up vote 3 down vote favorite
1
share [g+] share [fb]

I was wondering if I should let Windows Firewall and Antivirus take care of my system's health. Should I consider buying a paid version of another antivirus/firewall (Norton, AVG)?

link|improve this question
99% accept rate
This question is rather subjective. You could instead identify the features important to you, or perhaps ask for references to comparisons of the features and effectiveness of specific products. This question is a bit like a buying recommendation - which is off-topic. – RedGrittyBrick May 20 '11 at 13:42
I agree that it's subjective and likely argumentative, but I don't think it's worth closing. A better way to ask this question may be "Where can I find a scientific comparison between antivirus and firewall software, specifically Microsoft products?" – TuxRug May 20 '11 at 18:59
feedback

2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

Microsoft Security Essentials has been well reviewed. It does a great job of staying out of the way of the OS and you can set a CPU threshold for the background scan to avoid it getting overzealous when running.

Their firewall product is both a blessing and a curse. You never know it's there most of the time and at the same time you never know if it is doing it's job. At home your router should be your first line of defense from intrusions on your system anyway. When you are out and about on public WiFi make sure Windows 7 recognizes the network is a public network and it should help keep most intrusions at bay.

Comodo made a decent firewall that is a little more interactive (read: in your face) about the activity entering and leaving your system. You could always give it a whirl with their "free" version if it is still around.

link|improve this answer
feedback
up vote 1 down vote

Personally, I run Microsoft Security Essentials and just have a high set firewall (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/windows-firewall) and it's worked well for me. I also avoid certain sites that have been known to implicate ads and malware and that's also helped boatloads for me.

link|improve this answer
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.