The most recent articles from Computeract!ve

Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 v8.0.0.506

Tim Smith — 2008-12-01T00:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith, Computeract!ve, Monday 1 December 2008 at 00:00:00

Maximum protection with this all-round security suite

Kaspersky Internet Security is the latest in the line of software packages offering full protection in one place.

The antivirus component checks all emails as they arrive on the computer with special plug ins for Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. Internet traffic is also checked and malicious software prevented from running on the computer.

The firewall stops anyone from accessing your computer from the internet whether that is to steal personal information or automated software that is running without permission. It will check with the user when the computer is connected to a network (internet or home for example) to set the correct security level.

Dial up users are protected from premium rate number diallers that attempt to change the telephone number used to connect to the internet.

Personal information is kept safe as Kaspersky prevents confidential material from being stolen. Spam is also blocked to help save time.

Special Kaspersky 30%-off Promotion: get Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 and 30% off the retail price, which is £27.99 rather than the regular price of £39.99. To obtain your 30% discount, click the 'buy now' link on this page and enter coupon code 30offis through checkout.

Avira AntiVir Personal 8.2.0.337

Tim Smith — 2008-11-29T00:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith, Computeract!ve, Saturday 29 November 2008 at 00:00:00

Popular free anti-virus client

Virus attacks are all too common and Avira AntiVir can protect against these menaces and others including worms, trojans and dialers.

The AntiVir Guard is constantly working in the background and checks every file as it is used by Windows or other software. This includes heuristic scanning to check for viruses that have not been formally identified.

Scans can also be started manually or scheduled at daily or weekly intervals.

Should a virus be found, it can either be removed or moved to a quarantine area.

This new version is a brand new release, along with support for Vista SP1 and many other additions.

Microsoft scraps Live Onecare and Equipt

Andrea-Marie Vassou — 2008-11-20T17:13:00.000Z

Andrea-Marie Vassou, Computeract!ve, Thursday 20 November 2008 at 17:13:00

Plans to release free security tool in 2009

Microsoft is to cancel its all-in-one security product, Live Onecare, from 30 June 2009, and replace it with a free tool.

Microsoft claims that the free tool, currently known as Morro, will be more effective in protecting consumers against viruses and other PC threats because paid-for products can be difficult for some people to maintain.

Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management at Microsoft said: " Consumer security models are based on annual subscriptions that need a credit card to renew. Given that many consumers in markets such as Brazil, India and China do not have access to those types of payment services, it can be difficult to secure and maintain quality malware protection,” she said.

However, security firm F-Secure does not seems concerned by the prospect of a free Microsoft security product in the near future. A representative said the company “had no plans to launch a free anti-virus offering”.

"Microsoft is now joining other free anti-virus vendors that already have a significant user base. The influence of the free anti-virus market on F-Secure is not anticipated to change significantly due to Microsoft’s entry," he said.

As well as Onecare, Microsoft has cancelled Equipt - a subscription service that leased Microsoft Office and Onecare to home users for a low fee. Equipt was launched in the UK less than a month ago.

The company said that sales of Equipt would end within 90 days and subscription services would come to an end in the first half of 2009.

However, despite reports that US customers would be allowed to keep their copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition, Microsoft would not confirm whether UK customers would get the same deal.

"Microsoft will ensure that customers who subscribed to this service continue to get value from it through the end of their subscription and will provide detailed information about customer options early next year," the company said in a statement.

PC help: Install Ubuntu's firewall

Computeractive staff — 2008-10-23T10:00:00.000Z

Computeractive staff, Computeract!ve, Thursday 23 October 2008 at 10:00:00

Install a firewall on Ubuntu using the Synaptic Package Manager

Q I recently tried Ubuntu 7.10, but could find no mention of a firewall or means of configuring one. This was worrying because of the importance of this security software.

I attempted to find help on the internet, but I was astounded by the complexity of the technical answers supplied to other beginners. How can I stay protected?

Lynne Woodward

A A firewall can be quickly installed on Ubuntu using the Synaptic Package Manager. As new software is installed over the internet make sure that the computer is connected before starting.

Click on the System menu, Administration and then on Synaptic Package Manager. Enter your password when prompted. Click on the Settings menu and then on Repositories.

Click in the box labelled ‘Community maintained Open Source software (universe)’, so that a tick appears and then on the Close button. Click on the reload button in the toolbar and Ubuntu will download the new list of software.

Click on the Search button, then type firestarter and click on the Search button. One option should appear in the main window, Firestarter. Click on the box to the left of the title and select Mark for Installation.

Click on the Apply button and then on the Apply button in the Summary window that appears. The software will be downloaded and installed. Click on the Close button when it has finished.

To view and edit the firewall settings, click on the Applications menu, Internet and then Firestarter.

There is a help file supplied with the software and more information can be found on the Firestarter website.

PC help: Security conflicts

Computeractive staff — 2008-10-21T10:00:00.000Z

Computeractive staff, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 21 October 2008 at 10:00:00

What to do when Windows Vista does not recognise anti-virus software

Q I have Norton 360 installed on my Vista computer, but the Security Center still says that my computer has no anti-virus program installed.

I have Windows Defender switched on, but the Windows Security Alerts icon is still coming up in the notification area. The Norton 360 program says that I am protected, so clearly there is a conflict going on here.

David Hughson

A Norton 360 appears not to be talking correctly to the Windows Security Center. This relies on each program telling it whether or not it’s working properly.

If you’re sure that Norton 360 is working (for instance, if the Norton 360 control centre confirms that it’s fully active and up to date), you can switch off the notifications. Click Start, then Control Panel (or Start, Settings, Control Panel) and select Security Center.

If you can’t see Security Center, click ‘Switch to Classic mode’ in the top-left, then double-click Security Center. Under Resources in the dialogue box that appears, click ‘Change the way Security Center alerts me’.

In the Alert Settings dialogue box, remove the tick from the Virus Protection box and click OK. If you’re using Norton 360 as your firewall, remove the tick box from this, too. The presence of Windows Defender is not relevant as it is an anti-spyware application.

Bitdefender Total Security 2009 security software

Paul Lester — 2008-10-03T12:52:00.000Z

Paul Lester, Computeract!ve, Friday 3 October 2008 at 12:52:00

A comprehensive security, optimisation and backup program

Once installed, Bitdefender 2009 uses a nine-step wizard to configure various aspects of the package.

This includes identity control to safeguard information such as credit card details and passwords, parental controls, and automatic updates before running a full scan for viruses and spyware.

When the initial scan is complete the main program fires up with an initial report on any problems that have been found.

The user is given a choice of basic or advanced views here, with the former particularly suited to beginners.

If any holes in security are detected there's an option to fix them with a single mouse-click and the tabbed interface will explain whether the problem lies with security, optimisation or the file manager.

This is a nice structure because it allows new users to correct issues easily but still offers the amount of information required to find out more if that's required.

Browsing through the range of categories reveals a series of tick-boxes designed to enable or disable various parts of the software, depending on how comprehensively you want it to monitor the computer. This is quite different to the approach taken by most other security suites but we liked the straightforward way in which the tools can be controlled.

The advanced view is more traditional as far as security programs go, offering specific access to the various components. These include security protection in the form of virus and spyware scanners, a firewall, spam remover and checks on general vulnerability.

There are also optimisation tools that include a disk defragmenter and registry scanner as well as backup, either to a disk or over the internet to round off what is an extremely impressive array of features. Everything is tied together very well and even in advanced mode it's fairly straightforward to adjust settings and configure the firewall and protection levels for your PC.

Bitdefender works quite differently, then, to many other security suites on the market but is an extremely effective way of combining the wide range of tools on offer. There was very little effect on performance and the unobtrusive approach manages to be refreshing while still providing peace of mind that the computer is effectively secured.

Review: Norton Internet Security 2009 security software

Cliff Joseph — 2008-10-03T12:43:00.000Z

Cliff Joseph, Computeract!ve, Friday 3 October 2008 at 12:43:00

The veteran security program goes turbo

Norton Internet Security (NIS) is one of the best-known names in anti-virus and security software.

However, we’ve often heard complaints from users who have been annoyed by the fact that it was prone to slowing down the computer when running its scans, and by the messages that pop up offering warnings or advice.

So for the new 2009 edition, Norton's maker Symantec has primarily concentrated on performance, rather than simply adding new features. We wouldn’t go so far as to say that NIS 2009 is ‘zero impact’, as Symantec claims, but we did find it a lot less intrusive than previous versions of the program.

The improvements start from the installation, which took us just one minute to perform on our test notebook (it actually took us longer to complete the online registration). When it’s running, NIS 2009 only uses 7MB of memory, so it doesn’t take up a lot of resources that might be needed by other programs.

And if you’re playing games or watching video and don’t want to be interrupted for a while you can right-click on the Norton icon in the Taskbar and activate the new silent mode. This temporarily stops messages from appearing on screen and tells the program not to download any new updates.

In addition to the regular four-hourly checks for information about new viruses, there are new so-called ‘pulse’ updates that can perform a quick check every few minutes just to make sure there have been no recent updates that need to be installed.

If you’re worried that your PC might have been infected, NIS 2009 includes a new module that performs a very quick scan just to check that everything is OK, which on our PC took only 43 seconds.

The quick-scan option uses a new feature called Insight that checks the files on the computer against an online database of known and trusted files. Files that are a normal part of Windows are included on this list, so NIS skips past these to save time and only check files that it doesn’t recognise.

There's still the option of running a full scan for maximum security, and such scans can also be set to automatically run when you’re not using the computer.

So while Norton Internet Security 2009 doesn’t provide many new features, its focus on improving performance and minimising distractions is very welcome.

Our main complaint is that there’s no printed manual, and we sometimes struggled to find our way through the online Help files to locate specific features. However, with 24-hour online chat and telephone support now available, there is the comfort of knowing that there’s someone ready to help when you need it.

PC help: Access music without turning off the firwall?

Computeractive staff — 2008-09-19T10:00:00.000Z

Computeractive staff, Computeract!ve, Friday 19 September 2008 at 10:00:00

Q I can’t use my D-Link DSM-320 Wireless Media Player unless I switch off the Windows firewall on my computer, something D-Link’s support people have advised me to do. I can’t believe this is sensible because it will leave my computer vulnerable to attack, but it is the only way I can use my media player.

I could also disconnect my internet connection to ensure the computer remains safe, but if I do this I cannot access D-Link’s radio services because they require access to the internet. I can’t win one way or another, unless you can think of an answer.

I used to use Zonealarm but experienced such difficulties that BT advised me to ditch it and use the Windows firewall.

A Presumably this is because you’re trying to access music or video files that are stored on a PC on your home network, rather than on the internet. What you need to do is open a port on the computer.

This is an instruction to the firewall that it should allow the D-Link media player to access files on the computer. In the Windows firewall, you can do this by opening the firewall control panel and clicking the Exceptions tab. Scroll down the list and find the entry for the D-Link Media Server software. Tick the box to tell the firewall to allow the program to communicate with the media player.

The problem with this media player and Zonealarm is that, as it is installed, Zonealarm does not distinguish between the home network and the internet. This means that it blocks the media player. Here are some instructions on how to stop Zone Alarm from blocking local network traffic.

Zonealarm may require a little more work to set up but it does offer better protection than the Windows Firewall.

PC Help: Windows Security Center

Scott Colvey — 2008-09-02T12:56:00.000Z

Scott Colvey, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 2 September 2008 at 12:56:00

Call security

The Windows Security Center is worth a regular visit to ensure that your PC has all the necessary protections in place.

In Windows XP, open the Start menu, then click Control Panel followed by the Security Center link.

In Vista, open Control Panel in the same way but then click the ‘Check this computer’s security status’ link under the Security heading.

If any of the main sections indicate a problem, as in our screenshot, use the various buttons and help links to investigate and resolve the problem.

Computeractive staff

PC Help: Am I secure enough?

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-09-02T11:58:00.000Z

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 2 September 2008 at 11:58:00

How to defend your computer against virus attacks

Q I have the free AVG 7.5 anti-virus program, Ccleaner and the Windows Defender firewall. I am starting with broadband at the end of this month and I wondered if I could use the Zonealarm firewall (the free version) as well as Defender or should Defender be removed to allow Zonealarm to work? Also do you think I have enough protection, or should I buy another package? My computer is never left switched on.

M Taylor

A The three things you need for basic computer protection are an anti-virus program, a firewall and an anti-spyware program. As Windows XP has a built-in firewall, you actually have all three installed at the moment, and there’s no need to duplicate them (in fact, it can cause problems to have, for instance, two firewalls running). Windows Defender is an anti-spyware program, not a firewall, so you can remove either this or Ccleaner, and still be fine. Finally, AVG covers the anti-virus side of things. On the question of when the computer is switched on, it’s generally considered crucial to have all three of these programs running whenever the computer is switched on and connected to the internet, whether you’re using it or not – so even if it’s only in use for short periods, make sure all three are up-to-date and working.

PC help: Am I secure enough?

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-09-01T10:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Monday 1 September 2008 at 10:00:00

What you need to stay safe and secure online

A The three things you need for basic computer protection are an anti-virus program, a firewall and an anti-spyware program.

As Windows XP has a built-in firewall, you actually have all three installed at the moment, and there’s no need to duplicate them (in fact, it can cause problems to have, for instance, two firewalls running). Windows Defender is an anti-spyware program, not a firewall, so you can remove either this or Ccleaner, and still be fine.

Finally, AVG covers the anti-virus side of things. On the question of when the computer is switched on, it’s generally considered crucial to have all three of these programs running whenever the computer is switched on and connected to the internet, whether you’re using it or not – so even if it’s only in use for short periods, make sure all three are up-to-date and working.

Review: PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 6 security software

Paul Lester — 2008-08-25T10:00:00.000Z

Paul Lester, Computeract!ve, Monday 25 August 2008 at 10:00:00

Kill off viruses and spyware

Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 6 is the latest in a series of security applications from PC Tools designed to protect your PC from a range of spyware and virus threats.

After a straightforward setup and an initial update to retrieve the latest additions to its database, the main screen provides the user with access to the tools on offer along with a system summary.

Spyware Doctor includes two main ways to protect your computer: the system scanner and the Intelli-guard tool suite. The former offers a choice of intelligent scanning, which focuses on the critical system resources, a full-scan that include all disks, and a custom scan that allows users to choose specific folders and scan types.

We were impressed by how fast and comprehensive the intelligent scan was – this alone seemed capable of quickly identifying and removing even the most recent threats. The full scan took quite some time but will only really be necessary if you suspect an attack on other partitions or disks installed on the computer.

The Intelli-guard tools also provide active protection against incoming viruses and spyware. This includes guards for your browser and against cookies, plus email and network protection and other general utilities. There isn't a lot of control over these and in most cases you're simply given the option of enabling or disabling them, but they're all switched on by default and with little or no impact on system performance there doesn't seem to be any reason to have to pick and choose.

You'll find a handful of advanced settings for tweaking the behaviour of the software and a comprehensive history of detected threats, along with a scheduler to automate scans and a Global Action List, in which you can add rules to automatically block or allow specific websites or files.

We were very impressed both by how easy Spyware Doctor was to use and the range of protection available. The software takes a very unobtrusive approach and with hardly any impact on performance it's an ideal solution for beginners who want peace of mind without being bothered by interruptions and confusing pop-ups.

Vista compatible: Yes

AVG Anti-Virus Free 7.5.51 for Linux

Tim Smith — 2008-08-11T00:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith, Computeract!ve, Monday 11 August 2008 at 00:00:00

Catch and delete viruses on a Linux computer

Linux may be more resilient against viruses, but there are still good reasons to install some form of antivirus software. Not only does it protect the computer against future threats, it also makes sure that viruses are not passed on to Windows users.

You can read our full review of AVG free for Linux here.

The download here is for Ubuntu. There are alternative versions for SuSE Linux, Red Hat and Mandriva also available.

The familiar interface of AVG is maintained from the Windows version, making this ideal for Linux newcomers.

There are some detailed system requirements, most of which should be met by the distributions listed above. More information can be found in the AVG free for Linux manual. This is in PDF format, so you will need the Adobe Reader.

PC help: Add timestamps to Notepad documents

Scott Colvey — 2008-07-03T10:00:00.000Z

Scott Colvey, Computeract!ve, Thursday 3 July 2008 at 10:00:00

Make Notepad add a time and date to a document automatically

It’s possible to make the Notepad program, which comes free with Windows, add timestamps to information. I use this feature to keep track of messages and notes when surfing.

To do the same, begin by launching Notepad (from the Start button, point to All Programs, then Accessories and click Notepad). Now, on the first line type a full stop followed by LOG (in capitals) and press Return. Save the file with a suitable name, for example Mynotes, and place a shortcut on the Windows Desktop or Taskbar for future use.

When the file is next opened the date and time will be added to the end of the log, which serves as a timestamp for the next entry.

W Gurney

PC help: Installing AVG anti-virus software

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran — 2008-07-02T10:00:00.000Z

Tim Smith and Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Wednesday 2 July 2008 at 10:00:00

How to uninstall Norton security software and replace it with AVG

Q I have just purchased a notebook computer with Windows Vista Premium installed.

It also came with Norton Internet Security installed, but this is limited to a 30-day trial and I have not activated it yet.

I have the AVG Free security software on my main computer, and this seems OK, so I wish to put the same on the notebook.

I gather I need to get rid of the Norton software before installing AVG, but how do I do this?

There is no guidance on the computer. Is AVG the best free download?

David Wheeler

A We recommend AVG as a very good free anti-virus program, but there are others available that do the job just as well, such as Avira Antivir or Avast. They’re all very effective; which one you choose is down to personal preference – if you’re happy with AVG, stick with it.

Which brings us to uninstalling your existing security program. Bear in mind that, since your computer will not be protected once you uninstall the existing anti-virus program, you should download the new one first, then unplug your computer’s internet connection to be on the safe side. You can plug it back in again once the new anti-virus program is installed.

To uninstall Norton Internet Security, click the Start menu, then Control Panel. Select Add or Remove Programs. When the window appears, scroll down and click the first item that refers to Norton Internet Security. Click Remove and follow the instructions. When it has finished, repeat the process for any other entries that name Norton Internet Security. Do not remove anything else. Finally, open the Control Panel again and double-click Windows Firewall. Make sure it is set to On and click OK, then restart the computer. Once it has restarted, install the new anti-virus program.