Firewalls? I haven't smelled smoke..oh, THOSE firewalls.

Some thoughts:
) ISTR XP's firewall doesn't stop outbound baddies.
2) Yes, I know ZA's gotten fat over the years, but I use it on all our machines. Bite-sized trouble and I also sit behind a hardware firewall, and I routinely install multiple layers of AV, anti-spyware, anti-adware, and anti-trojan screeners and sweepers in every machine I get my hands on.
III) I check all the boxes all the time.

Software I use: AVG Free, Eset NOD 32, Spybot, Spywareblaster, SpywareGuard, SpySweeper, A2 Free, ZA, AdAware, TrojanHunter, and more. Not to mention WinPatrol Plus, Prevx...guards! Seize him! OK, I'll go quietly now.
I'm not really paranoid, just kind of a-retentive thorough about this stuff. Depending on the machine, I'll even use (shudder) payware.

OEF

-OldElmerFudd (November 09, 2006, 03:58 AM)

Well, the dust has settled a bit. I still use most of the free software on installs for friends, but have abandoned ZA for all but my Luddite friends in favor of Online Armor. http://www.tallemu.com/
A little steep on the learning curve, but I'd rather be asked. I like it well enough to put it on a machine at home that's not on my static NAT. Also, I've dumped about everything but Spybot, SpySweeper, and ESET at home; less is more, IMHO!
OEF

I truly do not recall anything remotely approaching rudeness at DC. There might be an occasional misunderstanding or quick reply, but the level of respect shown others is exemplary. In my experience, tech forums are generally civil when the members are knowledgeable in the matters at hand. For incivility, try Usenet. alt.comp.freeware has good information, but it frequently nearly buried in the personal attacks of some of the posters (As you may well recall, Mouser)
DC is a haven and an invaluable resource. I don't remember how I stumbled across it, but I've a cheerful supporter/user ever since.
my 2 pennies
OEF
 :Thmbsup:

I selected "every couple of days" even though it is more like every 3-5 days.  Unless I'm having a problem, I only reboot just before doing an image backup, which I do twice/week.

I hibernate the machine (Dell desktop, XP Pro SP2) any time I'll be away from it for more than a few hours, never had a problem with hibernation or sleep mode.

-AndyM (November 24, 2007, 04:58 PM)

Well, I use 3 "primary workstations", with the work load divided between graphics, audio, and general duties. They all stay on for days, sometimes a week or so. I image the primary partitions in those boxes when there's significant changes, at least every 2-3 weeks. Data's backed up daily; more often when I've been working on something major. My laptop's only on when I'm updating or traveling.
I'm not a big fan of hibernation; I prefer sleep or "standby".
Every one of them is running XP Pro SP2. I just hope MS supports the OS for more years than they say they will!
OEF