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After months of searching and trying out combinations.   I believe I have settled with a security combination for my Windows XP machine (DEP is on).

1.  ESET NOD32 Antivirus – This is my all-time favorite antivirus, and my all-time favorite security program for my PC (also tested Avast, AntiVir, Kaspersky, Microsoft Security Essentials, Norton)

2.  WinPatrol Free – This lightweight HIPS is one of best out there, I’ve tried others like Comodo D+, Spyware Terminator, Private Firewall, EqSecure, Online Armor, ZoneAlarm Pro, Jetico and Malware Defender.  Yet WinPatrol still comes out on top.

3.  Prevx SafeOnline (Facebook Edition) should be on anyone’s computers, especially since it’s browser protection module is really powerful.  I actually installed this on three other PC’s I’m currently managing.

4.  Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, installed as another malware on-demand scanner, this is one of the best in catching rogue AV/AMs so I’m sticking with this.

5.  Vba32 AntiRootkit BETA, just in case any rootkit nasties get in my PC.

6.  Secunia PSI, just to scan for software vulnerabilities within my machine

7.  As for my Firewall, I’m using Windows Firewall, and I just configured my IPsec settings so that it would block ICMP Pings.

I’m currently behind a NAT Router with SPI enabled.  I’m using OpenDNS as my preferred DNS service.

Added links for security software, just a few months ago, I only used NOD32 as my main security solution. Since I’m behind a router, I felt quite secure with just using the default Windows XP firewall. For some reason, I’ve become anal with my computer’s security, maybe because I do sometimes connect directly to the Internet using SmartBRO, but it’s probably because I’m now fathering a child — I’m a bit paranoid. So as NOD32 Antivirus as my main security option, I’ve built a security “supporting cast” around it — and since I’m not planning on paying for another security software, I’ve only chosen the free to use ones.

First up, is the Comodo Internet Security, I didn’t install its anti-virus component for obvious reasons, so I just chose the Firewall with the optimal Defense+ option. I chose this program because I’ve already used this before and am quite familiar with it, it has generally good reviews on popular tech websites and it sweeps the floor on the Matousec proactive security website. I am quite pleased with its performance and amazed with its compatibility with my anti-virus. I didn’t experience any slowdowns or hiccups on my Acer laptop.

Next is the open source PeerBlock. I’ve always been intrigued by it, by its features and capabilities most of. So I decided to give it a shot and “wow” it’s quite a powerful program in an almost 2MB container. It blocks a whole range of IPs from malicious sites, spyware, advertising servers and probably even known botnets! This program probably adds another layer to Comodo’s already formidable Firewall solution.

In addition to minimizing my “Paranoia”, I searched for easy to use anti-rootkit programs. I know that my NOD32 subscription and Comodo Firewall with Defense+ would help catch those rootkit nasties, but I want to add another level of protection just in case these two programs fail. Then I found Vba32 AntiRootkit, seems to be a solid anti-rootkit solution. I found a link online that compares 10 anti-rootkit programs, and this got a Gold award. (I also have Sophos Anti-Rootkit and RootKitRevealer as backup)

Finally, I’ve added Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware as an on-demand scanner for other nasties that were missed by the above security software.

Overall, I am very pleased with the security of my personal laptop. I barely noticed any degradation in performance. Hopefully this covers all the bases for now, and for additional information regarding this, you may follow the links on the right side of this page. Or if you don’t like doing that you may always use Google (or your favorite search engine), they’re just there waiting to be uncovered.