NickE said:
Hi,
The machine I just purchased came with AVG (free). I've read that the Vista
firewall is fairly strong.
Is there any benefit in me installing Norton 360 v2 or is the protection I
get from Vista Firewall and AVG just as strong?
Thanks
Nick
I suspect that you will get a lot of responses relating to
Norton/Symantec software. The general consensus will be to avoid the
software. It will not, in my and many opinions, add much in the way of
security and will cost you in performance.
AVG is well thought of. I'm not a fan, but there are many who use it and
are very satisfied. Be sure, though to keep the signatures and engine up
to date and scan on a regular basis.
The Vista firewall is better than the XP firewall and is *WAY* better
than no firewall at all. I don't particularly like it, though. There are
a lot of much better (and user friendly) firewalls out there. A lot are
free...
You are missing a spyware/malware software. Best to have one that
prevents infection... Again, there are a lot of them out there. You
should, at the least, scan on a very frequent basis.
I'm more a fan of security suites, especially for the average/novice
user. Like any suite, it can add features you don't need or have some
impact on performance. But to expect the average user to find, install
and *use* the best individual tools is a bit of a stretch, IMNSHO....
I use (and really like) ESET Smart Security suite. It includes a Spam
mail filter. If you don't want a suite, the NODE32 AV part of it gets
very good ratings.
--
Regards,
Hank Arnold
Microsoft MVP
Windows Server - Directory Services