This is an area where many have differing views on what is good and what is
not. I firmly believe a user who is short on funds can compile a great
security solution by using different free products. It is just important for
the user to understand what is needed when selecting those products. I use
Panda which is a far superior paid solution and a far better one than Norton.
I do not have a great deal of information of McAfee, only that when it came
bundled on my new system (I requested no security suite to come on it, to no
avail) I met with great difficulty in completely removing it from my system.
It is important for users of any security solution to understand that a few
portions of these security software programs are not truly removable via the
Add/Remove applet in the Windows OS Control Panel. Firewalls and Anti-virus
software must be removed with special removal tools available at the venders
website. These huge security venders fail to inform their customers of this
vital fact of this type of software. I am appalled at how both Noton and
McAfee provide removal instructions outlining the use of Add/Remove applet,
when they fully know that special tools are needed to do this. Every single
firewall and anti-virus program has to embed deeply into the OS to carry out
the securtiy of the computer. Due to this they are not removable in normal
manner. Each vender has its own special removal tool for its own product.
Norton and McAfee both do not make it easy to locate these tools either, due
to the desire to keep customers dependant upon their products. I know many
consumers are beginning to believe that both these venders use under handed
practices to keep customers and even believe they use viruses to keep
customers.
I don't believe this myself, but do believe it is important for all these
venders to make it clear the normal method of removing software programs does
not work for these particular programs, that special vender specific tools
are required. I had to go to McAfee twice to fully remove the McAfee Internet
Security Suite 2007 off my system. I used the special tool, yet the firewall
was installed in my super hidden files and settings were created for it to
avoid detection. My Panda Security Suite, which I installed after I thought I
had fully removed the McAfee solution was having continuous problems and
finally the Panda tech support directed me to a Registry Key which showed the
firewall still on my system. So, a second trip to McAfee's tech department,
this time via the chat line, finally got me the proper tool for a full
removal of their product. I was upset to say the least. The tech told me they
have two tools, one for a removal intended for a re-install of the product
and the other for a full removal. What a headache that causes. Especially
when the main website under "product removal" states to use the Add/Remove
applet and nowhere is there easy to find information on the neccesity of
using these special tools.
So, when you choose a Security solution, even if it is a compilation of
several different free programs, just be aware if you decide to use something
else in the future you will need special tools to remove some of these
products, namely the firewalls and the anti-virus solutions. Make sure you go
to each venders website and request the tool.
This is a major reason I use one solution and one only. I have found that
Panda is by and far the superior product. It updates it signitures daily, not
weekly or monthly like McAfee and Norton. Your Antil-virus solution is only
as good as its virus signiture file and how often it is updated. New viruses
and spyware and other malware infestations are found every day. So, in order
to reliably protect against these new daily threats it is important the
solution used gets those signitures daily. Panda also is a one shop do it all
program. It has every thing possibly needed to fully protect a system, a
firewall which monitors both incoming and outgoing connections, is WPA and
WPA2 encryption compatable (it wasn't a while back, but i love this so much I
just removed the firewall and used the rest of the program while using my
routers firewall and windows firewall), it integrates into Outlook and
Outlook express, into all Instant Messenger programs, monitors my system
continually in the background for all malware, and has a holistic system
which can isolate unknown threats and keep my system protected before a
virus, spyware or other malware signiture is avialable (Panda caught two
trojans, three worms, and one keylogger before there was a signiture). It
monitors WiFi networks and notifies of intrusion attempts and allows for
tracking and blocing of threats. It rids my system of spyware related cookies
and gets rid of them daily, each time I turn on my computer and while using
the computer it gets them out on a regular basis. It is highly configurable
and I just love it. Panda currently is now selling its product to cover
three licenses, which is huge as I had to buy one for each of my home
computers before at 79.99 each. Now, many home networks have at least two
desktops and one laptop at a minimum. So, now one solution is spreading to
cover these situations. McAfee and Norton still requires users to purchase
one package per comptuer system.
Now, I am not telling you to buy Panda over any other product, as we all
must decide for ourselves what works best for our situation. I just wanted to
chime in about this product as I believe in it so firmly and honestly think
it is the best on the market today. It is used in corperations as well as
home and small office settings. It really is that strong and capable. I feel
completely protected with this on my systems.
However, it is possible to compile a great security solution using the free
products availabe today. Just be sure to use only one firewall and anti-virus
program at one time. You can use multiple programs for spam and spyware and
other issues, but it will create harm to try to use multiple firewalls or
anti-virus solutions. I also wanted you to know about the need of the special
tools in removing these programs from systems. Be sure you have fully removed
any other before installing a new product of the same sort.
The Microsoft website is a great place for educating oneself about this. Go
to the security section and browse around and read the documents outlining
what is needed. This will help you make a fully informed choice in what is
right for your particular situation. Good luck and have a great day,
Seree
p.s. Sorry this is long, I just wanted to ensure I fully outlined the
special removal needs of these programs and then as you asked for ideas
regarding solutions I chimed in on the one I think is best. You can go here
and check out the program for yourself:
http://www.pandasoftware.com