Spyware, viruses, & security forum: Poll: How much do you spend on security utilities?

avg anti spyware
avg anti virus
ad-aware
cwshredder
hijack this
malicious software removal tool
rouge remover
spyware blaster
F-Secure blackLight
windows XP firewall

Yes,all are free, and work quite well.

Tom

McAfee lost me when they gaffed on Windows ME. Norton lost me on a bug they didn't fix for years. I used PCcillin until freebies came of age so for the last Windows boxes (we have Linux and MacOSX now which have no antivirus at all!) it's the usual free AVG and AVAST with ZoneAlarm doing the firewall.

To dodge the spyware bullets, IE is only used for Windows Update and then it's scans with Free AVG AntiSpyware.

Am I going back to paid? Maybe.

Bob

All my utilities are free:
AVG Anti-Virus
Avast Anti-Virus
Ad-Adware SE
Spyware BeGone

Also, my primary internet browser is FireFox

So far, I have not lost a computer due to any security issue.

~ecnerd09

$35 CDN one time cost with Free lifetime telephone & E-mail support.
Beyond that all softwares are free ones:

AVG 7.5 Free AV (Avast is ok too), AVG Anti-Spy 7.5 (formerly Ewido) (free trial), Adaware SE 1.06, Spybot S&D 1.4,C(rap)Cleaner SLIM (!) .
Just added BOClean free.
All free & all play nicely with each other with no squabbles!

I also have available (already downloaded & saved to machine & 1 copy of each off machine( on USB storage drive)) various tools: Stinger, Hijack This(saved several reports when clean for reference/comparison if I get trouble), AVG Anti-Spy (formerly Ewido) (free trial), Trojan Hunter(un-opened),Cool Web Shredder(CWS) & many repair tools like IE Fix, LSP Fix, Deleted file recover tool, etc.

Sun Java & Sea Monkey Browser. IE never used if possible.
Disabled as many remote connection type items as possible that were native to XP Pro (Net Bios, Printer file sharing, remote help, IRC, Messenger(s)manual update for all, etc.etc.).
Seems to work pretty well for me.

Most of my machines use McAfee antivirus.. As a McAfee moderator, I've received some freebies.. Likewise at my place of employment.. Currently using McAfee and as the system admin there, we get McAfee Enterprise free from the IT folks.. (We may be moving to Trend Micro soon and there will be a slight cost per unit but not much..About $15.00 startup cost per unit, then nothing.)

As to antispyware, it's also free.. McAfee Enterprise versions have their own antispyware modules plus I have a variety of other stuff installed including Windows Defender, Ad-Aware, Spybot, and AVG Antispyware.

As to firewalls, those also are free.. ZoneAlarm, Windows Firewall, Safety.Net, the McAfee firewall and a couple others have been tried and tested.

Hope this helps.

Grif

Free versions: Ad-aware, AVG, Spybot, SpywareBlaster, SpywareGuard, ZoneAlarm

In addition to those, I do run some paid security software, but the licenses were given to me by some forums where I volunteer.

- avg free edition
- comodo firewall
- spybot
- spywareblaster

Two years ago, Ad-Aware Plus (for the Ad Watch) at $20.

Nothing more.

Zone Alarm firewall (free).
avast! Home anti-virus (free).
Spy Blaster (free).

I use a free rootkit killer on occasions when I think it necessary.

I use Stinger for quick (read: down and dirty) virus detection. Free.

Open Office for my office suite, mostly compatible with Microsoft Office--free.

Auslogics defrag for setting the hard drive up properly--free.

Not everything free is good. But, I read a lot of stuff on the net, get recommendations on those items, download and test it myself. If it works as advertised, then I recommend it to my personal email list (people from South Carolina to Australia).

65 years old, and haven't been infected or otherwise compromised in 5 years.

I used to buy Symantec's Norton SystemWorks every year (although I often bought it at local computer shows or on sale so I wouldn't have to pay the 'retail' price. However with SystemWorks 2004, Symantec changed their installation method to a verification key like Windows XP - time I dropped the program. Gave Mijenix/Vcom's FixIT Utilities/SystemSuite a chance, but their policy of dropping support for older versions when newer ones came out and the replacing applications like Powerdesk with limited freeware versions of the same program caused me to drop this program. I've tried a few versions of System Mechanic and I think it's an underrated package, but for security I find freeware apps are just a plain better value. No yearly subscription and they are almost as good as the commercial apps.

I use multiple anti-spyware apps (Adware SE Personal Edition, Spybot Search & Destroy, SpywareBlaster, Microsoft's Windows Defender and have gone between AVG's Anti-Spyware, SpywareTerminator and now Comodo's BO Clean). I've installed AVG's Free Anti-virus on my brothers' machines and recently switched to Comodo's Anti-Virus on my own desktop. I was using Keiro Personal Firewall after Symantec killed off Sygate's offering and have recently changed to Comodo's free firewall (trying to see if their group of applications are as good as others I've tried...)

I keep up on the latest recommendations on Tech Support Alert's Best-Ever Freeware listings and constantly search for and read reviews about the top rated apps. I would've probably stuck with AVG's free offerings, but since their Anti-Spyware apps only is full-featured for a month or so (as is Keiro's firewall) I switched over to the latest versions of Comodo's offerings...) I only recommend commercial apps to people who rarely add new programs or don't reinstall their OS often. But I rebuild my system a couple of times each year and the hassle of trying to reauthorize a copy of a commercial utility package isn't worth the effort.

Nothing/Zero...

My ISP provides complete and total security - free.
Has for several years.
Never had a single problem.
And I don't have to do anything.
Everything is checked, updated, and secured every day, all day.

We all should be so lucky!!

MW

A thousand dollars more for the computer
and hundreds more for software, all that
freezes and fails at a rate comparable
to more moderately priced PCs.

Well, not everything, but it does provide a superior firewall, excellent A-V, and very good spyware detection. To this I've added Resplendence's free Root Kit Hook analyzer and Neuber's Security Task Manager ($29 USD), both of which I run about once a month - but only because I'm paranoid.

I also installed Zone Alarm on my wife's computer, but set it up in the "for dummies" mode since she has no idea what to make of messages that it might pop up. OTOH, my daughter is very thrifty (i.e. cheap) and uses Avast and Spybot, so far with no problems.

In the past, I've had problems with Norton and AVG, so they're on my blacklist. Aside from some stumbles a few years back, McAfee has always been pretty good for me, but having the full bundle from Zone Alarm with a single source for all three major functions is a deal maker for me.

Norton Internet Security (NIS)

I paid $38 for NIS 2006 last year (as upgrade fee from NIS 2005). I am now using NIS 2007 which is free upgrade for NIS 2006 users. It expired last month but luckily I did not have to pay for renewal. I received 1 year of subscription after participating in beta testing. Whether I get a free subscription or not, I always pay for upgrade of NIS. Been paying for it every year. Only this year, I got free subscription which is very much appreciated. I enjoy beta-testing and provide feedback or report bugs so that's the price. Either spend $38 or 'spend time'. Both is fine with me.

As for freeware, I support freeware products/services too. Some freeware application and services has DONATION button. I send donation but I don't consider it as fee. It's voluntary and just want to show my thanks to their free product/services. They need to pay too for hosting fees and donation will help them to continue developing and improving their free service.

I have been buying combo packs and then recently the companies have had 3 user packs and good rebates but I do not see that much advantage to using paid for versus free products so in 2008 I will go to free software and see if my tech support calls increase.