Man I would really like to know where time goes to. Last week I write my first article of the fall and “blink” a week goes by before I get a chance to write the next one. It’s not like I’ve been sitting on my hands, but wow it sure doesn’t take much to knock me off course it seems!
I guess it didn’t help that I got hit by a cold between the eyes last Wednesday, nor that we made a dash over to Quebec City (about 500 miles away from here ) and back. Or spending a day babysitting my grandsons ( who acted like they had consumed every stimulant made by man that day. ) Or maybe it was just the time I spent getting all the groceries that we had been out of for what seemed like months. Or maybe it was just that I blinked…
All the time-warping and chaos being said – I still had “some” time to play with technology a bit more….
One of the big items that I have been playing with is a new virus scanner and firewall package that I came across and what really got me interested in it – was that it was FREE! If you know anything about me at all by know, you must know how I LOVE FREE SOFTWARE!
So I got rid of (removed entirely actually ) all that troublesome commercial software that was giving me so much grief. I don’t mind being a beta tester for things like that – but hey there has to be an upside for me to do it and all the reboots, crashes and plain frustration that I was having with it, just wasn’t worth it. So I’ve moved on.
The package that I am currently using, and liking, is from an organization/company called Comodo. I’ve used their free backup software for our main laptop and it works great and is quite easy to configure and install and I was checking out their website to see what was new, when I stumbled across several other packages that they now are publishing…
- Free Firewall
- Free Anti Spy/Malware
- Free Website Authentication
- Free Anti-Virus
- Free Email Security Certificates
Suffice to say I got a little excited and downloaded the packages to play with.
The very first thing that you need to know (as I discovered while trying to help somebody in Quebec City ) is that these packages DO NOT YET work on VISTA. I am sure that down the road they will port it over, but for now if you have Vista, sorry you’re out of luck…
I haven’t played with all the packages yet, but what I have played with has impressed me immensely.
- The virus scanner installed quickly and easily AND it plays well with Ad-Aware (unlike some of the other well known packages out there that request you to uninstall it before they proceed. ) This is a very, very active scanner which can be configured to scan and allow/ or not programs to run every time you click on them. This can be a real pain for someone who isn’t doing a lot with your computer, but if you are always experimenting with it, it’s a great tool to see just what is trying to do what when (this feature can be turned off for the faint of heart.) It allows you to set up scheduled scans AND automatic updates of the virus scanner as you wish.
- The firewall installs a graphic icon in your system tray which visually shows you at a glance which way traffic may or may not be flowing. This too needs to be configured the first time any program attempts to access the Internet, but works simply and straightforward. A real joy to work with.
With those two packages alone you have 90% of the functionality of most of the expensive “commercial” packages out there, and when you add the other free packages available you have a powerhouse package that will protect you and your computer for free.
I’ve found the software and scans it performs to actually run better and allow my computer to perform better than some of the other packages I have used in the past and will be moving my other XP machines over to it when the time comes.
The big question which every one asks is “why” and “why give it away for free” and I love their answer… It’s a long quote but worth it…
Much of Comodo’s revenue comes from verifying web business with SSL certificates (we put the padlock on websites). 
The more consumers are comfortable being online and shopping online, the more businesses will need our services. So we’ve created the best free antivirus program on the market.
Consumers get freeware antivirus software (and other programs, such as firewall and spyware software), emerchants get confident online customers, and Comodo gets to sell our technologies and services to these online merchants.
Comodo is delivering the best free antivirus program as a cornerstone of our initiative to empower consumers to create a safe and trusted online experience whenever you go online. This new initiative will also make other free desktop security tools available, including a free firewall and spyware software, to avoid leading threats such as trojan infections
Free Download – No License Fees Ever
What more can I say – check out their website and give their utilities a try and for those that have Vista – keep the faith. I’m sure there is a version just around the corner for you too…
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