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1. Ad-Aware SE
2. Spybot Search & Destroy
3. SpywareBlaster
4. Microsoft Anti-Spyware
5. Some Anti-Virus Program that you like (at my work, we install Norton even though it is a resource hog, but never Norton Internet Security since it eventually always fucks a computer up)

Set your Anti-virus program to scan at least weekly, and automatically update itself, Update and sca with Ad-Aware and Spybot weekly at a minimum, and update and protect with SpywareBlaster weekly at a minimum.

It is absolutely ridiculous that a person should have to do this to keep their computer running decently. We get so many Windows machines in the shop that it isn't even funny, but thusfar, whenever we have managed to convince someone to upgrade to a MacOS X machine (Typically when their Dell, Compaq, HP, E-Machines has a motherboard failure). They have came back completely excited and astonished that they don't really have to worry about spyware and viruses so much.

My reccomendation on keeping your WIndows XP machine in top performance. Go buy a high-end Mac and run VirtualPC if it can run whatever program you NEED to run (Note: Games do not count), if you cannot run your Prorgram under VPC, buy a low-end PC and keep it off the network.

(Note: Not all of these programs are open-source, but they are all free-as-in-beer)

Media Player Classic - while the VLC player is quite portable, I found it to be very slow on Windows. Media Player Classic is a fantastic replacement for Windows Media Player.

QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative - codecs for Media Player Classic that will play QuickTime .mov and RealPlayer files.... no more need for crappy QuickTime player or RealOne!

WinAmp - still the greatest music player for Windows, IMHO. For those with iPods, you can download a plug-in call ml_ipod, which will allow you to synch your iPod with WinAmp... no more need for bloated iTunes!

Finally, AVG Antivirus, by far the best free antivirus product out there... easy to use, low memory resources.

Try AVG

I'm assuming you are using the 'free' versions of this software, otherwise igore the rest of this message!

Bearing in mind you are a non-commercial organization - and a worthy one - I would double check the licenses for these as far as educational and non-commercial organizational use is concerned. And perhaps a complimentary email to vendors for clarification where necessary?

SpywareBlaster looks OK for teachers.

Spybot I would confirm with author. They seem 'edu' friendly, from their tone.

AVG License is perhaps slightly ambiguous in this case. Schools are non-commercial but they are 'Organizations'.

Ad-Aware not free for educational use.

You may have omitted your firewall of choice but most of them have similar organizational clauses. I think Outpost Free may be OK.

Speaking as (not one of the few) IT guys who reads this thing, there's an interesting point to be made about Symantec. IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY CATCH VIRUSES! In the last year I can count off the top of my head where a Symantec "protected" system came in with so many viruses, some of them I swear reproduce when you kill it, so much spyware, so much malware that I had to harvest user-entered files off the system, back them up to CD-R's and wipe the system just to get it going.

I've been using the free version of AVG Antivirus (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1) and endorsing it to my customers along with the free version of Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/) to make their system work and putting Firefox (again, free) on the system regardless.

Did I mention all of this was free?

None of those systems have come back to me with viruses and spyware/malware problems. Symantec, well you need to pay them 20 bucks a year and usually end up having to buy their software yearly as well...

Let the corporations fit the bill for corporate versions of software; it's too expensive for most average Joe's to be shelling out thousands of dollars for "security".

Small, reliable and free.

http://www.grisoft.com/ > AVG Products > AVG Free Edition (on the left navbar, expanded under AVG Products) > Download

Easy as that. It's funny that their download section for it has a dollar sign as an icon... :)

Don't bother with Cygwin just for AV. Clamwin is pretty sweet. No real-time scanning, but installation and configuration is fairly straight-forward -- and the database is updated several times a day.

The biggest problem it faces may be that it's so plain and easy to use that people have trouble accepting that it's as good as all the colorful commercial offerings they see. I wonder if Intel's gonna keep AVG's viruses.

Use it as a second scanner if you already have another AV program-- Clamwin is not a resource hog.

Oh yeah -- it's frequently used as an email scanner in networks of all sizes... don't worry about it's virus database!

just wanted to say AVG isn't FREE for everyone.

from http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5

Is AVG Free right for you?

AVG Free Edition is for private, non-commercial, single home computer use only. Use of AVG Free Edition within any organization or for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. The AVG Free Edition is absolutely not for use with any type of OEM bundling with SW, HW component or any service. Your use of AVG Free Edition shall be in accordance with and is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the AVG Free Edition License Agreement which accompanies AVG Free Edition.

i'm pretty sure a small company computer doesn't constitute as a non-commercial, single home computer.

just my 2 cents. the software works great, and i recommend it to everyone who wants a good free av software, but their clause does state that any type of commercial use requires the purchase of a license.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5 should be a direct link.

http://www.grisoft.com/doc/314/lng/us/tpl/tpl01

Read the grisoft info...intel is only buying a 65% stake with to venture capital firms...probably only own 20-25% of the company not even a majority owner.

AVG download page

I've used the free version of AVG for a few years now and it has been very good to me. I just hope that with this infuse of money Grisoft doesn't become too "corporate."

WsFtp (~40)
PhotoImpact(80)
Quicken (30)
Spybot - Detect and Destroy (free, donated $15)
MS Access - (300 ?, needed a DB program)
MS Visual Basic ($99, not full version which costs as much as $699 IIRC)
Tiny Firewall (was free when I used it, it seems to be $49 now)

Cost I had to pay: $550 (Not including donation)

You're not really comparing like for like though; let's go through that list again...

FileZilla
The GIMP
Grisbi Personal Finance Manager (Windows & Linux)
Ad Aware
AVG AntiVirus
Services for Unix(make, GCC, etc)
OpenOffice.org Base
Windows Firewall / ZoneAlarm Personal Edition

Total Cost: 0

I would also add that these are still high quality applications - not poor quality abandonware/freeware.

I don't recognize about half of those anti-virus products, but I do not see my personal favorite - AVG from Grisoft. It is free for personal use and you get access to the same timely updates as the paying corporate customers. So you don't have to worry about your virus definition subscription expiring or not working because your laptop is no longer on the campus network so can't get the site-license for the updates.

they wont which is bad for them (?) computer companys dont really care about the security of people unless they pay for it.

now im sorry im not going to pay how ever much a month just to use some anti virus system that is most probley badly done and buggy. just because 100,000,000 joe users out there are dumb enough to think porn.exe is really porn doesnt mean i have to pay for it.

i would rather just use avg on ALL my ms computers and clamav on all my linux computers. http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1

We've got that. Just try this, thisthis, or, if all else fails, this.

Why is that? From personal experience, most people I know run some form of AV software, which is good. They do not however, keep it updated! Let's examine why this is.

Average Joe buys a Dell. It comes with AV software, such as Norton or McAfee preloaded.

The software has a finite length of time (usually 3 to 6 months) before the user must pay to continue getting updates.

Average Joe doesn't see why they should have to pay to keep their AV software updated. ("I paid $XXX for this machine, and they want more? Heck no.")

While that may be a valid objection, it doesn't help to stop the spread of viruses. So what is the solution?

In my personal opinion , the solution is to make basic AV software, and any required updates, free of charge for the user. Software that fits this desription Example: Grisoft AVG Free Edition is already available.

What I cannot understand is why PC manufacturers do not use something like the above instead of "pay for updates" products. It would reduce their support calls dramatically, would it not?

I'm pretty late to the story, but I made a similar list awhile ago... I've turned it into a CD of utilities that I update every so often when I'm bored. I require everything to be free (or at least, not required to pay, such as in the case with KPF), with a preference toward F/OSS

-----------------------

Included:
WindowsXP SP2* - Service Pack[1]
Kerio PF 4.2.0* - Firewall
AVG Antivirus 7* - Antivirus[2]
Windows Update* - Windows Updates
Google Toolbar* - Popup Blocker
Firefox 1.0.6* - Web Browser
Folding@Home 5.02 - Help Cure Cancer
iTunes 4.9 - Music Jukebox
iPod 2005-06-26 - iPod Drivers
VLC 0.8.2 - Media Player
Skype 1.3.0.57 - VoIP IM client
Shareaza 2.1.0.0 - Gnutella P2P
Azureus - BitTorrent P2P
        Java 1.5.0.04 - Java Environment
        Azureus 2.3.0.4 - Client
        SafePeer 2.5.1 - BlackList
Picasa 2.0 - Photo Organizer
7-zip 4.23 - File Compression
Acrobat Reader 7.0 - PDF viewer
DeepBurner 1.6 - Nero-like Burner
FileZilla 2.2.14b - FTP Client
Thunderbird 1.0.6 - Mail/News Client
OpenOffice.org 1.1.4 - Office Suite
nvu 1.0 - WYSIWYG Web Editor
GIMP - Image Manipulation
        GTK+ 2.6.8 - Environment
        GIMP 2.2.8 - Editor
        GIMP-help 2.0.8 - Help Files
        GIMP-anim 2.0.2 - Animation
Inkscape 0.42 - Vector Drawing
pwsafe 2.11 - Password Wallet
PWGen 1.40 - Password Generator
PuTTY 0.57 - SSH Client
Bonjour 1.0 - ZeroConfig Client
AdAware SE 1.06* - Anti-Spyware[3]
SpyBot Search and Destroy 1.4* - Anti-Spyware[4]

Footnotes:

* I /will not/ work on anybody's computer unless they have these programs installed and up to date.

[1] Windows XP SP2 may not install on a pirated version of Windows.

[2] This is the free for personal use edition available at http://www.grisoft.com./ To use it, you must request a free key from http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php

[3]/[4] I put both programs in the collection because neither application is 100% perfect. I personally run AdAware once a month or so, and have SpyBot set to download the latest definition and check for problems once per week.

I'm pretty late to the story, but I made a similar list awhile ago... I've turned it into a CD of utilities that I update every so often when I'm bored. I require everything to be free (or at least, not required to pay, such as in the case with KPF), with a preference toward F/OSS

-----------------------

Included:
WindowsXP SP2* - Service Pack[1]
Kerio PF 4.2.0* - Firewall
AVG Antivirus 7* - Antivirus[2]
Windows Update* - Windows Updates
Google Toolbar* - Popup Blocker
Firefox 1.0.6* - Web Browser
Folding@Home 5.02 - Help Cure Cancer
iTunes 4.9 - Music Jukebox
iPod 2005-06-26 - iPod Drivers
VLC 0.8.2 - Media Player
Skype 1.3.0.57 - VoIP IM client
Shareaza 2.1.0.0 - Gnutella P2P
Azureus - BitTorrent P2P
        Java 1.5.0.04 - Java Environment
        Azureus 2.3.0.4 - Client
        SafePeer 2.5.1 - BlackList
Picasa 2.0 - Photo Organizer
7-zip 4.23 - File Compression
Acrobat Reader 7.0 - PDF viewer
DeepBurner 1.6 - Nero-like Burner
FileZilla 2.2.14b - FTP Client
Thunderbird 1.0.6 - Mail/News Client
OpenOffice.org 1.1.4 - Office Suite
nvu 1.0 - WYSIWYG Web Editor
GIMP - Image Manipulation
        GTK+ 2.6.8 - Environment
        GIMP 2.2.8 - Editor
        GIMP-help 2.0.8 - Help Files
        GIMP-anim 2.0.2 - Animation
Inkscape 0.42 - Vector Drawing
pwsafe 2.11 - Password Wallet
PWGen 1.40 - Password Generator
PuTTY 0.57 - SSH Client
Bonjour 1.0 - ZeroConfig Client
AdAware SE 1.06* - Anti-Spyware[3]
SpyBot Search and Destroy 1.4* - Anti-Spyware[4]

Footnotes:

* I /will not/ work on anybody's computer unless they have these programs installed and up to date.

[1] Windows XP SP2 may not install on a pirated version of Windows.

[2] This is the free for personal use edition available at http://www.grisoft.com./ To use it, you must request a free key from http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php

[3]/[4] I put both programs in the collection because neither application is 100% perfect. I personally run AdAware once a month or so, and have SpyBot set to download the latest definition and check for problems once per week.

• Replacement for Microsoft anti-spyware
• Replacement for Microsoft anti-virus
• Replacement for Microsoft firewall

A firewall doesn't protect everything. A firewall with a clueless user at the helm won't protect you from quite a lot. It won't protect you from buffer overflows, system exploits, or a lot of other automated exploits. It won't protect you from a lot of spoof attacks. It will make you non-pingable, which helps, but anything you have enabled might still be a way in. Saying that having the built-in XP firewall running gives you a 100% chance of not being compromised is like saying that having antilock breaks gives you 100% chance of surviving a crash. It helps, but if it's your only line of defense, you're screwed. Quite frankly it's grossly inappropriate to tell people to not worry anymore. Everyone should pick up a free firewall (of the kind that can detect outgoing traffic, as opposed to SP2), a free AV software package, and a free spyware detector or two.

We just had a bug fly around my work, owning the network. This was with a hardware firewall and AV. Both were working, it was just a bug that was too new and the AV vendor hadn't discovered it yet.

AVG Antivirus ( http://www.grisoft.com/ ) is another good, but free, antivirus program.

Really, it doesn't matter so much what antivirus software you use, so long as they update it regularly, and you update it regularly as well (if it doesn't automatically do this).

Combine that with using Firefox/Mozilla, a firewall, and you're good-to-go.

Also, it can't hurt to get both Spybot Search & Destroy, and Adaware. Definitely get these two if you're going to be using IE at all.

Plenty of options available Antivir, Panda, even AVG to name a few. I would not use Mcafee either. I tell all my client and people I know to get Symantec, especially Norton, off of their machine pronto. You are better off without it. the rules are a bit different in an enterprise, but the home use would be better off with nothing (no antivirus software) than with Norton.

Norton because it is the default OEM AV on M$ it is a target. Symantec sells junk because it can do that, well.

Get your money back on it fast and talk to somebody else about your AV solution.

Norton because it is the default OEM AV on M$ it is a target. Symantec sells junk because it can do that, well. Get your money back on it fast and talk to somebody else about your AV solution.

At home, Symantec's been slowing down my machines for a couple years now. As their virus signature definitions come up for renewal, I just go to Grisoft and install AVG. Since their SOHO 2-license deal is good, I have one machine on the free version until my last Symantec license expires on the other box, then I'll buy AVG for those two.

Time to vote with your feet, folks!

DT

I tried out the personal so see how it ran... and then went over to the professional. No biggie.

>As long as you don't need java for anything
No I don't... And that wasn't what my posts were about. Did I mention Sun anywhere?

>For "productivity"?
Especially! Like I said before, I don't want my users (FYI: Artists) to worry about anything but their work. Which is what never happens on Linux.
If they don't need extra steps.
They are NOT tech savy and they don't even know what GCC is.
I just want them to enjoy the work experience while being as productive as they can.
Impossible in Linux.

>It's not cross-platform
C BLOODY #!!
I don't care what framework it is. I can have .Net applications run on FreeBSD (BSD#) as well as WindowsXP.
I've been playing around with a C# app that works similar to DynDNS's dynamic DNS system. Both client (Windows) and server (FreeBSD) running C# code.

>count the hours spent running
RE: Security software...
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/Networks/lng/us/tpl/tpl 01

>anti-spy/ad/malware
I suppose there's no need ClamAV.
And there are no adware removers for Linux?

>Maybe you should fact check before flaming.
Not once! Never!
I didn't make arbitrary decisions on operating systems or software. I didn't personally assault anyone. I argued a point and it became heresy. Then people started childish namecalling...
>Bill, is that you?

I actually USED Linux before drawing a conclusion. And stating my opinion for which some people appear peeved.

>I'm sure /.'ers are asking themselves that about your post.
And I say "Compassion for those who deserve it"
These /.'ers' posts weren't the ones I used to read.
The posts I used to read actually had substance and most of them gave GREAT insight.

When will you people finally understand that Norton is not the end all be all anymore? If you run Windows, you need multiple virus scanners and multiple spyware scanners. Try AVG in addition to Norton.

OK, so we have a bunch of ignorant users who either don't know or don't care about this problem. I've always wondered if there was a good use for an Internet chain letter, and I think I've finally found one. Just send the following message to your favorite ignorant user. Maybe if this spreads, people will be so afraid that they'll actually clean their systems. Or at least we'll get to watch them squirm.

Subj: WARNING!!! Get rid of viruses or go to jail!!!

Please read this message! It is extremely important! It might even keep you out of jail!!!

You've probably heard about all the computer viruses that have been spreading like wildfire in the past few years. What you probably haven't heard is what they've been doing to the computers they infect. They've been turning these computers into "zombie computers" that can be controlled over the Internet to send spam, to attack other computers and Web sites, and to spread "phishing scams" to trick people into turning over credit card and bank account information to criminals. These infected computers are grouped into "botnets" and rented out to do the dirty work of whoever is willing to pay, often spammers, extortionists, and other criminal gangs located here and overseas in places like Russia, China, and Eastern Europe. AND YOUR COMPUTER COULD BE A ZOMBIE WITHOUT YOU EVEN KNOWING IT! RIGHT NOW, EVEN AS YOU READ THIS, YOUR COMPUTER COULD BE CHURNING OUT SPAM OR PERFORMING MANY OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES!!!

This isn't just a minor problem. In fact, it's gotten so bad that THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL SOON START PROSECUTING PEOPLE WITH INFECTED COMPUTERS!

In a recent Senate committee hearing, Dept. of Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge said, "The attacks these infected computers can launch has become a matter of national security. We've tried and tried to educate people to run antivirus software to keep their computers free of these viruses, but it appears they aren't listening. I hate the idea of having to start prosecuting ordinary Americans for this, but we don't have many options left."

Ridge went on to say that DHS wants to give people time to get these viruses off their computers, so they plan to wait until Tuesday, September 6, 2005 before they start filing charges.

So, you have until TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2005 (the day after Labor Day) to clean your computer of viruses. Otherwise, YOU COULD BE PROSECUTED!!!

BUT DON'T PANIC! Cleaning your computer is easy, and you don't even have to shell out any money to do it. Several antivirus companies have stepped up to the plate to help people meet this important deadline by offering free antivirus software.

AVG Free Edition
http://free.grisoft.com/

avast!
http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html

AntiVir Personal Edition Classic
http://www.free-av.com/

Even Microsoft has put up a site with links to free antivirus software from several companies.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/w indows2000/antivirus.mspx

If you don't have time to download and install antivirus software right now, several antivirus companies have even put up sites to do a quick scan and clean any viruses they find. THEY DON'T REPLACE ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, but they will let you quickly clean your computer until you can get software installed.

Trend Micro
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Symantec
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?pro ductid=symhome&langid=ie&venid=sym

McAfee
http://us.mcafe

NAV is by far the worst anti-virus program out there; as you've seen, it's horrendously slow and buggy. Some of the corporate versions are apparently OK but the consumer ones all suck. Even McAfee is better than NAV, and that's not saying much.

The free-for-home-use AVG is actually surprisingly fast and the similarly free-for-home-use Avast!, while slightly slower isn't nearly as slow as Norton, has a wide feature set, doesn't get in the way too often, has a smart background auto-update feature for dialup users and works on AMD64 Windows. I use the latter.

Perhaps because they feel there are too many people out there...misappropriating...their content?

That makes perfect sense if you sell CDs and DVDs, but not if you sell computers. Take Dell. They don't create intellectual property, they create tools to use it. Their products are valuable because of their versatility, and voluntarily integrating DRM serves to reduce that versatility.

Shareware authors, who used to release fully functional versions of their applications, no longer do so, even though that change in tactics may have reduced their income (IANASWA).

I would argue that the best software sold under the shareware concept is still uncrippled, except possibly for a nag screen. At the moment, I have no shareware installed except for mIRC and WinRAR. Both are uncrippled except for nag screens, and I've purchased both of them. WinZip is another great example of this.

I would argue that the cream-of-the-crop shareware has morphed not into crippleware or adware, but an evolution of the shareware concept I'm going to call "personalware." Examples of this genre are Ad-Aware, ZoneAlarm, Sygate Personal Firewall, AVG Free, and much more. Each of these programs comes with a license that says "feel free to download and install me, but for personal use only. If you're a business, pony up." You can tell that these programs are polished and that a lot of work went into them. The missing features in these free versions are so minor that most businesses could do without them, if they were so inclined to cheat. The companies behind these products seem to be in good shape, if the fact that their web sites are still up is any indication.

You now have to put money in the box to get a newspaper, whereas before, you could just take one and then deposit your money. That additional machinery contributes to the extra cost of your newspaper.

And yet, these boxes still have a relatively lightweight door that could be forced open without too much trouble, and a design that permits a dishonest person to easily take more than one copy. If we were to "DRM-ize" these boxes, they would be more like a soda machine: you put in your credit card and one copy of a newspaper (printed on special fast-fading paper to ensure you don't share it with somebody else) rolls out.

I'm kind of getting of track, so I'm going to stop here, but I just wanted to point out that in each of these instances, putting further restrictions on the product doesn't translate into more revenues.

Presumably they think that everyone here knows how to keep a Windows PC clean (it's pretty trivial, especially for someone who claims they can use FreeBSD). But, on the offchance that you're not a troll, here goes:

There are 2 tricks to using antispyware products. The first is to keep them updated. And the second it to run them in Safe Mode so that the malware can't repair itself while you're deleting it. If AdAware and Spybot can't help, try installing Microsoft Antispyware - it's actually surprisingly good. Alternatively you might need a virus scanner instead of a spyware sweeper - Avast is good and free, as is AVG.

Once you're clean, the important thing is to not get infected again. Always use a firewall (the one that comes with Windows is good enough), and deploy it before you connect to the Internet for the first time. Even (especially!) while you install the security patches. Keep Windows up to date, and don't use insecure programs like IE or Outlook Express. And for God's sake don't open any unsolicited attatchments, or dodgy executables you find on P2P or warez sites.

AVG from Grisoft has a Linux version as well as a free Windows version.

Another good, free alternative is AVG Antivirus

It's great for tinfoil hatters too, since you don't even need a registration code.

Or just do what the local pub would do and cut them off. When they complain, give a canned response and let them sort it out for themselves. I mean, come on, you're freaking *volunteering* here, and it's really not too much to ask that they install a free (for personal use) firewall and free (for personal use) virus scanner. Oh look, the AVG beta even comes with its own firewall.

Seriously, don't go gray over a volunteer network admin job.

Try AVG Anti-Virus:
http://www.grisoft.com/

I use the Linux version (but clients use the Windoze version - works very well with XP, while 98se & ME require you to turn off AVG_CC in the startup-tab of msconfig.)

AVG is hardly noticed running in the background. Fantastic protection as well...

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5

Linked off the first hit on google for "free antivirus"

Why not just download AVG Anti-virus?
Its free, and has no spyware attached.

I have been promoting users to use the same tools for a while with the exception of AVG.(I use free AVAST and I do use these tools on my windows machines. One correction, to get free AVG virus protection, goto this site, on main site it is hard to find the free version.

First, as a teacher and now homeschool mom who attempted to use Linux for over a year I must say that the comment on moving to Linux was uncalled for. I loved it for its stability, but had to give it up due to the lack of quality (appealing and intuitive interface, non-crashing, easy to install, and actually educational in nature) educational games and resources. Good design is especially important when dealing with children, espcially those with special needs (read special ed students), and with adults who need occuptaional/recreational therapy. There is, or was last year, a significant lack of quality educational games that are stable

Aside from that, there are plenty of good games out there, especially ones which are educational (which would prove especially helpful in dealing with stroke as they would help rebuild the pathways and make new ones.)

There are many good educational sites that are free to use and that are very simple to get to, especially if you were to make her homepage a custom designed web portal with links to all the sites and activities you think she will enjoy. I did this for my kids, designing a site for each that has picture links to all their favorite web sites.

Depending on the level and area of damage you should be able to make a portal of links that would suit her needs. If you need a jumping off point with a variety of educational sites you could look through the links on our site: http://www.shamusyoung.com/kidsportal/kidshome.htm l. Feel free to copy and use the source if you like. I would look through the different sites and see what is most likely to work on the areas she needs, i.e. Memory (the game), math games, logic games, etc.

http://www.popcap.com/ games, Real.com, Shockwave, and Yahoo also have some great games that help build problem solving skills, working with the logic/mathmatical part of the brain, even Tetris is good for logic developement. (if you don't mind the occasional spyware, in fact installing http://www.lavasoft.com/ Ad-aware and an anti-virus program like http://www.grisoft.com/doc/1 AVG would be wise prior to any downloads).

If you can get a hold of the old "Doctor Brain" games they are wonderful for this type of situation as they are fun to play (even for adults) and deliberately work on different parts of the brain, i.e. File Sorting to work with memory, etc. The Incredible Machine games and Lemmings are also good for logic and problem solving developement.

..which is especially dumb since AVG is free.

So, add in a copy of Office to compete with Appleworks ($250), a copy of Acid to compete with Garageband ($100), a licensed copy of Acrobat Distiller so that you can create PDFs (it's built in on the Mac), a copy of Adobe Premiere Express to compete with iMovie ($200), a copy of something that can handle full-screen video conferencing (any ideas?), plus a copy of Quicken for your taxes ($30). Oh, and 'cause you're running a Windows box, don't forget the Anti-virus software ($20).

Although I agree with the premise, I have to point out the weakness of this part of the argument. A copy of OpenOffice.org ($0). A copy of PDFCreator ($0), and a copy of AVG Free ($free, duh). You can't say free software is cool on your Mac or *nix box without admitting that it is also available for Windows.

Usual plug for free AVG. There's no excuse not to have a virus checker, no matter how clued you think you are.

I know I don't have a firewall, I have a hardware one. I know I don't run anti-virus programs, I don't download anything on this machine.

So you go to the security control panel and tell it

"don't nag me about my firewall"
"don't nag me about my virus protection"

and you're A-OK. It doesn't force them on you, it just raises the issues.

And if this is a non-commercial PC you can run AVG for free. So no excuses.

I have used integrity checking , homebrew batch files since the days of DOS and CRCHECK.EXE , to see if anything got tampered with, and in those days, DOS was simple enough that it was pretty trivial to do a quickie scan of anything I loaded upon boot, so I could be pretty assured everything at least came up clean.

One of the reasons I have been so loathe to give up my WIN95 system is that I always come up in DOS, and being I can boot DOS from a trusted floppy, I can use trusted code on the floppy to verify the integrity of suspect code on the hard drive - like see if core .dll's and initialization files have changed.. ( detecting registry changes seems futile, as even moving a window in a lot of programs will trip off changes in their registry entry.).

I completely fail to see why a corporation the size of Microsoft is having problems scanning themselves to make sure they are clean.

Even if nothing else, being Microsoft products are so identical by their very nature, why does not Microsoft code up an integrity checker and give it away on their website so anyone with a Microsoft system can download a "trusted" copy of the checker and use it to verify at least their core system files ( especially internet winsock interfaces ) have not been corrupted - offering explanation of discrepancies.

I'd trust them a helluva lot more if I knew their product could recognize I had a mangled copy of their code, and offer me to recover from them a pristine replacement - exact version I am supposed to have so everything else I have running doesn't get versioning problems. They are supposedly a big company - they should have on file everything they released... c'mon - if they can't do this, how can they even think of competing with Google?

If Microsoft did this right, their software could prepare a text file which could be emailed to their customer service department detailing specifically the nature of the intrusion, which files were altered, and where. If I could verify in a text editor that the data I was sending was *all* I was sending, I would probably co-operate and send it. ( Right now, I don't trust that company far as I can spit because of all their secretive proprietary stuff... kinda like I don't trust cashing those odd "checks" that appear in my mailbox, as cashing them often incurrs a legal liability for something else onto me.)

My latest incarnation is a homebrew MD5 analyzer, but the problem is Microsoft has so many files, and I do not know which files do what, that I have to check so many files the whole mess is completely unwieldy and cumbersome. I only wish I knew which files were really important to check.

I note the AVG Free offered by Grisoft maintains a file in each disk partition which appears to be related to a "tripwire" style integrity monitor.

Somehow, software that can not detect when its core files have been tampered with ... ehhh damn!! thay call that "trusted" computing???

You pay for anti-virus? Try AVG...

Right? No sane person in his or her right mind would recommend McAfee in any way shape or form, would they?

AVG Free Edition is for private, non-commercial, single home computer use only. Use of AVG Free Edition within any organization or for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited.

I use AVG on all my company systems and can say that in addition to being free...

Wow - good job. I would like to direct you to this paragraph on Grisoft's site:

AVG Free Edition is for private, non-commercial, single home computer use only. Use of AVG Free Edition within any organization or for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. Your use of AVG Free Edition shall be in accordance with and is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the AVG Free Edition License Agreement which accompanies AVG Free Edition.

Perhaps you should upgrade.

"I use AVG on all my company systems and can say that in addition to being free"

On http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/

"Use of AVG Free Edition within any organization or for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited."