getting a used laptop soon

[bonestonne]

ok, im pretty sure i'm getting a laptop soon, but i don't have too many specs for it. i do know that i'll be installing an nLited version of Windows XP Pro SP1 on it, automatic updates are gone.

basically, since it'll be going wireless in school, i want to know what firewall and what a/v software would be best for it. right now on this PC im using Avast 4 Home Edition, and ZoneAlarm, and its done pretty well for what i do. knowing that my school only uses IE, and Symantec internet security, i think i can safely assume that half the computers are completely effed up with trojans, and i don't want any to share with me, so what would people suggest? there are a few programs that i'll be installing like Adobe Audition and Winamp and all my music, trillian, and firefox, and WMP10 [not 11].

im mainly looking for advice when it comes to antivirus and firewall.

[Tarun]

avast is great for AV; as for a firewall, try the free Comodo Firewall.

You also should really use SP2.

[LLXX]

You don't need an antivirus or firewall if you secure your XP installation properly and be cautious of downloaded executable files.

http://virusscan.jotti.org multiscanner is best for downloaded files.

[bonestonne]

well, i'm not too worried about what i'm doing, its what the school computers have and will share. my school has several open wireless networks for the schools laptops [so open that i've seen the connection name, type, speed, and IP on the laptops] and i'm kinda unsure as to if i should trust the networks to not have little viruses floating around them.

last night i switched the firewall on this computer to Comodo because of what i read somewhere else, and i have to say, i like it better. being slightly dyslexic at times gets annoying with little green and red bars moving around at the bottom of the screen, and this doesn't give me those little popups either, which i usually miss because i'm typing at the time it comes up.

later today i'm going to install my nLited XP on this, to see how well it runs. my main issue is that my PC doesn't automatically boot from CD, even if i tell it to, so i'll have to use Daemon Tools to do it, but i can handle that. its how i installed Vista when i still felt inclined to use it. i'm pretty eager to see how well it will work with, being around 1/4 the size of the original XP.

[LLXX]

well, i'm not too worried about what i'm doing, its what the school computers have and will share. my school has several open wireless networks for the schools laptops [so open that i've seen the connection name, type, speed, and IP on the laptops] and i'm kinda unsure as to if i should trust the networks to not have little viruses floating around them.

...and your point is?

You won't get infected if you just connect to the network, unless you don't know how to secure your XP install (by that, I mean configuring the security settings; NOT installing extra software).