Be sure to immunize. Spywareblaster will only immunize your computer (be sure to update it) but if you check out "Spybot - S&D" and "Spyware Terminator" they also have a "immunize" built into them.
Here's how I do it:
a-I run CCleaner to empty out all temp files and such.
b-open all antivirus and antispyware programs one at a time and updating their definitions as I go.
c-Click all scans to start, turn off monitor, then go to bed.
d-wake up and deal with what was found then start Ccleaner again and scan for ad fix issues in registry.
Well Good Luck and welcome to the wonderful world of free,
Paul
PS: check under Operating System if you have other than XP. Serveral of these dont work on vista but most do.
I enjoyed your assessment of the free applications and agree with your evaluations.
When I saw your thread labeled ?Get Protected? it stirred my curiosity.
Before I say more, let me give you a little run down on myself?..
Having been a Ham radio operator and very interested in electronics for most of my life, I became intrigued with computers in the early 1960?s. After some schooling I went to work for a Railroad Company as a programmer on an IBM 65.
My first personal computer was a home built Mainframe using an 8080A processor.
My first commercial PC was a TRS80 with a Z80 processor running at 1.44 MHz, had 16 KILO bytes of RAM and used a portable cassette tape recorder for data and program storage?. We?ve come a long way baby? Nuff said!
From your post and profile, I get the hint that you are very curious and open to some new ideas so, please accept my comments as ?chewing gum for the brain?.
?Protection? to me is not, cleaning the kitchen after the guests have gone. It?s locking the damn door before they get there?.
The ?HOSTS? file is the most misunderstood but, most efficient function for locking out malware that has ever been found IMHO?.. Blocking malware was not the original purpose of the hosts file but it can be used for just that purpose and it does a fantastic job of it.
I have been using a very large Hosts file for the past 5 years and have never got a virus, adware, Trojan or any other kind of malware on my machine in all that time.
Plus, I don?t see any flashing banners or Ads on the sites I go to. If advertisements show on a webpage then you know that they are coming from that site itself and are safe. If it wasn?t safe it would be blocked by the Hosts file and you couldn?t get on that site.
I have no need to run scanners anymore. They just come up blank ? nothing found?
I do use AVG anti-virus free, just in case, but it never finds anything?
Here?s how to start a Hosts file working for you:
1. Go to: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm Read and absorb the information concerning the Host file and how it works.
2. Download and install the MVPS Host file from the above site using their instructions.
3. Follow the instructions to turn off your DNS client. (very important as a large Host file will have trouble if the DNS client is running.)
Now, you have a basic minimal Host file with approximately 20 or 30 thousand Bad sites blocked. Not a drop in the bucket as the internet has several hundred thousand Bad Sites..
As Emril would say ?Let?s kick it up a notch!?
1. get a Host file Manager. I recommend and use HostsXpert free Here: http://www.funkytoad.com/content/view/13/31/ 2. Download and merge some Hosts files to build up your protection.
Hosts files to download:
1. MVPS ? you should have installed this one above.
2, HPhosts: http://www.hosts-file.net/download/hosts.zip When merged with MVPS will bring your blocked sites to approx. 62,769
3. Add the SpyBot S&D Host file found in tools -> Host file
This will add 7 or 8 thousand sites
4. Dan Pollock?s Host file found at: http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/ I don?t know if he has a file to download. I just copy and past it to Notepad from his site and when merged will take you up to approx. 71,831 blocked sites.
5. Visit this French site: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl.../WPFF/hosts.htm Translation applied? This site has 6 Hosts files available. I personally use 2 of them. I use hosts.rsk ? 52,033 blocked hazardous sites and hosts.pub ? 58,757 blocked advertising sites.
If you have small kids in the household, you may consider hosts.sex which blocks over 200,000 Porn sites. I have no kids around and don?t use it. Mainly because Porn sites don?t send the malware to you, it?s the links that do it, which are covered by the other hosts files.
This is a HIPS (host intrusion prevention software) that keeps you from installing Zero day malware before your Hosts files are updated and they all do update at least once a month.
Quote:ThreatFire continually protects your PC against attacks by detecting malicious behavior, such as capturing your keystrokes or stealing your data, instead of only looking for known threats like normal antivirus software. By implementing sophisticated real-time behavioral analysis ThreatFire is able to stop never- before-seen "zero-day" threats solely by detecting their malicious activity.
Any questions on some of the bases I missed? I am simi-retired and am here most of the time
There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading; The few who learn by observation;
The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves...
There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading; The few who learn by observation;
The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves...
