Expert: Brian Benosky - 3/7/2009

Question
QUESTION: hi brian i have a question im a total security freak about my computer which anti virus software and securty do you recommend to block out almost every virues, hackers and every thing else. i currently have webroot spy sweeper internt essentials. what do you recommend i email alot and surf the net but i want to block out people and evey thing else what would you recommed. some one suggest norton system works i think i might have a hacker and because i have a internet card. any advice thanks zach,

ANSWER: Hi Zach

No one program can stop every malware attack.  Let's first check your system to see how well Webroot is protecting you.  Please follow my instructions below:

Restart the computer in Safe Mode by continuously tapping the F8 key on boot until a black screen with a menu appears.  Choose to Start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking.  Log on as usual.  

Please download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to your desktop from here:

http://www.besttechie.net/tools/mbam-setup.exe

Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
* At the end, be sure a checkmark is placed next to
o Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
* then click Finish.
* If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
*Run a Full Scan.
* When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
* Be sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
* When completed, a log will open in Notepad.  Save that log and reboot normally.

Download and install HijackThis:

http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/_download/HJTInstall.exe

Make sure you close EVERY open window and ALL browser windows. The only thing that should be open is the HijackThis program.
Double-click on the file you just downloaded.
Click on the "Install" button.
Upon install, HijackThis should open for you.
Should it not open, go to C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis and double click on HijackThis.exe
Choose 'Do a system scan and save a log file'.
Copy the text file which opens in Notepad and paste it in your follow-up, along with the Malwarebytes log.
* Do not fix any entries in HijackThis, as they may be harmless.

Brian

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hey brian i did that a last night before i contacted you webroot is okay its protecting but its not doing very much. so what would you recomend i buy for protection? or what do i need to do?

Answer
Hi Zach

I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for.  You say: "webroot is okay its protecting but its not doing very much".  What else could you want from a security program than to protect?  I believe that if your computer has been trouble-free since using Webroot, then stick with it.  If you want to compare Webroot against other security suites, I suggest looking here:
http://internet-security-suite-review.toptenreviews.com/
They currently rank Webroot #4 behind BitDefender, ZoneAlarm, and Kaspersky, in that order.  Use the checklist on the page above to compare the features that are important to you.  Hope that helps.

Brian