Safer Internet Browsing & Safer Gaming.

We all know that I'm practically useless when it comes to pcs ('I fried the MOBO'; 'What's an ethernet?'; 'What do download/upload speeds mean?'), are just a couple of the lemons that I've posted over the last year.

But, thanks to you guys and thanks to Toms, I'm slowly getting a grasp of the basics but I'm having serious problems sorting the chaff from the fodder when it comes to safer computing. I spoke to Tomsmart and I know he wrote his response in plain English but it was still a touch too advanced for my peanut-sized brain; I spoke to Rob who helped a ton but he couldnt quite take me all the way... so, some help please folks:

1. I run a basic firewall (Kerio) with everything turned on to the max; I have 'ad-aware' a Swede program that is free and is great for cleaning basic ad-objects left on my pc courtesy of my day's browsing; I run 'Spybot S & D', another free program. I dont have anti-virus software but I only email sparingly and as such if I dont recognise the email I delete it automatically without reading it. I should get anti-virus software, but which one? Norton, etc.?

Tomsmart got into trojans and advanced jargon that is beyond me . So, I need to know what mainstream products can I add to make my internet computing safer?

2. This one might be for Ned, but I'm keen in my spare time to have a crack at online gaming but am scared shitless that some 11 yr old in Slovakia will rip my pc to shreds and hack his way through all that I own. I tried UT2004 but my firewall wont allow me to log in and I need to know what I can do to change that so I can log on and have a game (disabling the firewall is obviously a big no-no so I suspect there's something simple that I'm missing to allow me both protection and online game time).

Any sane, simple and productive help would be much appreciated guys and gals.

Thanks JB. Succinct and helpful. I appreciate it.

And I use the Free Avast! (see link) ... and I can keep my short up ...

im gonna have to give another shoutout to avast, works well for meh...

Fock me. I just installed AVG.

Ok. Avast is the go. I'll uninstall and download Avast.

same way with avast, i think you can buy a premium version, but i dont see why (well i guess to support the creators maybe)

but you dont have too.

I run Avast myself!!!!

I feel the same way.. I also install in on the PCs I build.... We sure shook down Avast here when we went to it though.... Was fun, actually!!!!

Speaking about building, I've hit a slump selling machines, so I haven't built in awhile now... All my guys got A64s built when I built mine... It doesn't seem like we need to build & upgrade now.... This is about the longest I've ran a machine as well......

You do about the same thing I do around here.....

I hope you hit in Vegas, that would solve all your upgrade issues!!!!

I can't complain on this rig, but it's not the latest..... I built when A64 first came out.... The PCIe boards were just coming out for reviews.... The time was right, because I'd made some good cash on some builds....

I ended up with the A64 3500 Winchester.... One of the first A64 cores... It's a great CPU, but you don't find the Winchester around much anymore... I've got it on a Nforce 3, with AGP, No PCIe..... Dam!!!!!

When the next generation graphics cards come out, I'll have to buy a new board to run PCIe.... I want to see how the DDR2 boards are going to run also...