[mike65536]

(duplicate of above, please ignore)

[mike65536]

(duplicate of above, please ignore)

[mike65536]

(duplicate of above, please ignore)

[RHE09]

Can you repeat that please? I'm not sure I got it. ?:|

[mike65536]

Sorry about the multiple posts! I posted from the article page and it didn't give me any confirmation that it went through, so I tried a few times and didn't see anything show up. Thanks for letting me know, RHE09! :^0

[WinTard]

Hey no biggie, it happens to me all the time... There are bugs in the software implementing PCWorld Community... It would stand to common sense, that if two or more posts are identical (in a binary fashion) the sofware should know about it and treat it as such... But common sense isn't all that common it appears, at least not in the software world... :D

[moonfire]

Lol! To quote another wise person: "Just because something MAKES SENSE DOESN'T MEAN THAT they will do anything differently!"

[2weird]

These "opposing views" really aren't that different.
Between my router firewall, XP firewall, Comodo firewall, Windows defender and my own safe browsing habits; neither AVG free nor Comodo have ever detected an attack on my PC.
Freeware ROCKS and I'm willing to tolerate any minor speed reduction they produce.

[JTF243]

While AVG may be good, it seems to be a bit overzealous in flagging some items. There is a game at Yahoo Games called "Bejeweled 2" that uses some kind of downloader from the games originator, PopCap Games. AVG flagged that downloader and, WITHOUT ASKING ME, deleted the loader, wouldn't let it reload, and wouldn't let the game play. I had to dump AVG in favor of EAV's Free Edition (your-soft.com). Problem solved.

[SimonL]

They both have a good points in security of a PC, but without a decent security in place, a user with admin rights in Windows XP/Vista can get really easy infected (firewall is scriptable, can be automatically configured to accept and allow traffic in and out, there are still plenty of ports open for different programs/services that can be used to compromise the pc, and without some check-up on that gets really frustrating sometimes. Considering that more then 80% of computer users are more or less computer illiterate or just regular users, I would recommend that, even if they stick to a freeware solution, at least to get one, even two (anti-virus and firewall) if they do not use a router with a good firewall program.
otherwise, if they want a fast and carefree internet experience, I suggest them to use Linux, free software, free office applications, lots of free multimedia and graphic tools, no anti-virus needed, and keep windows for what is essentially good for this days, gaming...

[shippou]

Hmmnn... Nice argument.
But aren't Malwarebyte's AntiMalware and even Windows Defender all anti-malware software? (Though they are not suites, they're still antimalware).
Well, I am one of those who scorn antimalware. I do prefer to do things in my own way.
My own way:
1. Disable autoplay on all drives.
2. Safe browsing.
3. Use the run dialog.
4. Use Linux.
5. Use updated software.

[moonfire]

Do you live in a cave too?

[mike65536]

I agree. I've switched pretty much completely to Linux. I only use Vista/XP for gaming, Rhapsody downloads to my music player, and some sites that use Flash but don't work under Linux. Since games these days have such draconian DRM (in effect, rootkits), once I install a game, I don't trust that computer for any serious work.

The one disadvantage of my no-security-software-under-Vista approach is that my machine could be a zombie sending spam without me noticing (although I monitor my email accounts closely). For most average users (running Windows), I think some kind of security software would be a good idea, just to impede the creation of botnets.

And the idea of just not visiting "shady" sites is usually a wise idea, but how can you know for sure, and I'm always curious to see what's there, so I just boot from a Linux LiveCD and visit it that way. :-)

[Foxylady48180]

I think anti virus is a must. I can't see making a big investment in a computer system and not protecting your investment. Wheather you get the free stuff or not is up to the individuals ability to pay for the things, true, but they should have them.(best they can)

[LindaA]

Rick, I'll bet you like to skydive and bungee jump, too. Sorry, but with all due respect, I found your case against security software usage completely unconvincing. You're playing cyber Russian roulette. I side with your illustrious colleague, Robert (and "America's Digital Goddess," Kim Komando). You can't be too careful these days, and I'm a firm believer in the old adage, "Better safe than sorry." I wouldn't dream of computing without having security software on my computer, and I have security software up the wazoo on my machine: AdAware, avast!, Spybot S&D, SpywareBlaster, Windows Defender, WinPatrol, ZoneAlarm, and Secunia to tell me when one or more of my programs needs updating. The best part of it is, I didn't pay one red cent for ANY of my security programs, because they're all absolutely FREE for the downloading and installing right from the Internet.