Vista - Enough Security?

Hello

As a general home user, using windows vista home premium i have Avast anti virus,
Windows defender, and the Malicious software removal tool.

I am always unsure as to weather this is enough security as you here people saying "you don't want that use this, this is better than that etc".

Its probably a matter of tast for some people, but these three security programs i have is this ok for now.

Thanks shawn, and thanks also for these tutorials

Hi carl, your choice is perfect. But real security begins with you. You need to be sure what are you downloading and what websites you visit. Avast will act as a layer of defense and Malicious software removal tool will remove virus once you are infected.

Thankyou so much dinesh, for your reply

LOL, now for the real answer..
Windows Defender is a no.
Windows Firewall is a no.
Avast is ok if you don't want to pay.

As for being sure what websites you visit, thats rubbish. How does a newbie who goes online for the first time "know" whats ok and whats not? Infact, your pc can become infected without even using it, FACT, switched on of course. So I don't see what difference it makes knowing what sites you are using. Remember at best antivirus software is only 50% accurate and reliable.

Personally if you wanted a secure system without paying, I would install Online Armor which is good a firewall with a strong HIPS. SandboxIE for browser safety. Possibly even a free Antivirus (Rising, A2, Avira, PandaCloud). If you really wanted to get smart with security, install Returnil.

Pick one from each catagory...

HIPS:
Online Armor
Comodo Defense+

AntiVirus:
Avira
Rising
A2
AVG
Avast
PandaCloud

Generally it's a good idea not to act like a know it all and cut down other members in your first few posts. The fact you care enough to offer good advice is a good thing, but I'm willing to argue that Windows Firewall and Windows Defender are sufficient for a normal user. As long as a user doesn't go downloading the entire internet and clicking every link sent to him, that eliminates a lot of threat there.

Malware doesn't just come in .exes you know I have seen recent malware infect IE8 through iframes. That would mean any legitimate site could infect people if it was exploited. Correct me if I am wrong here.

As for Windows Defender mate its a joke and a waste of resources.

Correct me if I am wrong but Windows Firewall is the only firewall to fail a leak test without passing a SINGLE test. 0 of ouf 28, thats bad !

So are you suggesting that not running the built in Defender and Firewall would be safer then running them? If not, then sure there are always going to be solutions that offer more security but how does one measure the likelyhood of having their computer attacked? You've already made it clear you're going to have a biased opinion of malware, as you work for an antimalware company. For someone who knows nothing about computers, the tools that come with windows is a good start, and can improve from there.

I wouldn't fool people into thinking their system is safe with Windows Firewall and Defender, mainly the latter. I would rather come out and tell them straight, these products are rubbish, and this is what you need...

Having a firewall that doesn't pass any leak test is a joke, its a Microsoft marketing con getting people to think their products are better than what they actually are. As you will know yourself, there are MANY better products than Firewall and Defender.

To going back to the original question... In MY opinion thats not good enough, even for a newbie user. Without going into boring technical details, get "Online Armor", "A-Squared Free", and "Sandboxie". You can read about how to use these yourself but that good enough for what you need. Hope that help

NOTE - Online Armor [ free or paid version] is not available for Vista 64-bit systems.

I think it is enough for a home user.
I am a net & downloader user and use Avast for many years, yeah i know it's not the best but it is really great for home users. I have Avast Pro + UAC ON , so no problem and viruses yet...