Acer 10

#1- Just bought the Acer 10.1" net-notebook (ASIN: B001QFZFS0 Item model number: AOD150-1165) 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home, 6 Cell Battery) Sapphire Blue. Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition ; SP3 version.
It is a birthday gift for my grandson.
I have questioned everywhere but no one can tell me if this comes with IE 7 or IE 6.
Does anyone know? If it does come with IE 6, are we allowed to install IE 7? Or is IE 7 not allowed on this particular unit.

#2- Does anyone own this model? If so, which Firewall are you using? Someone told me to download Comodo - CIS_Setup_3.8.64739.471 and install it and during installation to tell it to just install the Firewall
We intend to use AVG8 with it for Virus/Spam control.

I am a beginner at this (and so is my grandson) and so I am looking around for a lot of answers so I can install the proper programs to protect the system, etc., before giving it to my grandson.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Alice the novice (I live in NYC, USA)

 

1: It will come with IE7, as IE6 is outdated, and I actually don't think that MS even supports it anymore. Could be wrong, but I KNOW it will have IE7 on it.

2: COMODO = sucks. Get PCTools Firewall (free), or anyone of a thousand others. COMODO gives too many warnings, and gets quite annoying. It is also harder to change permissions, etc than the PCTools version, and the easiest way to reduce the number of warnings is to reduce the protection level. Who wants to do that?

 

Thank you

You mentioned - PCTools Firewall (free),

I looked on MajorGeeks and they have the following program for download: PC Tools Firewall Plus™ 5 for Windows® 5.0.0.37

Is this the same as the one you mentioned?

Alice

 

Yes, it is. I believe it also has the option to install ThreatFire, a real time AV. I declined, because I already have a subscription to Avira.

I tried it for a week, and it seemed decent.

The firewall is highly recommended.

 

Just a personal suggestion, use Firefox instead of IE. Firefox is much faster and is VERY customizable.

 

I've had the Acer Aspire One running for quite a long time (hours) and I don't feel or hear a fan running. Does anyone know about the operation of the fan? I've been downloading WinXP updates (13) including Framework (248MB). Doesn't feel warm at all.
Can battery be left attached while Acer is plugged into wall outlet?
Alice

 

I had the A150 and I left it on for hours and I never really noticed the fan. Also, its perfectly okay to leave the battery in while its plugged in, though some authorities claim it will gradually reduce the battery life if you do.