my computer crashed and now I'm setting up a new one but it's been a while so I'm not sure what's up today.

what is the better antivirus software today, Norton or Kaspersky?

what is the better browser, firefox 8 or google chrome? or?

thanks

Windows 7 in 64, use Microsoft Security Essentials (free, effective and very small footprint), Chrome is the only option (IE has actually gotten really good but I still wont use it). Get a MOBO with UEFI.

I swear Joe, your computer always crashes and you're always setting up a new one.
Told you before to stop downloading all that pr0n.

it's been a rough couple of days. First the color wheel explodes in the dlp tv, no wonder they don't make them any more. Got a new tv, unboxed it, screwed in the base, prepped everything and at the last second noticed the screen had a nice dent in the middle and the lcd was broken. Then the computer died for the second time. It lasted about 3 years on the original drive until a virus got it and then another 3 years on the replacement drive, is that a normal lifespan? Got a new computer and spent all night transfering files until I noticed a dead pixel. Today, exchanged for another new computer and have to do everything all over again. Lost all my bookmarks which won't seem to import. Didn't lose the porn.

Get a Mac

^^^ what he said

I have an i-phone so I'm not against a mac but I'm not ready to go that route just yet.

I am curious though, seems in the past people have had strong opinions for specific web browsers. I'm really interested in hearing thoughts on the current selection.

Firefox w/ NoScript.

depends on your OS.

for windows XP, definitely firefox + no script plug in.

with win7, permissions are addressed differently and the script killer is less of a necessity.

when i had a PC i only used firefox and paid for Norton every year

but now that i have a Mac i sludge around with safari

actually safari aint bad, I prefer chrome. I dont know but i've never been a firefox person.

and yes I have a mac and im never going back to using pc laptops. Too many blue screens

Mac is the way to go.

I'll just chime in and say Firefox + NoScript seems like a perfect fit for your situation. Personally I run Firefox in Sandboxie (and open any potentially malicious files in a separate sandox) but that's just personal preference. Coupled with Microsoft Security Essentials I have had zero issues.

Regarding your 'lifespan' question I would say 'it depends.' If you're running on a notebook 3 years to hardware failure isn't what I would call out of the ordinary. On the short end but not unheard of.

How can anyone recommend Firefox over Chrome? Firefox is a resource hog and Chrome is about 30 times faster with a much smaller footprint.

Why not go with a free antivirus?

This ^ I have been running Microsoft Security Essentials and I love it. Better than Avast and way less resources than Norton. I have been problem free since installing and haven't had a virus in the last 6 years.

Doesn't anyone use Spybot Search and Destroy? It's an essential on my wife's computer, and it's free. I have a macbook pro, a macbook, and a HP Pavillion. I love Macintosh, but to be honest, their hardware sucks, compared to the PC's. I've had a ton of issues with my Mac's over the years, but the PC has always run great.

That said, for the work that I'm using my computer for my Macintosh software, and Operating system runs like a dream. I'll jump in with Firefox. I have a mac, and I use it as my go to browser for everything, that said, The newest Safari that's packaged with Lion is really starting to pick up steam.

If your using Safari, Adblock plus get's rid of all the ads that play on youtube, or any other video streaming sites (Like Justin.tv).

I don't use it anymore since almost MSE searches for both virus and malware. If you are using Windows 7 correctly though it should be damn near impossible to end up with malware unless you unintentionally allow it to install or download it thinking it's program you want or something to that extent.

Did google ever correct and deal with any of the privacy issues that chrome originally raised?
I never got it because of all of that. That's why I use firefox.

My hard drive died on a rather pricey 18 months old Toshiba Laptop - one of the reasons I'm having to sell a few items. Anyone have any suggestions for the safest route to go towards getting a new hard drive installed and working? I dont have time or skill to do it myself, and the laptop wasnt ever used that much - it still looks new.

Muton installing a harddrive is as simple as pulling out the old one, and pushing a new one in. Look for a cheap HD but find one that's relatively fast. I can walk you through the process of installing it, and it's literally as simple as adding 1+1.

where are you located Muton ? I have replaced plenty of lappy HDs before... you can get a cheap $15 set of cables to connect your old HD via USB to another computer if you need to recover files or if you want to clone everything onto the new drive. feel free to msg me, I will help as much as I can.