vista safety

thank you for your recomendations.i am trying to give her a smoother running computer from the beginning to help me in the end lol..can i download these on a disk and install that way due to the fact that she has dial up.i am still trying to persuade my dad into dsl.also should these all be set for auto updates and will they conflict?

I have downloaded to disk and installed from there in the past. Use your judgment about auto updates... its my preference to do these manually... maybe AVG Free auto update would be good for her.

You know your mom best and what she would be more comfortable with.

Good luck!

Glenn

There are no conflicts and it is recommended that auto updates be enabled. Note, though, that Spywareblaster and AVG Antispyware (free edition) must be updated manually.

John

another reason i would like to load from disk is i have about 4 other pcs in my house and i wanted to make them kinda uniform as for safety programs.this would help keep track.

Most commercial software is not Vista-compatible, as is the vast majority of freeware, so there's a wide range to choose from. You'll find several other free options in this post to the forum sticky. Just keep in mind that while Vista includes the Windows Firewall and Windows Defender (antispyware) they are not sufficient and should be complemented, if not completely replaced, by third-party alternatives.

Hope this helps,
John

one other question i have is about aim instant messaging on vista or xp.that is one thing that she does do alot of(i think its where her problems came from)and do you think this will be a problem?

all the time and have had no problems. I would caution her about accepting file transfers from unknown sources using Messenger. I have had no problem there but would be careful.

Mostly it's all about using good judgment.

Glenn

I personally don't like AOL's instant messenger due to the bloat and occasionally spyware alerts (they frequently bundle third-party gaming software WildTangent), instead looking at freeware alternatives Trillian and Pidgin (previously known as Gaim). However, AOL's Triton will work under Vista just as it does Windows XP now that version 6.1 fixed numerous compatibility issues.

John

Hi
I read a post that said disable vista uac what is this and how can i diable it.
regard's rob.

see "User Account Control overview" in help and support. Basically it's an additional security feature built within Vista to prevent Malware infections. For the user it a pain. Why is it a pain? Because it takes a great deal of time and because it's annoying. It can be disabled from the user accounts section in control panel. There are two instances in which you might wish to enable it, 1) If you have small children in the house that might tamper with your settings or 2) if your using it in a business environment where additional security might be needed. Should you wish to disable it, the risk is yours.

Hi
I have done that thanks for the info.
regard's Rob.

i dont think that i will have to limit her that way yet but i appreciate the info.and thank you everyone for the support.

No, that wouldn't limit her in any way. Most of the sites in HOSTS blocking list are sites that she wouldn't normally visit anyway except by "accident".

My recommended hosts site list, also one of the most well known host list:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm