Antivirus & Firewalls

Graham Roberts Home Computer Services

Reputable & reliable computer repairs and servicing for Barlborough, Clowne, Bolsover & surrounding villages.

All About Antivirus and Firewalls

May 10th 2007

We all know, (well at least all my customers know) just how important it is to have a good working Antivirus program on our computers as well as an efficient Firewall but what do they do?

Antivirus programs are software that attempt to identify, thwart and eliminate computer viruses by scanning your computer for known malicious software (details of which it keeps in its updated library) that may have come down over the Internet, and then quarantines or deletes it. Just like a medical preventative jab though, it is only effective if it is up to date and recognises the threat so Antivirus programs need to be auto-updated online several times a week and the complete program replaced or upgraded (usually once a year).

A Firewall is software or hardware that prevents outsiders (like hackers) from accessing your computers or home/ office network and can also block rogue programs on your PC from accessing the internet. If you have a router or home hub instead of a modem to connect to the internet, you have a form of hardware Firewall and in conjunction with your PC’s software Firewall, you will be doubly protected.

When it comes to selecting an Antivirus or Firewall program, in my experience the age and power of your computer is the major factor to be taken into consideration because some programs use far more of your PC’s Memory and recourses then others do. If your Antivirus program and/ or Firewall use too much of your PC’s resources, your whole system (including the programs that are meant to protect your PC), will become sluggish and might not be able to respond quickly enough under a virus attack and a rogue file may sneak through.

I describe this to my customers as (using my usual football analogy), “leaden goalkeeper syndrome”. Imagine a football goalkeeper with lead weights on his arms and legs. When he tries to save the shots, his reactions will be considerably reduced because of his extra burden and obviously, some strikes will get through and it’s the same with our computers. A system running quicker and under less stress will be more likely to be “on the ball” and ready to repel an attack from the internet enemy .

The main offenders for slowing down and overloading computers amongst my customer are the big two; Norton and to a lesser extent McAfee. The problem with these two companies’ is that with each coming year, their products (good as they are) get more and more intensive and to a degree have more and more unnecessary razzmatazz about them. If you’ve got a top of the range or reasonably new PC that can handle it that’s fine, but if your PC’s not particularly powerful or over 3 years old, chances are their product will make your PC boot up like a turtle and surfing the web is as slow as pouring treacle. A sure sign that your PC may have “leaden goalkeeper syndrome or even a virus”.

If this is already a problem for you, chances are the next time you upgrade, your PC will be even slower so what’s the solution? You can't keep on buying a new computer to suit the demands of your virus software.

Fortunately, a company called Grisoft have a product called AVG that I have tested over the past 12 months and I have found that it has come on leaps and bounds over the period and lately, has even detected viruses that Norton has missed on several of my call outs. Also; the good news is that it takes up a fraction of your PC’s recourses and so installing it in place of one of the “big two” will almost certainly result in a considerable upturn in your computer’s performance.

As a guideline, I would say that if your PC falls into the high powered under 2/3 years old category, the choice is yours. I use McAfee on my newest PC and AVG on my 2 older ones. If your PC is getting on in years and generally running slow, I’d consider AVG Antivirus and Firewall which is at around £31 +VAT for 2 years which is less then half the price of the two major ones or you could try out the AVG Free Antivirus edition for 6 months to see how it works for you. The free version though does not have the full support package or a Firewall. Remember also that you must remove your old antivirus before installing a new one or the two programs will clash. There are secure links to AVG and also to McAfee on my website Home page if you want to find out more about these two products.

Regarding Firewalls, the same applies. You are better off with ones that come as a single packaged product with an Antivirus rather then two different brands but if they are running under stress on a slow PC, the chances are that they could let something through so the same caution applies as with the Antivirus programs. Either way just as with your Antivirus, you must only have one Firewall enabled on your computer or they will clash with one another and not do their jobs right.

One word about the free Zone Alarm Firewall. I find that it works well on newer PC’s but can really slow down older ones. I you have Windows XP plus Zone Alarm and your system is running very slow; in my opinion, (and as always, the final decision is yours), I would say that you would be better off removing Zone Alarm and enabling Window XP’s own Firewall.

Please Note: I am aware that there many other bespoke Antivirus and Firewalls on the market such as Panda and F-Secure but as always, I will only comment on products that I have used, tested or come across on a regular basis during my normal working day in and around our villages, and only the three aforementioned products fit that category.

That’s all for now.

Next time; I will be discussing the pros and cons of wireless home networks, and also; some of the issues that customers in our area have encountered with the some of the major Internet Service Providers, which ones are doing a good job more importantly; those that aren’t.

Graham

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