What kind of anti-virus/spyware that you guys recommend? I have an old/free version of norton on my laptop and I need to either update it or buy another antivirus software like mc afee. I kinda like the automatic update from mc afee that you pay a fee monthly or so..I searched the web and saw so many internet security softwares and stuffs out there. I am not familiar with these softwares that I feel like I want to buy them all to be safe. Which one or two of these I should buy and install to protect my computer ? I haven't used my personal laptop for a year and I need to get it protected before I go online again. I just ordered the free microsoft service pack 2 but it will take 4-6 weeks to get delivered

 

I use AVG anti virus and Microsoft anti spyware.

 

McAfee (a.k.a. Network Associates) has always worked well for me. Norton is popular too, and would probably be a good choice for the vast majority of computer users (I do some development work and Norton can sometimes be a tad over-restrictive for that).

For spyware removal, I'm a fan of Adaware, Spybot Search & Destroy (both free and very popular), and also PestPatrol (not free). But spyware removal is largely hit-and-miss. What works for someone else might not work for you. Your best bet is to download a few different ones and run them all. Freeware/share sites like Download.com should have a decent selection.

 

Linux

 

I agree. Both are free and best in class.

You can download SP2 pretty easily for free. 4-6 weeks? Grab a friend with DSL and a CD burner and burn a CD for yourself in ten minutes. You can download the full version of SP2 here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...&displaylang=en

 

Microsoft Anti-spyware should be a must these days. I use Ad-aware...scotty dog, AVG also!

 

Mac OSX. Its Unix with a GUI that works. Short of that...

Don't even connect to the internet before you have all the latest Windows OS updates on your computer. Use a "secure" computer to d/l the updates and burn them on CD, then install on your computer. Only then should you connect to the net - otherwise your computer could very well e infected before you d/l the updates directly to your computer.

 

I went to the site and it said:

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers

Is it ok to download and install this on a personal/single computer?

even when I go to the microsoft site directly after I log on?

 

Yup.. Its not about where you go on the Net, but about all the attacks on your computer when you are connected. After you connect, you'll get attacked, so you can get infected before you have the chance to get the latest updates. Not that it matters much anyway, since new vulnerablities are found daily in Windows, even after 5 years of no new major OS releases.

The Internet is a very unsafe place for Windows and Windows users.