Choosing Best Anti-Mal/Anti-Spyware Protection

[shamrock838]

Choosing Best Anti-Mal/Anti-Spyware Protection:

I have two Dell computers: - a circa-2008 Vostro 420 Desktop (using Vista Business) and a circa-2006 Latitude D820 Laptop (using XP Professional).

I’m the sole user and I’ve LAN-linked these computers via a Linksys Wireless Router. As a nonfiction “writer/photographer in private practice” … I use the internet (IE 7.0) primarily for general information and research. I use e-mail (Outlook 2003) for social and research correspondence. I am not in any way an online “gamer” or computer guru.

My goal is to protect both computers from future malware and spyware attacks. I currently have the 2009 Comcast/McAfee Security Suite and the free version of Ad-Aware installed. Probably this level of “protection” is inadequate?

There is a bewildering array of anti-malware/anti-spyware software on the market … all claiming to offer the best protection.
1. How does one find an appropriate program … or combination/suite of programs?
2. How many individual programs should one install?
3. Wouldn’t multiple, overlapping programs interfere with one another and/or become burdensome to maintain?

Thanks.

 

[aviation_man]

1. Try using AVG, Avira or Avast - They're truly good AV's. If you want a scanner/remover, try malwarebytes.
2. You really don't need to install more than two, but it also depends on how careful you are about doing things on the internet.
3. Yes, they can potentially 'get in each others way', but like I said, you don't need more than 2, and even then, 2 is somewhat of an overkill..

For one thing, I wouldn't recommend McAfee; it is a resource hog. The three AV's that I listed don't use as much resources as McAfee does.
I've been on computers with McAfee installed and it was updating - talk about lagging.