Protect your PC (and save your data)

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

Standard advice, but worth repeating. I have found the following two free products to have been robust and reliable tools for the safeguarding of my system—my computer (not me, though it probably seems that way) is online 24/7—and I have not suffered an intrusion, and have had only one virus infection (recognized and vaccinated before any damage was done) in close to four years, using these applications.

Firewall

Antivirus

As I said above, these two pieces of software have been steadfast performers for me.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Thanks Mr. B-E

I've used AVG extensively in the past. The shareware version is pretty good but if you can lay your hands on the most current version (7.0 I think) it's an excellent program. I used to have before I went to MacAfee and I was getting updates quite frequently.

I didn't know about Sygate, however. I was using Zone Alarm up until a short while ago. ZA is free and is a pretty decent program itself.

Cheers.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

disgruntled70shab said:

Thanks Mr. B-E

I've used AVG extensively in the past. The shareware version is pretty good but if you can lay your hands on the most current version (7.0 I think) it's an excellent program. I used to have before I went to MacAfee and I was getting updates quite frequently.

I didn't know about Sygate, however. I was using Zone Alarm up until a short while ago. ZA is free and is a pretty decent program itself.

Cheers.

AVG version 7.0 is the one presently available for free—and it is a nice advance on the previous version, which was itself solid.

I tried ZA, but it had some issues with my system configuration. Sygate has proven to be a more than satisfactory solution for me.

The main thing, of course, is that people really should have reliable and up-to-date firewall and antivirus software installed and running on their machines. The few minutes it takes to download and install is nothing measured against the lengthy agony that ensues if disaster strikes.

Speaking of disaster: back up your data regularly! With robust CD and DVD recorders now available for dirt cheap, there is no excuse not to archive your critical information. I've been involved with a backup and storage tech start-up for almost 3 years (we are finally launching)—and our market research has revealed a frankly shocking level of inadequate, or even nonexistent, data backup among SOHOs (the degree of casualness in this area among SMBs has also been surprising). Businesses that suffer critical data loss, and don't have a comprehensive backup strategy and/or disaster recovery fallback, have a mortality rate of around 90% 2 to 3 years after the incident.

Save your data!

[PTH]

mrbozo said:

disgruntled70shab said:

The main thing, of course, is that people really should have reliable and up-to-date firewall and antivirus software installed and running on their machines. The few minutes it takes to download and install is nothing measured against the lengthy agony that ensues if disaster strikes.

Yup. I've been making CDs and distributing them at work, with AVG, ZoneAlarm, Firefox, Ad-aware and Spybot, to help out coworkers who weren't installing much of anything concerning safety.

Speaking of disaster: back up your data regularly! With robust CD and DVD recorders now available for dirt cheap, there is no excuse not to archive your critical information. I've been involved with a backup and storage tech start-up for almost 3 years (we are finally launching)—and our market research has revealed a frankly shocking level of inadequate, or even nonexistent, data backup among SOHOs (the degree of casualness in this area among SMBs has also been surprising). Businesses that suffer critical data loss, and don't have a comprehensive backup strategy and/or disaster recovery fallback, have a mortality rate of around 90% 2 to 3 years after the incident.
Save your data!

What's a SOHO ?

As to lack of disaster planning, that's no surprise to me. People see their computers as tools, not as essentials. A friend of a friend lost all his data (HD crash) and wasn't willing to drive 200 km to get his son to help him by bringing the PC to an expert.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

pth said:

Yup. I've been making CDs and distributing them at work, with AVG, ZoneAlarm, Firefox, Ad-aware and Spybot, to help out coworkers who weren't installing much of anything concerning safety.

Good on you. Yes, ad-busting and anti-spyware programs! I'll post some links later.

What's a SOHO ?

SOHO = Small Office / Home Office
SMB = Small-to-Medium Business

As to lack of disaster planning, that's no surprise to me. People see their computers as tools, not as essentials. A friend of a friend lost all his data (HD crash) and wasn't willing to drive 200 km to get his son to help him by bringing the PC to an expert.

Uh-huh. Adopting an "It can't happen to me" stance (consciously or unconsciously) is just asking for trouble. Data recovery from a distressed or failed system is usually, but certainly not always, possible—and it will certainly be much more expensive than if you had a disaster recovery backup available, from which to restore your data. There, I'll stop just shy of doing a sales pitch...