Not sl related exactly. I just want peoples opinions.

[Destiny Mynx]

I just got a new gaming desktop. Its been 3 years since I had anything worth anything. My questions is what can i do to protect my investment. I want nothing to damage it. I review everything and keep getting mixed reviews. Not sure what virus protection is good. I keep hearing some free ones are better than expensive ones sometimes. I know the pc I'm getting comes with avast free. I hear bit defenders good.  Just looking for good options and reasons why. Thanks. Sorry if there are other posts about this. I looked and didn't really see any. I haven't been able to be on sl a few years because of a crappy computer. I got the new one and want to protect it completely. 

[SaraCarena]

Been using windows firewall and microsoft security essentials since upgrading to windows 7 2 years ago. Nothing nasty`s happened to me yet and hasn`t eaten any sl plugins that I`ve heard other ant-virus`s do. It`s free and I find it light on resources and unobtrusive compared to other anti-virus I`ve used in the past. Sure you`ll get lots of other opinions though.

[Pussycat Catnap]

Regular maintenance. Keep copies of applications you download / buy in an external format so that you feel no intimidation over the idea of restoring it to factory settings.

- I've found that with PCs I have to do that once every 1 to 2 years just to get rid of regular clutter. With my Mac at 3 years, I've been thinking of doing it for the same reason. They claim they don't wear down like PCs, but I'm not so sure.

Don't install lots of addons on your browser. Seems like every website today wants to replace your toolbar or search engine with its own - and there is just no reason to have a browser that has ANY addons other than maybe basic Flash. And the only default search engine you want is Bing, Google, or Yahoo - not all of those weird ones.

- Also regularly check your "proxy settings" on the computer, browser, and home router. I have discovered these changed on me before... The Browser one can be changed by some 'toolbar' addons, such that ALL of your internet traffic is routed through 'spam me dot come' ...

 

[Nova Convair]

A virus protection will NOT protect you! It will only support you.

It's up to you to update all your stuff - not only the OS - don't install every crap - don't click every link - don't fall for phishing - having backups.

[SaraCarena]

All the above and when you do install stuff check the text before you click every "next" button to weed out the sneaky stuff they try to put in that you don`t want installing.

[Teagan Tobias]

The first thing to remember is that what works for one person may not work for another. I used an anti-virus that was touted here in the forums and I could not use it. It has been a couple years now and I don't remember the name. But I am using Avast and it works for me. I have burnt up one video card but the place I bought my PC from replaced it with no questions asked, quick and easy. Get quality to start with and save yourself some headaches.

One thing to remember, dust / clean your PC often. My PC case has big holes across the top and one side, I put window screen over them and need to wash it from time to time to keep the air flow open, I just keep an eye on it. Good luck with your new rig.

[Destiny Mynx]

Thank you all for the ideas. I actually purchased two pcs of the exact same for my husband and I. He's the one I worry about. He just clicks through not reading so luckily he doesn't hang out on pc oftn except for sl so maybe I can keep an eye out on his downloads. These pcs have windows 8 installed. I have heard good things about windows firewall and microsoft essentials. Only heard one bad thing and think my friend got an adware bug. Called scorpion saver? Don't think they ever got that to go away. Everything they did it came back and made pc so slow. I'm terrified of anything happening to my new pc. May seem a bit insane to be so scared but we are not wealthy people so can't just buy new pcs whenever we wish and I miss sl. Its been so long since I have been on and I miss so many good friends. 

[Kelli May]

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SaraCarena wrote:

All the above and when you do install stuff check the text before you click every "next" button to weed out the sneaky stuff they try to put in that you don`t want installing.

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^^This. I spend quite a bit of time friends' and relatives' PCs removing stuff that has piggybacked on legitimate installations. At one point my dad could fill half his browser with unwanted toolbars this way. After a few years he's beginning to get the message.

[Innula Zenovka]

It sounds like you are being sensibly cautious.    For what it's worth, it's normally possible to get rid of stubborn nasties if you do a bit of research; for example, it only took me a few minutes to find a complete walk-through of how to remove Scorpion Saver.

I would certainly recommend running the anti-malware programme, MalwareBytes that he uses in the walk-through.  The free version is very good, though you have to remember to run it every few days to scan your computer, and you may find it easier to buy the "pro" version, which runs in the background and protects your computer automagically.  

It's very inexpensive compared with some other programmes.   MalwareBytes should be used as a supplement to an anti-virus, not an alternative, by the way.   It's not a good idea to run two anti-virus programmes together, but MalwareBytes isn't really an anti-virus.   It looks for and removes malware, which is a bit different.   I run Windows Security Essentials, Windows Firewall and MalwareBytes, and I've never run into any problems, either with viruses or false positives.

If you ever need help (or simply reassurance) about fixing nasty viruses and malware, I recommend -- very strongly -- the Windows 7 Help Forum (you can find the Windows 8 Help Forum there, too).   They give very good, comprehensible, advice, as do BleepingComputer.com .   A computer crisis needn't be expensive or difficult to fix, I've discovered, if you don't panic!

 

[SaraCarena]

yep that sneaky stuff can really bring a good comp to it`s knees, recomend malware bytes too, I use it to scan if I think somethings a bit iffy.

[Destiny Mynx]

Very informitive. Thank you. As I said I always read reviews. Sometimes can't tell who legitimately writes real reviews or is affiliated with companies. That's why I took a chance to ask in sl forum. Very glad I did. Thank you so much and feel free to add me in world once my computers get delivered. Pretty sure this ice storm will cause delay. So ready to get signed in

[Orca Flotta]

Watch this video:

It's about what to do with a brand new lappy but most of his tips and tricks apply for desktop as well.

[Wooja]

Set up your machine so that the C: drive is an empty memory card slot on your printer, and your system drive is somewhere else like I:.

PC virus writers are pretty lazy/pragmatic and tend to make simplifying assumptions about the location of files they target, and this confuses them to such an extent that I have not experienced a single (successful) exploit in the six years I have been using my current equipment - yes, if it was a horse I would shoot it - despite not being terribly careful about firewall/virus/malwareprotection updates - which are in any case usually locking the stable door after the horse has bolted, to confuse the equine metaphor even further.

Very rarely do you run into any other software you might want to use which makes arrogant presumptions about your configuration - although Google has been guilty, and has acknowledged its sloppiness - so there is no real down side.

Except you probably don't know how to set up your computer without the system on C, do you? How you do it depends on your version of Windows and your hardware configuration, and of course, most new machines come with everything preinstalled, partly because Microsoft don't want you messing with their own spyware, and partly because most users really don't want to be bothered with what's under the hood.

Wooja...workitoutforyourselfifyourethatbothered

[Orca Flotta]

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Wooja wrote:

empty memory card slot on your printer

your version of Windows

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Uh, what is a printer? Anybody still uses those? C'mon, really?

And what really confuses me is this windows thing you're talking about. Sounds terrible.

[Wooja]

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Orca Flotta wrote:

 

Uh, what is a printer? Anybody still uses those? C'mon, really?

And what really confuses me is this windows thing you're talking about. Sounds terrible.

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Printers are what are necessary to generate something that lawyers and teachers (as well as other incompetents) can not deny.

Windows is what the OP was asking about; I wouldn't advise someone on how to ride a dog when they had bought a horse.

Wooja...reckonebbeisaclosetlinuxfreak

 

[Drake1 Nightfire]

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Orca Flotta wrote:

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Wooja wrote:

empty memory card slot on your printer

your version of Windows

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Uh, what is a printer? Anybody still uses those? C'mon, really?

And what really confuses me is this windows thing you're talking about. Sounds terrible.

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I use my printer everyday. My kids have to print their homework. I print documents and letters, craft ideas, recipes, not everyone has a tablet in the kitchen.