best security money can buy

[laceylacey]

i have mcafee and stopzilla and want to upgrage. will mbam file assasin remove these if i get kaspersky or norton? which is better? i am leaning toward kaspersky, i heard it does not slow down your computer

[exile360]

Greetings laceylacey and welcome to Malwarebytes'

MBAM's FileASSASSIN is designed for removing individual files which would make it a very slow and arguous process to get rid of entire programs. Instead, I'd highly recommend that you do the following:

• Download the security software(s) you wish to replace them with and save the installers to your desktop (this is so that you can avoid connecting to the internet unprotected).
  
• Download the McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool from here and save it to your desktop but do not run it yet.
  
• Disconnect from the internet by detaching the cable that goes from your modem or router into your computer or disabling your wireless connection if using wifi.
  
• Click Start and select Control Panel
  
• Open Add/Remove Programs
  
• Select McAfee Security Center and select Uninstall or Remove
  
• When it asks if you wish to remove all McAfee products confirm that you do
  
• Follow the instructions for removing it and reboot if required
  
• After that's complete, double click the MCPR.exe file you downloaded to run it and it will remove any remnants of McAfee from your system so they don't cause issues with your new antivirus software
  
• Reboot if required to do so by MCPR
  

Once that's complete, uninstall StopZILLA through Add/Remove Programs (Programs and Features in Vista or Windows 7) and then install the replacement antivirus and then install MBAM. You can then reconnect to the internet and update your new antivirus as well as MBAM.

As for recommendations, Norton is very good now and not nearly the resource hog it once was, but I would still recommend Kaspersky over it as it seems to have better detection rates of new threats. Kaspersky is also the antivirus that I personally use .

As for any leftovers from StopZILLA, I can assist you in removing any active traces that might be left over using a tool called Autoruns by Microsoft Sysinternals and when you are ready to do so I can post instructions on how to scan with it and how to post a log for my review and then I will instruct you on what needs to be removed and how to remove it.

Should you have any additional questions please post.

Thanks

[laceylacey]

thank you very much, i need to get rid of stopzilla by january, i was hoping someone would agree that mbam and kaspersky is all you need. one more question, what about registry cleaners?

[exile360]

I would certainly agree that Kaspersky combined with Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware would provide excellent security for you computer . As for registry cleaners, I generally avoid them as they often do more harm than good. I occasionally use the one built into Ccleaner (an excellent junk file removal tool) but I always check each and every registry entry it wants to remove to verify that it is indeed obsolete before allowing it to fix it. Using any registry cleaner without thoroughly checking every entry it finds can end up breaking installed programs and potentially cause all sorts of problems. Aside from that, I've never noticed any performance gains whatsoever by using such utilities.

Also note that you should run a software firewall, thus giving you the added layer of outbound blocking. If you end up using Kaspersky Internet Security, it will give you a software firewall as well as antivirus, if you only use Kaspersky antivirus then I'd recommend also finding an adequate software firewall.

These would be my recommendations for software firewalls if you don't end up using Kaspersky Internet Security Note: Windows 7 Firewall Control only works with Windows Vista and Windows 7, not Windows XP

• Windows 7\Vista Firewall Control
  
• Jetico Personal Firewall
  
• Online Armour
  
• Sunbelt Kerio
  

This article is a excellent resource regarding the use of software firewalls: Understanding and Using Firewalls

[laceylacey]

thanks again, you have been a big help!

[hello2007]

i have mcafee and stopzilla and want to upgrage. will mbam file assasin remove these if i get kaspersky or norton? which is better? i am leaning toward kaspersky, i heard it does not slow down your computer

avast is better than both of those so is avira

[blr419]

avast is better than both of those so is avira

While Avast and Avira a both great AV's I would never go as far as stating that they exceed Kaspersky 2010. Outside of the antivirus aspect of them KIS 2010 offer a greater array of protection. KIS 2010 and MBAM are an excellent combination; especially considering that KIS 2010 offers HIPS feature.

[exile360]

thanks again, you have been a big help!

You're very welcome

[noknojon]

While Avast and Avira a both great AV's I would never go as far as stating that they exceed Kaspersky 2010. Outside of the antivirus aspect of them KIS 2010 offer a greater array of protection. KIS 2010 and MBAM are an excellent combination; especially considering that KIS 2010 offers HIPS feature.

As Expert exile360 has managed this users problem very well, I think the discussion over Avira Vs Avast etc is another issue -

The thread is basocally been dealt with and you can read back on most of the members anti virus (Good Vs Better) in other postings -

[hello2007]

there are plenty of people who prefer avast or avira over kaspersky. To each his own