Re: Building a security suite

In article <hbeqe190k1skcnanh2uef6a85bl7dcbud6@4ax.com>,
gearl@comcast.net says...
> My NIS 2004 is about to expire and I already have a (free after
> rebate) copy of NIS 2005, but I'm not happy with the way NIS slows
> down my PC. I'm considering putting together my own suite of
> individual packages with the hope that it won't have such an impact on
> performance, so I'm looking for advice.
>
> What combination of software firewall, anti-virus, etc., are you using
> and have you noticed any discernable effect on performance?
>
> Thanks!
> George
> gearlnospamno@nospamcomcast.net
>

George, you're much better off with separate apps for AV and firewall,
as you have chosen (in my opinion anyway).

For an anti-virus, try Avast Home Edition. It's free, and does a very
good job. Has auto-updates, scans email, scans your web traffic for bad
stuff and catches it before it even hits your HD. I've used Avast for
years and have been happy with it for a free offering. The other pay
products are more bloated and costly and don't seem to be worth the
extra bucks.

For firewall, you'd be best off with a good router, but if you just want
a software firewall, try ZoneAlarm perhaps. There is a free version of
this also. There are many software firewalls, all of them have their
bugs and problems. You'll just have to sample a few and decide for
yourself which is best. Others are Outpost Pro, Sygate, LookNStop,
Kerio 2.1.5 or 4.2, Jetico, the list goes on forever. Probably the
easiest to use is ZoneAlarm. The Pro version has some handy extras
also.

There's no substitute for a little experimentation.. :)

-- 
Kerodo