(To the PC buffs!!) Does your PC have a firewall?

[ssd]

We'ne got one - McAfee - but it runs out soon and I can't afford the £30 + to renew it.

Do I need one?

Please advise!

P.S. We've got broadband, don't know if that helps.

If you use the net a lot then it would seem a cheaper option than paying out for an engineer to fix messed up computer...

Does a firewall protect it from viruses? Wasn't sure of this, how does a PC get a virus?

yes, but it is part of the operating system.
isn't zonealarm free?
a firewall protects your pc from people hacking into your computer. anti-virus software stops you getting viruses. both are really essential.

Lilacbump has said it perfectly.
If you are going to protect your computer and any personal info on it such as bank details, passwords etc, then you have 3 choices. First one is to get an Apple Mac (most viruses 99.9999% are wondows operating system ones and macs have integral firewalls). Second option is to put up with your PC but regularly update your virus software and use a firewall. Final option is to cut your phone line and stop using the net
Sorry - no other way really
Think of it like your home - you would always have a decent lock on your front door and keep the door shut..same with your computer.

lol fireworks, we of course have a mac.
there is a free basic firewall by zonealarm

lilac, what do you mean it's part of the operating system? Do you mean the viruses? Sorry for ignorance!

Is the free one zonealarm the same as McAfee? Should I just buy the McAfee?

Confused now!

and I of course don't have a mac!

The simplest thing to do is renew the one you have

ssd, i have a mac, so the firewall is part of the operation system. there isn't, in my opinion, much need to have anti-virus as there are very few viruses for mac.
the zonealarm firewall is by zonelabs and is basic. they have more advanced ones that you have to pay for. i know a few people who use it, so i thought i'd look it up for you.
sorry to confuse you.

OMG yes!

did you see watch dog last week? how easy it was for that guy to see exactly what you type? There report ended with you really MUST have a file wall, or else its only time (or luck) before it happens to you

If you EVER use your computer to write down anything of slight signifiance, especially bank numbers / credit card details etc adreess etc its only a matter of time before one of these people gets one of these 'things' (i forget their technical name) and can see EXACTLY what you put.

Without a file wall you are open to all this.... its even MORE important if you have a braodband connection BTW!

I guess if you used the computer for games etc and NEVER EVER EVER even typed one personal thing then it wouldnt matter!

and a file wall is nothing to with virus's.... anti virus software does NOT act as a file wall (tho many of the antivirus companies do file wall software as well!)

if you have windows xp there's one built in.

you do need an antivirus programme though.

another vote for zone alarm, seems to work fine, and it's free!

zone alarm is ok i suppose

the xp one kills alot of ur bandwidth (so ur internet wil be really slow) and blocks alot of sites

if i were you the ideal configuration for a windows pc is:

use firefox for browsing the internet
use thunderbird for ur email client
use sygate persoal fire wall pro
i use norton anti virus because all u have to do is uninstall it and reinstall it and u get another year free updates

mcafee is one of the worst anti virus programs out there it is full of bugs and holes

if u want any other info or help feel free to msn me ([email protected]) or email me ([email protected])

if u want FREE anti virus aVast Home edition is free you just have to register it after 60 days

Aaaahhhh! MunziesDH, I panicked after reading the first few posts and re-installed McAfee again! Hope I haven't made a mistake and it cost me £29.99!!!Yikes!

as long as if the latest one and u update if very frequently ie everyday then should be ok

what about the other things on my list?

Not sure, thought the McAfee did all that/

What else should I be doing?

I use Norton as i got a discount when I bought the computer, I thought is was a bit expensive to renew but then looked through the intrusion history and realised how much Norton had blocked. Like Trogan Horse things and spyware.

Even if you are only gaming on line, you can still get hacked and get viruses, which can create huge problems if you use e.mail or have personal info on your computer.

Needless to say I renewed as i think it works for its money and updates itself regularly to keep up with the latest viruses.

MunnziesDH I take it you have the disk. I must have had a disk when I got it at first I never thought to reintstall and just renewed it online. I might dig out the old disk and try reinstalling it next year.

Yes I have the disk ...

For max online protection ur should used as many different programs as poss.

Firefox by default stops pop ups and has a download manager so that sites cant just upload things onto ur computer without you knowing

Thunderbird email virus checks all ur emails for you using your virus scanner and wont let you open one with a virus or any malicious code

I use sygate firewall because it shows my what programs are connected to the internet all the time and asks me if i want to let a program connect all the time or just once etc plus it shows you just what sites are trying to connect to you which may be slightly dodgy and you can trace them

As i said about Norton Anti Virus i use it because im 1. too lazy to change it until it has run out and 2. the updates are free if u uninstall it and reinstall it

I also use software called PeerGuardian which blocks the IP addresses of poss dodgy computers form uni's / schools / the government etc

the more protection you have the less likley you are to be hacked, however if ppl can get into Microsofts main servers / Halifax Bank severs they can get into pretty much anything, however the more time they have to spend in doing it for "fun" the less likley they are to actually do it.

Also i would get a spy/adware remover online, most are free and if ur connection is slow chances are you have spy/adware on ur machine ... nothing to worry about as most of them just send back ur web history to shopping sites etc so they can send you more relevent pop ups ... but a pain in the ar*e non the less

What is firefox? Soemthing has gone wrong with my internet explorer so I'm using msn explorer instead which is horrible, is firefox another free alternative?

firefox is a faster, better free alternative .. alot less buggy than IE or MSN Explorer, plus there are loads of plugins, extentions and themes available from the Mozilla website..

Get Firefox and Thunderbird here