New System - Need Protection Recommendation

Hi IPODMAN, and welcome to DCF:

 

Which OS: XP or vista?

 

The all-in-one solution is called a suite, but you really don't need one, and I don't recommend them, for a variety of reasons.

 

The bare minimum you need before going online is:
- An active software firewall
- An resident (real-time) AV
- A resident antimalware running

 

Both XP/SP2  and Vista have a software firewall installed/enabled by default. Windows Defender, which provides resident anti-malware protection, is included with Vista, and is a free download from Microsoft for XP. Which means all you really need is a good AV.

 

If cost is an issue, good free AVs often recommended here are Alwil's avast! Home Edition, or Avira's AntiVir Personal Edition. Good paid versions of these 2 also are available, with a 30 day free trial period. Easy to install, easy to use, and easy to uninstall if you don't like them. I have used both, without any problems.

 

IMHO, I would never trust my PC security to any software provided by my IP, nor do I care for McAfee or Norton

 

 

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Free security software: A primer

 

 

 

You might want to look at Joe's primer. It's the link just above his signature, and in my opinion, an excellent resource that you could bookmark for future reference.

Another really nice application to keep you safe is Sandboxie.  Give it a look!

Have a look here:
http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=si_virus&thread.id=66825