Hi I just got DSL internet connection. I heard that with DSL, your computer is not as much safe as it is with Dialup. Can you tell me that which softwares (or more preferably suit) I should install to protect my computer from virsuses, malware, spyware, intrution etc. Freeware (opensource) software will be encourages but you can also tell closed source as well :) Thanks

The best thing you can do is purchase a SOHO router which will provide you with a firewall, among other things. They're well worth the money you would spend on one. Especially if you want to allow more than on PC/Laptop internet access either right now or in the future. You'll want a good antivirus package. Look into AVG And Avast (both free). I can recommend AdAware and Spybot S&D for antispyware (also free)

Actually, a PC is safer with DSL than dialup. NAT alone makes is safer. In the days of dialup, I used to scan a Class C subnet (254 IPs) to see who had port 139 opened. Usually, there were about 40 or 50 of them with file sharing enabled and listed shares. I would be reading files remote on hard drives until 2 or 3 AM. Sometimes I couldn't see the screen anymore. Now that routers give a PC an internal, non routable IP address, that can't be done. To answer your question, I use MJ Registry Watcher to lock the registry and occasionally I scan the drive using anti malware from www.malwarebytes.org , Spy Bot S&D and Hijack This. Most times, nothing is found.