Security for Windows: Part II Firewalls

So now that you have a decent antivirus software on your Mac running Windows the next step is to find a firewall. Windows XP has an integrated firewall but that one is not enough for today’s internet world in my opinion. That means you will have to get a third-party firewall. Now, I do recommend two firewalls that I really like: first there is Zonealarm. I’m sure you have heard of it. It is one of the most popular desktop firewalls for Windows and it even has a free version. I suggest using Zonealarm especially to those who don’t want to interact too much with the firewall or to those who just want an easy to understand software. In the commercial versions where you have to pay for a license there is even a adware/malware scanner included (even though the scanning results are far from impressive compared to other dedicated software solutions). The second firewall is Kerio’s Personal Firewall. I like this one very much since it is way more light-weight compared to Zonealarm and in my opinion overall more customizable. The gui isn’t as pretty as Zonealarm’s and usability is a bit more difficult but once you have it configured it is a rock-solid firewall solution. Kerio also offers a free version that has less functions than the pay versions but for usual users the free versions are more than enough.
So to sum up: I recommend Zonealarm for those who want an easy to use powerfule firewall and Kerio Personal Firewall to those who are a little more technical and want total control over their firewall. And for me the killer argument: Kerio has a much smaller footprint than Zonealarm (and you don’t want your valuable RAM wasted on antivirus and firewalls do you?)

MB-switcher

Parallels, Apple Boot Camp and VMware Fusion

So you are wondering what the best way is to run your copy of Windows (Vista, XP SP2) on your Intel Mac? Well, there are a few options you have. If you are a gamer or someone who needs speed and performance when using Windows I recommend Boot Camp. If you are a lazy person who doesn’t want to reboot every time you need Windows and you don’t mind a bit of performance loss while using Windows there are two almost equally good solutions which are: Parallels and VMware’s Fusion (both virtualization softwares). For a more detailed post/article with a link to benchmarks please visit this link.

MB-switcher

A free license for Steermouse to win!

I do have a license for Steermouse to give away on my main blog (Days of our Macbooks – the original). If you are interested just follow this link and good luck!

If you are interested in a detailed review of Steermouse: click here! 

MB-switcher

Security for Windows: Part I Anti-virus

So as a Mac user you probably never cared to have an anti-virus software on your Mac, am I right? But now that you run Windows on your Mac (regardless whether by Boot Camp or one of the various VM softwares) you really MUST install a solid anti-virus software. I do recommend two products: one is freeware and one you have to pay for. If you want to use freeware I’d suggest Antivir by Avira. This is a solid anti-virus software and has been ranked among the top freeware scanners. Its protection against viruses is superb and is as good as many of the pay versions. However, its protection against other malware like spyware or adware isn’t that good. My absolute favorite among anti-virus software is: NOD32 by Eset. This software is the best you can get…it doesn’t use much resources, it’s extremely fast and it has never failed the virus bulletin test. This software requires you to put some time in to the help file though because it is a rather technical software compared to Antivir. But once you get acquainted this scanner is just the best. It’s heuristic scanning is amazing and the protection against unknown viruses and other malware (including spyware and adware) is superb. So if you are going to use Windows often and want the best anti-virus protection available I suggest you go ahead and buy NOD32. Otherwise, Antivir is just going to be fine.

Antivir Official Site

Eset Nod32 Official Site

MB-switcher

Customization Part I: How to change your visual style.

As the first part of my Windows XP customization how-to I have selected the visual style. The visual style changes the taskbar appearance, the windows and the font. To be able to use third party visual styles you need to download a patch or fiddle around with system files. In my opinion the easiest way to patch your Windows XP is the NeoWin UXTheme Multi-Patcher that can be downloaded here. Just follow the instructions and reboot your Mac. Now you can download many visual styles off the internet and apply them to your XP. One good source for visual styles is deviantart. To change minor settings within one visual style go to the “Appearance” tab in the “Display properties”. The easiest way to get there is to right-click your desktop and select “Properties”. At last, to install a downloaded visual style all you need to do is double-click the file name.msstyles (whereas name should be the name of the downloaded visual style). By the way the visual style used in this screenshot was made by StefanKa and is called Inspirat (you can get his various visual styles from here: StefanKa’s Gallery).

 MB-switcher

Boot Camp 1.4 out!

Boot Camp 1.4 is out!
You can get it here: Boot Camp 1.4

MB-switcher

My current Windows XP desktop (via Boot Camp)

As the first eye candy I’d like to present my current Windows XP desktop as a screenshot. A detailed tutorial will follow to customize Windows XP desktops (from icons, system icons, to boot screens, login windows and visual styles). So keep an eye open.

MB-switcher

Welcome/Willkommen/ようこそ

This is a layoff blog of my original Days of our Macbooks blog and will be about Windows XP and Vista related topics for Mac owners in general that need to run Microsoft products. I hope that as a long-time Windows user I’ll be able to give some of the Mac users out there valuable information.

Dies ist ein Abkömmlingsblog von meinem Originalblog Days of our Macbooks mit dem Fokus auf Microsoft. Da es nun möglich ist, dank des Intel Switch von Apple Windows auf Macs zu benutzen, dachte ich wäre es eine nette Idee meine Erfahrungen als Windows User mit anderen Mac Usern zu teilen.

皆さんこんにちは、このブログは、«Days of our Macbooks ブログ»に続いてぼくの二つ目のブログです。ここでは、特に、ぼくの Windowsに関しての経験と知識をみんなに伝えたいと思います。アップルがインテルのチップに乗り換えたため　Windowsをお使いのマックユーザーも増えて来ていると思うのでそういった方たちのためにがんばりたいと思います。

MB-switcher