do I need a software firewall too?

Hi all - I am horribly infested and I am working on the stickies before I go posting my big questions - but I have a question regarding a firewall before I can finish all that you suggest in the "How to protect yourself from malware" sticky.

Question:
I have a router which I am told is the purest form of Hardware firewall. Do I still need to install a software firewall?

Another related Question:
Is it ok to have more than one anti spyware program running at once? I had adaware se and spybot and they were both locking up when they went to delete stuff and the adaware kept popping up constantly so I uninstalled adaware and am just using spybot but am still infested and in the "How to protect yourself from malware" sticky you mention about six different ones - should I install all of them or just one?

Thanks! D

 

Your router will protect you from most things "getting in." But if something does get in, it may try to "phone home." A software firewall can prevent that, since it has control over which programs are allowed to open up internet connections. I recommend the free one from Zone Labs.

I run both spybot and ad-aware, but not in automatic mode. Run one, then run the other. I have heard of some conflicts, but have not encountered them myself.

 

OK - Thanks you guys -
I had adaware se set up to block incoming but it appeared to be conflicting with spybot - or whatever it was it kept popping up and making me have to drink large amounts of alcohol to deal . So I removed the ad aware but I will finish all the things that are in the sticky thread - reinstall the adaware "not running automatically" - and get back to you with my Q's.

Thanks again!

 

u should try using microsoft antispyware good stuff

 

That's good that he (she?) said microsoft was good stuff tho because I may have used one of the others and bypassed the microsoft product because as far as I am concerned this is all microsoft's fault! Why is this not an issue on my mac??? Is it because Microsoft lets these back doors stay unlocked?

I am working on that sticky and this is wasting so much time! Please tell me I will not have to do this again!

Thanks everyone!