Which antivirus / security software for a home network?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steven Lyall
  • Start date Start date
S

Steven Lyall

I have 2 WinXP Pro machines connected by cable via a D-Link router which
also provides a wireless signal.

My first concern is that with teh router in place, I don't know if I really
need to have teh Windows Firewalls switched on?

My second concern is to find antivirus or other security software that
doesn't kill my network - I put Nortin AV on one machine and even when I
followed instructions on adding my network computers to the exceptions list,
I found that the other machine could no longer see the first (immediately
fixed by disabling Norton).

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steven
 
I have 2 WinXP Pro machines connected by cable via a D-Link router which
also provides a wireless signal.

My first concern is that with teh router in place, I don't know if I really
need to have teh Windows Firewalls switched on?

My second concern is to find antivirus or other security software that
doesn't kill my network - I put Nortin AV on one machine and even when I
followed instructions on adding my network computers to the exceptions list,
I found that the other machine could no longer see the first (immediately
fixed by disabling Norton).
Click to expand...

Steven,

my recommendations are:

* Leave the Windows firewall enabled.

* Don't install Norton AV, but you found that out already the
hard way.

* Install the free AVG from http://free.grisoft.com/ .

Hans-Georg
 
"Steven Lyall" said:
I have 2 WinXP Pro machines connected by cable via a D-Link router which
also provides a wireless signal.

My first concern is that with teh router in place, I don't know if I really
need to have teh Windows Firewalls switched on?

My second concern is to find antivirus or other security software that
doesn't kill my network - I put Nortin AV on one machine and even when I
followed instructions on adding my network computers to the exceptions list,
I found that the other machine could no longer see the first (immediately
fixed by disabling Norton).

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steven
Click to expand...

If you don't have a third-party firewall program (Norton, McAfee,
PC-cillin, ZoneAlarm, etc), turn on the Windows Firewall and enable
the exception for File and Printer Sharing (which the Network Setup
Wizard can do automatically). If one computer gets a network worm,
the Windows Firewall will prevent it from infecting the other
computer. The router doesn't give that protection.

It's can be hard to configure Norton's firewall (and their latest AV
program includes a firewall component) to allow File and Printer
Sharing, but it's possible.

I don't recommend any Norton products. In my opinion, they're large,
complex, and hard to troubleshoot if something goes wrong. There are
other products that I find easier to install and use, equally
effective, and less trouble-prone than Norton.

For antivirus, I recommend F-Prot for Windows, eTrust EZ-Antivirus,
and Avast.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
Many thanks - will look at these,

Steven

Steve Winograd said:
If you don't have a third-party firewall program (Norton, McAfee,
PC-cillin, ZoneAlarm, etc), turn on the Windows Firewall and enable
the exception for File and Printer Sharing (which the Network Setup
Wizard can do automatically). If one computer gets a network worm,
the Windows Firewall will prevent it from infecting the other
computer. The router doesn't give that protection.

It's can be hard to configure Norton's firewall (and their latest AV
program includes a firewall component) to allow File and Printer
Sharing, but it's possible.

I don't recommend any Norton products. In my opinion, they're large,
complex, and hard to troubleshoot if something goes wrong. There are
other products that I find easier to install and use, equally
effective, and less trouble-prone than Norton.

For antivirus, I recommend F-Prot for Windows, eTrust EZ-Antivirus,
and Avast.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Click to expand...
 
Hans-Georg Michna said:
Steven,

my recommendations are:

* Leave the Windows firewall enabled.

* Don't install Norton AV, but you found that out already the
hard way.

* Install the free AVG from http://free.grisoft.com/ .

Hans-Georg
Click to expand...

By the way, I am now running teh FREE AVG and it's superb - no impact to
Network.

Thanks again,

Steven
 
Steven Lyall said:
Many thanks - will look at these,
Click to expand...

I second the choice of F-Prot Antivirus. Not only is it relatively small,
unobtrusive, and efficient, but it is inexpensive when you consider the cost
covers up to 5 computers on a personal LAN.

However, I believe a software firewall is essential for any laptop that may be
taken off a personal LAN and connected elsewhere, and is a good idea for
monitoring outgoing traffic even on a LAN behind a router.

I have just switched from ZoneAlarm to Kerio firewall
(www.sunbelt-software.com/), based in part on a recommendation from Steve Gibson
(www.grc.com) in his "Security Now" podcast series. It has about half the
footprint of ZoneAlarm, and has some nifty anti-popup features as well. The
free download is a 30-day trial of the full version (only $14.95), and reverts
to the free-version functionality after 30 days. I'm only in my first week of
evaluating Kerio, but I believe I will be registering it soon. I have learned a
lot about the way some of my apps work, just by observing the various Kerio
messages during its "learning" phase.
 
"John R Weiss" said:
I second the choice of F-Prot Antivirus. Not only is it relatively small,
unobtrusive, and efficient, but it is inexpensive when you consider the cost
covers up to 5 computers on a personal LAN.

However, I believe a software firewall is essential for any laptop that may be
taken off a personal LAN and connected elsewhere, and is a good idea for
monitoring outgoing traffic even on a LAN behind a router.

I have just switched from ZoneAlarm to Kerio firewall
(www.sunbelt-software.com/), based in part on a recommendation from Steve Gibson
(www.grc.com) in his "Security Now" podcast series. It has about half the
footprint of ZoneAlarm, and has some nifty anti-popup features as well. The
free download is a 30-day trial of the full version (only $14.95), and reverts
to the free-version functionality after 30 days. I'm only in my first week of
evaluating Kerio, but I believe I will be registering it soon. I have learned a
lot about the way some of my apps work, just by observing the various Kerio
messages during its "learning" phase.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information, John. I'm interested to hear about Kerio,
especially since Sunbelt has taken it over.

I'm looking for a simple, small-footprint, reliable software firewall
to recommend to my consulting clients, particularly those who have
Windows 9x and 2000 (which don't have a built-in Windows firewall).
How suitable do you think Kerio is for non-techie people? Does it
take a lot of configuration?

I use F-Prot for Windows on my main computer and my wife's computer.
First of all, it's a great program. And at $29/year for a 5-computer
home license and $50/year for a 10-computer commercial license, it's a
great bargain.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
 
John R Weiss said:
I second the choice of F-Prot Antivirus. Not only is it relatively small,
unobtrusive, and efficient, but it is inexpensive when you consider the
cost covers up to 5 computers on a personal LAN.

However, I believe a software firewall is essential for any laptop that
may be taken off a personal LAN and connected elsewhere, and is a good
idea for monitoring outgoing traffic even on a LAN behind a router.

I have just switched from ZoneAlarm to Kerio firewall
(www.sunbelt-software.com/), based in part on a recommendation from Steve
Gibson (www.grc.com) in his "Security Now" podcast series. It has about
half the footprint of ZoneAlarm, and has some nifty anti-popup features as
well. The free download is a 30-day trial of the full version (only
$14.95), and reverts to the free-version functionality after 30 days. I'm
only in my first week of evaluating Kerio, but I believe I will be
registering it soon. I have learned a lot about the way some of my apps
work, just by observing the various Kerio messages during its "learning"
phase.
Click to expand...
Many thanks - I'll check it out.

Steven
 
By the way, I am now running teh FREE AVG and it's superb - no impact to
Network.

Thanks again,
Click to expand...

Steven,

you're welcome. Yes, AVG is fast and convenient.

Hans-Georg
 
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