Desktop Computer Packages

What is the best antispyware and virus protection for your computer?

I upgraded my hi-speed with Qwest. they have me a package with McAfee, Spyware and Fireball. But I keep reading on the web about others that sound so good. Am I fully protected with what I have? Will this protect me from Adware. I have the highest speed but my computer seems so slow at times. Sites have indicated that I may not be cleaning my computer to get everything? I have followed all the advice given to me but it seems like it should be faster. Sometimes it is fast, other times it's not. I have only my virus program of McAfee and Spyware and my sound and clock running on my start up. Also, if I have a lot of icons on my desktop (some with shortcuts to a program) would that slow down my computer. Also lots of photos and large screensaver running. Thank you, the more I read, the more confused I get.

Public Comments

1. You are good with what you have. Alternatives are AVG and Windows Defender. Don't add ANY virus or spyware protection without first uninstalling the old virus protection. Your PC will slow down when these programs are doing a full scan. You can change the schedule of these so that it only does the scans when the PC is not in use, or during the evening when you aren't using it.
2. Actually the best is Trend Micro thats the best it finds everything even if it is pretending to be good
3. You have written a lot of things, but everything is very unclear. What do you mean by you have Spyware? Spyware is a kind of infection (like virus)! Again, I have never heard of anything called Fireball. Also, what McAfee product do you have - anti-virus / anti-spyware / security suite / firewall? For proper protection of your computer, you should have a good anti-virus, anti-spyware and a firewall. I will recommend that you immediately uninstall McAfee, Fireball and Spyware (lol) through Control Panel > Add / Remove Programs and get these free and highly effective security software instead: 1.For preventing viruses, you have to use an anti-virus. A good and free option is the free version of AVG anti-virus. You can get it here: http://free.grisoft.com/ 2.For preventing spyware, you need an anti-spyware. If you have genuine Windows, Windows Defender from Microsoft will be a good choice: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security... You can additionally get another of these anti-spyware Super Anti-Spyware Free: http://superantispyware.com/ SpyBot Search & Destroy: http://safer-networking.org/ AdAware 2007 Personal: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_a... 3.To prevent hackers, use a firewall. I will recommend Comodo Personal Firewall, as it's the best one out there. http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/ 4.Use the McAfee Site Advisor plug-in in your web browser to stay away from bad sites. http://siteadvisor.com/ Here are some stuff that you need to keep in mind: 1.Always use only ONE anti-virus and firewall at a time, as more than can cause driver conflicts. 2.If you have Windows Vista, then you needn't download any anti-spyware or firewall. Windows Vista comes inbuilt with Windows Defender, which is very good as mentioned above. Windows Vista also comes inbuilt with a very good firewall. But you have to manually activate both of them from the Security Center. 3.Always keep the real time protection / resident shield of your anti-virus and anti-spyware active. By this, they can catch viruses and spyware instantly. 4.Always keep your security software updated with the latest virus and spyware definitions. 5.Scan your computer for viruses and spyware every 5-8 days. 6.Avoid downloading software from unknown sites. Here are some safe sites from where you can get many free and useful software: http://download.com/ http://softpedia.com/ http://filehippo.com/ http://pack.google.com/ 7.Always keep your Windows updated with the latest security and software patches from Microsoft. :)
4. Ashutosh Mishra has given you some good answers above. I would add: 1) DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER. Sorry to shout, but IE is full of holes. Use Firefox from Mozilla as your browser. 2) Symantec has a free security check. See link below.
5. Qwest has a decent protection, it should serve you well. But I hope that you completely un-installed any Anti-virus that you had previously (before your current McAfee / Quest.) Having 2 anti-virus apps running at the same time can cause major conflicts and major computer slowdowns as the 2 programs "fight" to scan every file you read, write or execute. Is it your computer that is slow in general or is it just the internet that is slow? Huge difference. IMHO, if it is the internet that is showing erratic, irregular speeds then it is likely a problem on Qwest's end. You should test your ACTUAL internet connection speed here: http://www.speedtest.net/ Use the server that is closest to you. You should be getting a speed (both upload and download) that is about 15% of the speed tier that you are paying Qwest for. Test several times, both when your computer seems "fast" and when it appears "slow". BTW, I assume you mean that you have an ANTI-spyware and a fireWALL! If you should decide to replace McAfee (not needed, IMHO), avoid the anti-virus called AVG. It has very poor virus detection rates. Good luck.