step by step, detailed instructions for choice and installation of
virus protection and security software that will speed up the slow
(3-4 min.) start-up of my new Tablet PC. I currently have no virus
protection. Paying for the best security is not a problem. Slow
start-up is the problem.

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 10 Feb 2006 11:33 PST

dan...

Fortunately, the best is not always expensive. Please see my
previous answer on computer security, here:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=568868

In it, you will find very effective and reputable freeware
solutions, not only for antivirus, but for adware, spyware,
and other malware. As for the AV options, I personally 
recommend AntiVir:

AntiVir
http://www.free-av.com/

All the software I recommend in that answer comes with its
own installation instructions, in the readme.txt files, or
on the website, and are easy to install.

As to whether this will fix your slow startup, that assumes
it's being caused by a virus or other malware, which isn't
necessarily the case, so I won't post this as a formal 
answer until you've had a chance to install the security
software (along with the latest updates when you first run
each program, please) and see what it finds on your system,
and whether it makes any difference in your startup time.

Let me know where this takes you...

sublime1-ga

---

Clarification of Question by dan711-ga on 11 Feb 2006 13:29 PST

sublime1-ga
Thank you for the thorough education on possible solutions for slow
startup. Your tailored answer plus your reference to your previous
answer worked well together...just what I wanted. Your resources are
the best. I passed the Shields UP test with 100%, installed AntiVir,
found 11 spys. So you have more than completed 100% of my request.
Question, I have a Linxys router with  wireless and VOIP features.
Should I install the Asante firewall router between the Cable modum
and the Linxys? Thanks again, You're ready for 'check-out'.
Dan

dan...

Thanks very much for confirming my input as an answer.
I'll repeat my response here, for the sake of future
readers:

------------------------------------------------------

Fortunately, the best is not always expensive. Please see my
previous answer on computer security, here:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=568868

In it, you will find very effective and reputable freeware
solutions, not only for antivirus, but for adware, spyware,
and other malware. As for the AV options, I personally 
recommend AntiVir:

AntiVir
http://www.free-av.com/

All the software I recommend in that answer comes with its
own installation instructions, in the readme.txt files, or
on the website, and are easy to install.

------------------------------------------------------

Any router can serve as a firewall. I recommended Asante
because they're inexpensive and effective. Your Linksys
router will do just fine, and if you passed Shields UP
with 100%, that tells you it's doing its job.

Sounds like you're good to go! Just run AdAware and
Spybot Search & Destroy about once a week, updating
them when you do so. Also run Spyware Blaster about 
once a week, update it, and enable all protection.

And, of course, run your antivirus about once a week,
and let it do a full system scan. If you opted for
AntiVir, schedule an automatic update for once a day,
since the Guard aspect of the program protects you 
from drive-by virus downloads when you're browsing
the internet, and they update the virus definitions
more than once a day.

Happy surfing!

sublime1-ga

Sublime1-ga is the 'go to' guy for computer security. His source list
of providers, testamonials, hard ware and software options are a
valuable resource list. The result? My laptop no longer lags during
start-up...and I sleep better too.

For adware detection and removal check these sites out. They are all
free and are 100% user-friendly.

Ad-Aware PE
http://www.lavasoft.com/software/adaware/

SpyBot Search & Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

For viruses there is a great freeware tool out there called Anti Virus
Guard by Grisoft. It is also free and very user-friendly. Check the
link out below to download it.

http://www.grisoft.com/doc/289/lng/us/tpl/tpl01

And for faster startup you might want to run the tool, msconfig. Goto
'Start' then 'Run' and type in "msconfig". Goto the 'Startup' tab and
remove things that you don't deem necessary. Don't worry about taking
everything out as you can go back into "msconfig" and add them back.

Regards,
Eugene

Hi dan711-ga,

Although I concur with my colleague sublime1-ga on the programs he
recommended and in fact use them myself in addition to a hard router,
I would like to add one recommendation to the list.

I recently discovered that neither AntiVir, AdAware nor SpyBot S&D
provide email protection, and I discovered it when a virus rode into
my system on an email. The troublemaker activated when I viewed the
email in the preview pane in Outlook Express. It took me nearly two
weeks and a lot of grief to isolate and rid my system of that virus,
which infected my display, randomly turning it multicolored dark or
pastel colors, and unreadable, necessitating a hard reboot to clear.

However, I have gotten rid of it, and since then discovered that I can
run Grisoft's AVG, mentioned in the comment above, email protection
together with my AntiVir. It is possible to activate that segment of
the program alone, without running the full antivirus program. Many
times it's said not to run two antivirus programs together, but there
appears to be no conflict whatsoever with this, with AVG seamlessly
integrating itself with both AntiVir and Outlook Express. Another
option, of course, might have been a different email client, but I had
too much invested in my organization of this one to make it an easy
switch. Fortunately, AVG's flexibility made it unnecessary.

So I'm just offering this extra bit to you and anyone else who wants
to use both AntiVir and MS Outlook Express.

Best wishes,
Byrd-ga

dan...

Thanks very much for the rating and the tip! And thanks
to my colleague byrd-ga for her valuable addition to 
the security issue with regards to email. I've quoted
her comment on the original question I cited, to make
it a more complete response to computer security issues.

sublime1-ga