.What would be the best anti-virus, anti-spyware,etc..for the best protection?

I am running Windows XP and Firefox latest version

I know I have stuff that is slowing down my computer...and it is very frustrating.

And I have Zonealarm..but just the basic version. No antivirus.


Thanks in advance for any and all help

Looked on the internet, but do not know who to trust there...

It's a great free program. Others will be along with other suggestions, but this one is fairly well accepted.

It's free, it works, it runs efficiently, and it's all I need - except for programs like Spybot that I have to run if anything starts looking funky.

I predict a dozen replies, each one offering a different solution, so let me give you my two cents worth first.

BrklynLiberal, my belief is there is no one single, definitive solution to computer security. The first thing to look at is your own computer usage habits. This includes the sites you visit, the links you are likely to click, the people who email you and your own propensity to open attachments.

You also need to look at your hardware; are you behind a router? Do you use file sharing such as Limewire? Do you keep a bunch of nuclear secrets on your hard drive? How much computer speed are you willing to trade-off to have several security applications running? Very importantly, how securely is your XP locked down with services such as Universal Plug & Play turned off?

All I can offer is a rundown of what I do and hope others do the same, giving you the information to make an informed choice about your own computer.

I haven't used a dedicated anti-virus for years. IMO they all were becoming too big and busy for my liking. I use the NoScript plug-in for Firefox which prevents execution of scripts in your browser and the paid (around $30)version of Malwarebytes. This allows me to schedule an update and scan every night. I also have a hardware firewall. Periodically run scans for rootkits, Vmonde etc. and have disabled several XP services that could cause vulnerabilities.

So, IMO there is no one cut and dried answer to keeping your machine safe. The last time I had a trojan, it was brought home on a flash drive so I only have myself to blame. Other than that, my own anti-social habits tend to keep me out of harm's way.

I have a not so new, desktop..Dell. I am the only one who uses it here at home. No network, no fancy hardware or software. No music, no special graphics. Is is primarily for email and web browsing...no games.

I never open attachments unless I am sure of who sent them and why.
I usually delete email from those I do not know without even opening it..

I am not sure what Universal Plug&Play is..so cannot answer questions on that.

What XP services can cause vulnerabilities?

Right now all I use is ZoneAlarm firewall which appears to do a decent job of monitoring..since it is ALWAYS asking me to give permission for stuff. I do not unless it is a program I know I use.

I do not want to lose what I have on my machine...but I do not want to have to wait for several minutes for pages to load...as is happening now.
I saw somewhere that Adblocker or Firefox Falshblocker were good ideas since Adobe Flash player was causing a lot of problems.
Have you heard anything about his?

What is FEBE extension for Firefox? Would that help?

Thanks for taking the time to help out.

and tweak to speed things up.

Black Viper's list of XP services and configuration is a great start for learning what runs in the background and how to turn off uneccessary services. Click on each service to find out more about what it does.
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

A good little freebie is SafeXP - a no-install program to disable some of XP's more vulnerable services including UPnP. http://www.theorica.net/safexp.htm

*Note; It does not turn off the indexing service, which can really slow your machine down. Refer to Black Viper's list to do this.

Here's a bit of reading on various ways to tune up an XP installation. You will see some common threads running through all of them.
http://www.blifaloo.com/info/winxp_speed.php
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10165_7-5554402-1.html
http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-xp-tips/99-ways-to-make-your-computer-blazingly-fast/

Firefox - yep, I use AdBlock Plus. I find that NoScript prevents Flash player from running unless I specifically allow it, so I have no need for Flashblock add-ons.

CCleaner is a great tool for getting rid of junk files and cleaning your registry. Just make sure you check the Applications tab and don't delete any cookies (and passwords) you wish to keep.

It seems that your computer habits are reasonably safe and if you are happy with Zone Alarm, stick with it.

I just downloaded Adblock Plus and NoScript.

Thanks again.

It's what we run at the office, there's a home version, the price is comparable and it's downloadable.

The price was reasonable and you can put it on three different computers, and move it from one computer to another if you have to, you need to name your computers though and renew it once in awhile.

First off, let me stress that in my humble opinion, you need a collection of programs to protect your computer - there is no one-size-fits-all software.

That being said, considering the list of programs I'm about to provide, you might be surprised that I don't include an anti-virus program. I don't use anti-virus software and I haven't used it for 95% of the 15 years I've been online. I did use AVG when I first got broadband but I dumped it soon after because it slowed down my machine and it served me no purpose. The trick to avoiding catching is a virus is: Don't Open Strange Email Attachments. Turn off the preview pane in your email client software and set it text-only view format. In addition, these days, most email clients bundle a virus-checker so when you do get sent an attachment, odds are you'll know if it's infected before you try to open it.

Now, on to my battery of protection tools - all free. Note that many of them come from the site: http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware">Last Freeware. That's because I'm cheap and I refuse to pay for newer versions that are no more effective.

Kerio Personal Firewall - A very simple, lite firewall. Install it, reboot your machine and when you open programs that need online access, the program asks you what you want to do: Permit or Deny? http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page7.html#Kerio%20Personal%20Firewall

X-Setup - This is a behind-the-scenes Windows tweaker. I use it mostly to disable stupid auto-enabled startup programs that piss me off like Adobe Reader's updater thingy. You can also use it to Set Windows Registration Done, change your OS user name and all kinds of nifty stuff. http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page5.html#X-Setup

WinPatrol - This program is adorable. It puts a little Scotty dog icon in your system tray and he "woofs" when websites or auto-intalls baddies try to mess with your Registry/Startup files. You can also disable auto-run startup stuff with it. http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

SpywareBlaster - I love this program. It blocks spyware from a regularly updated database of known spyware sites. You open it up, get your security updates, enable protection and close the program - no having to run it all the time because it works without being "on". When you install it make sure to choose the Manual Update option and that way you don't have to pay for it. Just remember to go get your updates on a regular basis. http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

HiJackThis - This software scans for obnoxious stuff that get's installed with new software like stupid toolbars and stuff. Those things are called Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) - With HijackThis, you get rid of them. http://free.antivirus.com/hijackthis/

TypeItIn - This software is supposed to be a form-filler-outer thingy. I use it for my passwords. I never ever let my browser store my passwords for me - ever. Instead, I make little buttons for each of my passwords with TypeItIn and when I need to supply a password, I fire it up and click a button. Remember to untick the "update" button during install so you won't have to pay for the new version. http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page5.html#TypeItIn

That's my armory of protection stuff. Like canetoad, I also use the NoScript and AdBlock plugins with my Firefox.

:)