

Good to hear that you are staying clear of P2P that's a wise move…..

Here's my notes on disc imaging…. but don't forget that Win 7 has native support for disc imaging….. but you will need removable media to keep your disc image safe …..an external USB type hard drive to save your image to is ideal…keep an extra veryified and reproducible copy offsite together with a bootable disc that will allow you to access it should (heavens forbid) that sometime in the future your computer wont start Windows, because its damaged……

,
making a disc image, together with a bootable CD, verifying their integrity and keeping the image safe on removable media is a wise and prudent strategy.
Windows, for example, now includes disc imaging in its latest versions as part of the operating system.

As to which is the best free disc imaging software……its a matter of personal preference, but if you have a look here:
http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/backupandimage.shtml
you should be able to obtain a good overview of some of the products and links are also provided to disc management utilities (to set up merge resize partitions etc.. )

Other products by Acronis, Paragon, etc are sometimes provided free in CD/DVD's given away with computer magazines from time to time.

Its always best to take your first full disc image when you know that your machine is running fast and sweet, with all appropriate Windows updates installed, with no virus or malicious elements present, with junk files deleted, all unneccessary or unwanted applications removed, fully defragged and with updated anti virus, firewall and anti spyware protections in place. Remember , if you make a disc image of an "infected or badly running system and then use it to reimage your hard drive you are just making things tough for yourself as the problems will just be propogated….

However, subject to the above paragraph if, at the moment, you do not have a disc image kept safe on removable media, then I recommend you make one immediately…….In the event that you hit serious trouble that cannot be resolved in a timely or cost effective way by the usual means, then you will be able to reimage and have your machine up and running in less time than it takes to walk the dog!
Regards
paws

Yeah, we don't purchase computers very often so I probably went a bit overboard with this. Sorry for my ignorance, but other than Norton, what software firewall would we have? I think the McAfee is just a trial version, which I'll probably just remove once I get Norton on there. Thank you for the names of some of those e-mail products, we'll just go with our provider's webmail for a bit and look into some of those you mentioned. Also, thank you for the disk image instructions.

Hi jberry5

but other than Norton, what software firewall would we have

You have hit the nail on the head…. you should only have one software firewall if you have a Norton firewall as part of your package then you should uninstall Comodo firewall.

I think the McAfee is just a trial version, which I'll probably just remove once I get Norton on there

NO…… if you are intending to install Norton then you should uninstall McAfee BEFORE installing Norton, (as mewntioned you don't want two antivirus products running resident in memory at the same time as there is a strong likelihood they will conflict )

Don't forget the reboot after the uninstall….. and if I was you I would also run the McAfee uninstall tool and then reboot to make sure that any traces of McAfee are uninstalled before putting on Norton….. Here's a link to the McAfee uninstall tool
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507

and lastly don't worry about the questions…if you are not sure of the correct procedure its always best to get some answers.
There are many folks on the forum here who are more than ready to help you
Regards
paws

Is that Comodo firewall going to appear when I go to add/remove programs or is it under some other name? Thanks again for all your help.

Hi, sorry I said Comodo…I meant Outpost firewall, and Yes if you have it installed then you should be able to uninstall it via the control panel Regards paws