Windows 7 - Security Software

[Concerned User]

Hi,

Did a complete migration to Windows 7 Ultimate (after backing up all my data on an external drive), clean install, deleted all old partitions. My heart was in my mouth but everything seems to be okay.

Microsoft Security Essentials has been installed and is working fine.

Question:

Is the inbuilt firewall enough? Or is a solution like Comodo, Zone Alarm, needed?

If I do install Comodo, I'm assuming that I don't need the defense + crap which will pop up a windows each time I install something? (I'll have enough popups with the UAC stuff).

Would love to hear the opinions of those who have migrated to Win 7. Thanks!

[Sope]

If you're not a high risk user the Windows 7 firewall is a perfectly good choice, especially if you want to keep things simple. If you can be reasonably sure that your other security measures are effective, then there's not much need for a more advanced firewall IMO.

The UAC in Win7 is much less obtrusive/irritating than in Vista. I never feel an urge to switch it off.

[kendall.a]

I've said this before and I'll say it again. With almost all built-in Windows 7 tools, I see no need for replacements. That includes the firewall, backup tool, defragger, search tool, etc. I find myself adding very little to what comes built within Windows 7. I see no need to add an additional firewall, as long as you have a hardware firewall within your modem/router (and most people do).

I also run MSE and find that it works great. I would suggest that you add WinPatrolFree as a HIPS (and many other cool tools). A lot of people here would also suggest that you add Sandboxie. It's a very safe move and could come in handy. However, if you are a very careful person and don't surf hacks, warez, or p0rn sites, you could do without Sandboxie (don't shoot me).

[tushR]

Originally Posted by Concerned User

If I do install Comodo, I'm assuming that I don't need the defense + crap which will pop up a windows each time I install something?

Pop up's have reduced drastically, even changing all the settings to increase pop up's I was not able achieve anything near what we had with earlier versions - anyways default settings are configured to show minimal pop up's.

I use MSE with Comodo FW with D+ ...worked flawlessly for me till now.

Note: Pop up increases only when you are installing "unsigned" softwares.

[Concerned User]

Thanks for your suggestions!

However, with Comodo (the firewall component) alone, I had a control of what applications were trying to access the internet.

I'm not so sure about the Windows 7 firewall since I'm a total newbie with it

[MidnightCowboy]

IMO there's certainly no point in using a third party firewall like Comodo unless you intend to use the HIPS with it.

This is the one component likely to offer additional protection by warning you of something possibly not spotted by your regular AV. The need for this, as Kendall says though, is directly related to your surfing habits.

I'm now dual booted with Windows 7 Ultimate and Linux Mint, Windows being my secondary system of choice. I want to like Comodo, I really do, but on my system it never works consistently for very long. A new install a week ago with only standard settings changes (no custom tweaks) worked great for three days and then right in the middle of normal use my connection dropped. Suspecting the usual ISP issues I attempted to switch over from cable to modem only to be met with "no network found". Rebooting into Linux I was able to connect with both methods. Back into Windows and disabling Comodo had no effect. Uninstalling Comodo returned my Windows connectivity to normal.

This behavior is typical of my usage history with Comodo. I'm not disputing that many folks can use this trouble free, but I'm not one of them.

On the understanding that many users see HIPS as an important feature I'm now having another look at the free Outpost suite which also enjoys top end performance. The AV component might not be that high up the pile but in today's world I don't think this matters much. No matter which AV you choose, if your surfing habits are not controlled, a HIPS is more important than the difference between a 90 and 95 percent detection rate.

IMO with a combination like Windows firewall and MSE, WinPatrol is adequate for sensible surfers otherwise look at Malware Defender (with network protection enabled) for high risk use. You need to know what you're doing with a tool like this though which requires a lot of work to configure properly and a wrong decision can render your system unusable.

[Concerned User]

Thanks MC. Guess my current settings are fine then! (MSE with the Windows Firewall). I will try out WinPatrol also.

[garth]

Originally Posted by Concerned User

Would love to hear the opinions of those who have migrated to Win 7. Thanks!

Using PrivateFirewall 7 with Win7 ultimate. I completely agree with Kendall about the tools built into Win7 being entirely fit for purpose but i choose not to trust MS with my security where avoidable. I like to configure my firewall so it is exactly to my liking and as far as AV goes, i recall someone saying there is no one solution (which must surely include MSE) so i use a variety of bits and pieces.

I use most Windows built in tools to do the job if they're available. A lot less conflicts that way, generally, and 3rd party software is not needed in a lot of areas. Less system resource usage as well. The Win7 firewall is one of those areas for me. One can configure it and control everything through the firewall if one needs to, unlike the XP built in firewall.

[garth]

Originally Posted by JohnnyDollar

The Win7 firewall is one of those areas for me. One can configure it and control everything through the firewall if one needs to, unlike the XP built in firewall.

I got so used to using a 3rd party firewall i never even thought to look at Win7 firewall. I assumed it would be like XP firewall so just never bothered. Maybe i should but my existing setup works just fine so probably not. Possibly it seems a little hypocritical running an MS OS but not using their security apps because i don't trust Microsoft, but if i thought for a moment there was a Linux distro that could support everything i use, i would use it and never look back.