Anti virus software.

[aliceinchains]

I am currently running Norton. My renewal fee is 40 bucks for another year. This just keeps going up in price. Any thing better out there than Noton that is cheaper.

[LAGC]

Are you running just the anti-virus or the full security suite?

Norton Internet Security 2010 is a good product, the main reason I still run it on my primary system is because it includes a keylogger-detector which most other security suites don't, and comprehensive two-way firewall. You can get it for $17.50 (shipped) from this place:

http://www.discountmountainsoftware.com/noinse202.html

Cheaper than renewing, if you are happy with Norton. I know people who swear by Avira AntiVir and either ZoneAlarm or Comodo Firewall to supplement it, which are all free. But that doesn't have the keylogger protection that Norton offers.

[aliceinchains]

Just running the anti-virus

[LAGC]

Just running the anti-virus

You should at least consider getting a solution with a two-way firewall, as that will protect you from credit-card fraud if you do any online banking. Even if you go the free Microsoft Security Essentials and ZoneAlarm/Comodo route, that's much better than running just an anti-virus, as stand-alone anti-virus packages don't always detect the latest zero-day trojan horses and backdoors that hackers use to steal your information.

[JVD]

avast is what I've been using for a couple years since I gave up on Norton. I think it's a lot better personally.

http://www.avast.com/index


And it's free for personal use too!

[HDR]

Although it is not AV this site might be of help checking your firewalls:
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

If you are new to this site and our services:https://www.grc.com/image/transpixel.gif
Please take just a moment to read and consider these three points:https://www.grc.com/x/%7B1%7D/_%7B2%7D_/image/transpixel.gif
Your use of the Internet security vulnerability profiling services on this site constitutes your FORMAL PERMISSION for us to conduct these tests and requests our transmission of Internet packets to your computer. ShieldsUP!! benignly probes the target computer at your location. Since these probings must travel from our server to your computer, you should be certain to have administrative right-of-way to conduct probative protocol tests through any and all equipment located between your computer and the Internet.
https://www.grc.com/image/transpixel.gif
NO INFORMATION gained from your use of these services will be retained, viewed or used by us or anyone else in any way for any purpose whatsoever.
https://www.grc.com/image/transpixel.gif
If you are using a personal firewall product which LOGS contacts by other systems, you should expect to see entries from this site's probing IP addresses: 4.79.142.192 -thru- 4.79.142.207. Since we own this IP range, these packets will be from us and will NOT BE ANY FORM OF MALICIOUS INTRUSION ATTEMPT OR ATTACK on your computer. You can use the report of their arrival as handy confirmation that your intrusion logging systems are operating correctly, but please do not be concerned with their appearance in your firewall logs. It's expected.

[Oswald Bastable]

avast is what I've been using for a couple years since I gave up on Norton. I think it's a lot better personally.

http://www.avast.com/index


And it's free for personal use too!

+1 on avast.

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Anything is better than Norton IMO. Resource hog and just an all round POS.
Another AVAST here. It's free and good.

[Broondog]

i was a Norton kid after i was a PC Tools kid.

now i use Avira Antivir after having issues with AVG. all seems well in Broon's PC world.


quick Q tho. how does Comodo and Win 7 get along? Zone Alarm doesn't get along well with 7 in my experience.

[Ezra Coli]

I use Avast too but its been bogging down my system when streaming video fro Vimeo and such. I believe it is more related to my 8 year old computer and XP, but it caught and eliminated a nasty fraud security program that I picked up. I don't like Norton either.

[ltorlo64]

I have used PC Cillin for years. You have to get it from the web though, I have not seen it in stores. It is highly rated. My last license was for 3 years so I don't remember what I paid.

[ltorlo64]

I use Avast too but its been bogging down my system when streaming video fro Vimeo and such. I believe it is more related to my 8 year old computer and XP, but it caught and eliminated a nasty fraud security program that I picked up. I don't like Norton either.

Welcome back.

[LAGC]

quick Q tho. how does Comodo and Win 7 get along? Zone Alarm doesn't get along well with 7 in my experience.

Comodo works just fine under Windows 7, at least on my Windows 7 Starter edition on my net-book.

My uncle found that ZoneAlarm didn't want to work with his McAfee Internet Security suite (which has a shitty built-in firewall that doesn't always work right with MMO games) so we uninstalled the Mcafee firewall and just used Comodo instead, and it works fine on his Windows Vista system as well.

[JTHunter]

i was a Norton kid after i was a PC Tools kid.
now i use Avira Antivir after having issues with AVG. all seems well in Broon's PC world.
quick Q tho. how does Comodo and Win 7 get along? Zone Alarm doesn't get along well with 7 in my experience.

I had issues with AVG on my laptop but not on my desktop (both XP Pro). For some reason, the AVG wouldn't let me play the game "Bejewelled" at Yahoo Games. That was the only glitch I had with it since 2004.
I also have been using ZoneAlarm's Free version for about 10-11 years. Never had a problem with it.

[gewehr44]

Anything is better than Norton IMO. Resource hog and just an all round POS.

I stopped using & recommending it a few years ago for that reason as well. I've read that it's much improved in the most recent version. Haven't tried it myself though.

Review of some antivirus programs:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356509,00.asp

[HDR]

I quit using Norton whenever it was they left a port open to scan mail.

[rshaneck2002]

I use webroot,Why because i can put it on up to 3 computers for same price,use to be able to do that with the big guys such as Norton,but not anymore for about 5 yrs. I and my wife have separate computers along with a backup laptop,Webroot works for me and have used it for 5 yrs now,no problems at all.

[Penguin]

I don't like Norton I use AVG. I have also use Avast and it worked fine as well. I just liked the interface of AVG better at the time.

[Dan Morris]

I asked this about a month ago when I was having issues with Panda.....several of you recommended AVG......after a trial, I bought the program. AM very satisfied with it!
Dan

[Moebrown20]

AVG is good, but I use Symantec.
It works good for any virus, but you would need something else for spy-ware.

[gunnutz]

I've been using Panda Cloud, it uses zero resources as far as I can tell , non obstructive too.
Panda does an excellent job of stopping stuff from getting on a clean machine, that being said the first scan takes forever.
http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/

[Broondog]

I had issues with AVG on my laptop but not on my desktop (both XP Pro). For some reason, the AVG wouldn't let me play the game "Bejewelled" at Yahoo Games. That was the only glitch I had with it since 2004.
I also have been using ZoneAlarm's Free version for about 10-11 years. Never had a problem with it.

Zone Alarm works great on my desktop and has for many years under all of the past incarnations of Windows i have used. my new laptop has Win7 on it and ZA and 7 don't jive. ZA has tried a couple of patches but the reviews are mixed and all it did for me was lock up the machine.

:oh:

[swampdragon]

Free Microsoft Security Essentials

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Been using it for a while now with no problems at all.

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks guys - I was just prompted by McCaffee to pay them a ransom too - so I decided to download avast and then saw swampy's post - so did that too - as it contains more stuff.... damned computers! :D

[swampdragon]

Thanks guys - I was just prompted by McCaffee to pay them a ransom too - so I decided to download avast and then saw swampy's post - so did that too - as it contains more stuff.... damned computers! :D

MSE works really well, and it's not a system hog.
I like it.
My last computer ran Vista, and it didn't like avast.

[1 Patriot-of-many]

MSE works really well, and it's not a system hog.
I like it.
My last computer ran Vista, and it didn't like avast.

What does Vista like besides being F'd up?

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Free Microsoft Security Essentials

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Been using it for a while now with no problems at all.

I have to wonder here.... The OS is so open to intrusion....Yet they are making that? I'm supposed to be thrilled?

[Oswald Bastable]

I have to wonder here.... The OS is so open to intrusion....Yet they are making that? I'm supposed to be thrilled?

Yup, one would think they'd be more concerned with patching holes in their OS that allow the intrusion of viruses and malware, but apparently they decided to create a software product to take care of it instead. Will you be surprised when it suddenly becomes a paid for product in the $75+ dollar range, once enough people are on it? I won't. :)

[swampdragon]

I have to wonder here.... The OS is so open to intrusion....Yet they are making that? I'm supposed to be thrilled?

Is there any OS that can't be hacked?
No.

[Oswald Bastable]

Is there any OS that can't be hacked?
No.

Not saying that, just that why would MS need a security suite for their own software, rather than making their own software the security suite?

[HDR]

Is there any OS that can't be hacked?
No.


Correct however some are so much easier than others. The problem with anything Microsoft is there are always holes and every hacker focuses on exploiting them. Which is why you hear of less issues with any of the *nix or Mac OSes.

unix security software?
About 12,100,000 results

Mac security software?
About 94,200,000 results

Windows security software?
About 127,000,000

[old Grump]

Tried Symantec and it shut me down, had to dump it. I have AVG and Spy Bot and both tell me I am clean but I still have this Win 32 Trojan that keeps sending me off to places I don't want to go to at any time it wants to. Among other things it keeps sending me messages to clean my registry and warns me of infected sites where there is no infection. It's getting kind of tiresome.

[O.S.O.K.]

Are you sure you're not just nodding off and then waking up and forgeting what it was you were just doing? :run-and-hide:
:coffee:

[old Grump]

See what I mean, I post a thread about Win32 and bang, I get hit with a post from O.S.O.K.

Seriously I have spent a lot of hours the last 2 weeks trying to clean this crap out of my computer. Anything that looks like it might work gets blocked by the virus or whatever it is. I did buy a new flash drive and backed up all my files, afraid I might have to go whole hog and wipe everything. What a major league pain in the tookus.

[swampdragon]

Not saying that, just that why would MS need a security suite for their own software, rather than making their own software the security suite?

Oh.
Now I get it.
I dunno?
Good question.

[O.S.O.K.]

Old Grump - how do you know its Win32 trojan? Does it show up on your virus scan?

Surely there's something available that will wipe it?

[Meatball]

Tried Symantec and it shut me down, had to dump it. I have AVG and Spy Bot and both tell me I am clean but I still have this Win 32 Trojan that keeps sending me off to places I don't want to go to at any time it wants to. Among other things it keeps sending me messages to clean my registry and warns me of infected sites where there is no infection. It's getting kind of tiresome.

You are going to have to re-format and re-install your OS. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you can get on with business...

[Oswald Bastable]

Tried Symantec and it shut me down, had to dump it. I have AVG and Spy Bot and both tell me I am clean but I still have this Win 32 Trojan that keeps sending me off to places I don't want to go to at any time it wants to. Among other things it keeps sending me messages to clean my registry and warns me of infected sites where there is no infection. It's getting kind of tiresome.

Grump, go to Trend Micro's website and run their online scanner. http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ Be sure to do it from IE, not a different browser.

[Krupski]

I am currently running Norton. My renewal fee is 40 bucks for another year. This just keeps going up in price. Any thing better out there than Noton that is cheaper.

I don't run any anti-virus software. My protection is:

(1) A hardware firewall.
(2) Enough sense NOT to open those "penis pill" emails.

[swampdragon]

I don't run any anti-virus software. My protection is:

(1) A hardware firewall.
(2) Enough sense NOT to open those "penis pill" emails.

Why?
You already get free samples mailed to your house?

[gunsnetadmin]

you guys havent figured that out yet? Its called Linux. Best anti-virus software out there. Even better, its called Solaris. Check it out.

For my job all we run is Solaris.. ROCK SOLID. On my personal laptop, I've been running Linux since '95.

[Krupski]

you guys havent figured that out yet? Its called Linux. Best anti-virus software out there. Even better, its called Solaris. Check it out.

For my job all we run is Solaris.. ROCK SOLID. On my personal laptop, I've been running Linux since '95.

I run native 64 bit Linux, a virtual machine and Windows XP running in the VM when I need to run windows programs.

Once in a while though I get tired of typing "ls -laF' and getting a "bad command or filename" error from a DOS console session... not to mention backslashes vs. proper slashes.

[old Grump]

I don't run any anti-virus software. My protection is:

(1) A hardware firewall.
(2) Enough sense NOT to open those "penis pill" emails.

Almost 3 years without a hitch. AVG and Spybot warn me if anything hinkey is in a site and they sweep every day. Then I click on a site looking up a serial number for a Win 94 and Pow I'm snookered. It wasn't the first time I was in that site, its on my bookmark list. It's also not the first time I went on an innocuous site and got warned by AVG that there was something bad there but to get whacked with no warning sucks. I think its a Win 32 problem because I keep getting a message asking me if I want to debug the program. That there is a failure in the Windows Win32 something or other. Trouble is I'm not a computer Geek and don't know how to manuver around all this stuff. Thats probably why I'm having a problem trying to upload virus programs. or is it down load. I don't know the difference.

[Oswald Bastable]

Almost 3 years without a hitch. AVG and Spybot warn me if anything hinkey is in a site and they sweep every day. Then I click on a site looking up a serial number for a Win 94 and Pow I'm snookered. It wasn't the first time I was in that site, its on my bookmark list. It's also not the first time I went on an innocuous site and got warned by AVG that there was something bad there but to get whacked with no warning sucks. I think its a Win 32 problem because I keep getting a message asking me if I want to debug the program. That there is a failure in the Windows Win32 something or other. Trouble is I'm not a computer Geek and don't know how to manuver around all this stuff. Thats probably why I'm having a problem trying to upload virus programs. or is it down load. I don't know the difference.

Grump, see post #38 above, did you try the trendmicro online scanner?

[Warthogg]

Anything is better than Norton IMO. Resource hog and just an all round POS.


yup



wart

[Warthogg]

Tried Symantec and it shut me down, had to dump it. I have AVG and Spy Bot and both tell me I am clean but I still have this Win 32 Trojan that keeps sending me off to places I don't want to go to at any time it wants to. Among other things it keeps sending me messages to clean my registry and warns me of infected sites where there is no infection. It's getting kind of tiresome.

O.G., consider going here:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Down load free version as it is just fine. After download immediately UPDATE......after download is complete run FULL SCAN. A happy camper u will be.

Now.......beccause I just bought a new computer (Windows 7 64 bit) I run Kaspersky cause I got a free 6 months. Good stuff but not cheap.

[Warthogg]

Thanks guys - I was just prompted by McCaffee..............

IMHO while norton is just a pos product mccaffee is a shit company with a shit product.

[gunsnetadmin]

I run native 64 bit Linux, a virtual machine and Windows XP running in the VM when I need to run windows programs.

Once in a while though I get tired of typing "ls -laF' and getting a "bad command or filename" error from a DOS console session... not to mention backslashes vs. proper slashes.


cool! yea, I do the same.. if I *ever* need Winblows (for certification prep which I've been going thru), I have it in VirtualBox... I freakin hate Windows. Unfortunately its a necessary evil. I'm just glad I dont manage Windows servers at work.

[old Grump]

Okay, I have tried dwnloading Linux, Malware, this one http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

They all start out as free programs but won't load till I buy or donate something which I am willing to do but have to do by mail because I don't do credit cards. I have been hawked dolls, soap, child care books, CD's, cook books ... I'm sure its me but I can't get any of them to work. I think my computer is so screwed up they are laughing when they see me coming and jump all over me with stupid things they are sure I absolutely 100% have to have.

Thank God I am good looking cause if brains were a commodity worth real money I wouldn't be able to buy a bucket of snot.

[Schuetzenman]

Used Noroton and when it took me 8 times to install it with downloads to upgrade it that was my last time. For 2 years now I've been using Kaspersky for a total web and virus package. Sometimes I have to shut it off to get a download as it's too tight at times. But it catches stuff the Norton Security Suit never caught.

I've found it at Fry's both times and it was not very expensive and came with a big rebate. I think after rebate it cost me $10 bucks the first time and $20 the second time after the $50 buck rebate checks came in.

[Oswald Bastable]

Okay, I have tried dwnloading Linux, Malware, this one http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

They all start out as free programs but won't load till I buy or donate something which I am willing to do but have to do by mail because I don't do credit cards. I have been hawked dolls, soap, child care books, CD's, cook books ... I'm sure its me but I can't get any of them to work. I think my computer is so screwed up they are laughing when they see me coming and jump all over me with stupid things they are sure I absolutely 100% have to have.

Thank God I am good looking cause if brains were a commodity worth real money I wouldn't be able to buy a bucket of snot.

Linux (is an OS, like windows, not a virus program) and it is free...at least most versions are. Housecall and malwarebytes are both free, so if something is directing you to pay to use them, it's part of whatever virus you have trying to direct you to send them money, not to those free use programs. I suspect as has been mentioned before, you're now looking at a format/reinstall of your OS.