Best Anti-Virus Software?

ben62670

Don't setup 2 or more anti virus programs to run simultaneously. Every bit of data that goes through the computer has to be scanned. If you feel the need for extra protection you can install 2 and have just one running all the time. When you want you can manually scan with the secondary program.

Yahoo anti virus is as lame as AOL!!!

michael_w

Nod32. Been using it for a while now and it's quite nice. AVG is good too, but I prefer nod32 at the moment. With the pains and conflicts you get with norton I think it'd be crazy to go back to paying them for updates. Free programs is the way to go

Joelsbass

ben62670 wrote:

Don't setup 2 or more anti virus programs to run simultaneously. Every bit of data that goes through the computer has to be scanned. If you feel the need for extra protection you can install 2 and have just one running all the time. When you want you can manually scan with the secondary program.

every hacker and technophile I know says to run at least two... and they never buy theirs either. Avast and AVG both have free versions because their corporate software is profitable enough that they can let home users get it free, that should say something about the quality.

Mike682

I use Bitdefender and I really like it a lot. It does hourly updates automatically and was a great price. It runs in the background w/out a noticeable drain on comp performance; very effecient and very effective.

Got great reviews too

http://www.bitdefender.com/site/home

PolkThug

audiobliss wrote:

The new version installed flawlessly on my desktop. So did SpyCatcher.

Run the 'deep scan' with SpyCatcher asap.

audiobliss

I did. Found a few problems; think they're taken care of now.

goingganzo

i have used nortin products for years but now they olny alow 3 installs befor the product canot be installed any more. with i find to be ubserb i mean if you do get a nasty virus i re install (i dont but my parents do whom i take care of ther computers for them) so i am realey ticked off at nortin right now and thinking of never buying their product agin. in this last year i have stoped buying from 2 store with bad sales polocys and maybe 1-2 brands do to stupidy of polocys

Demiurge

PolkThug wrote:

The free SpyCatcher Express by Tenebril is the best I've used so far. I removed my McAfee a long time ago and have had no problems. (It does both spyware and viruses and has some great extras built-in)

Very good call on the SpyCatcher. I had never heard of it until now, and removed some serious B.S. from my system just now.

kn505

ben62670 wrote: »

Don't setup 2 or more anti virus programs to run simultaneously. Every bit of data that goes through the computer has to be scanned. If you feel the need for extra protection you can install 2 and have just one running all the time. When you want you can manually scan with the secondary program.

Yahoo anti virus is as lame as AOL!!!

I installed the AVG and Avast programs. How do I setup so that only one program is running all the time?
Thanks in advance for your help.

bobman1235

Uninstall one of them?

cmy330go

Won't touch Norton anymore extreme resource hog. I currently use just the Basic McAfee Antivirus on my main PC's. None of the extra BS firewall/Internet security crap. I leave that to my router firewall.

I also use Avast on a couple of secondary machines without any trouble.

ben62670

AVG is free. Isn't a resource hog, and catches more viruses than Mac, and Norton combined. If you are writing viruses you are being malicious. You would write them to take out the largest AV companies out there Norton, and Mac. If you want 2 AV programs just set up one to run all the time, and do scans with the second once a week.

Face

PC Cillin wasn't a resource hog at all till 07. It's still much less of a burden than Mac or Norton.

cmy330go

ben62670 wrote: »

AVG is free. Isn't a resource hog, and catches more viruses than Mac, and Norton combined. If you are writing viruses you are being malicious. You would write them to take out the largest AV companies out there Norton, and Mac. If you want 2 AV programs just set up one to run all the time, and do scans with the second once a week.

Thanks. I'm sure AB missed it the first time you said it.:rolleyes:

Willow

AVG as well, for the last 2 yrs, not one prob.

not to hijack but along the same lines...what about free anti-spyware?

audiobliss

SpyBot Search & Destroy and/or Lavasoft Anti-SpyWare.

I run both occassionally.

jflail2

1 more vote for AVG. I used to use pc-cillin and was also fine with it, just got tired of paying for it.

TennesseeOutlaw

Personally, I use the free AVG program.. www.downloads.com Search for AVG..

markmarc

I have AVG on my wife's tower for the past month. Overall, I'm quite happy with it. Although, it is slower than Mac and Norton.

haimoc

Norton 360 is a new and very good antivirus/spy/adware software. I still like the Mccafee Enterprise version.

kn505

kn505 wrote: »

I installed the AVG and Avast programs. How do I setup so that only one program is running all the time?
Thanks in advance for your help.

bobman1235 wrote: »

Uninstall one of them?

Thanks for the advice. Here is another advice that I found on the AVG forum:

"It is never recommended by anyone that knows what they are talking about to run two or more active antivirus programs at the same time. The active components will conflict with each other. Generally you won't see the effects of the conflict but you will make both programs less effective none the less. Choose one antivirus program and uninstall the other one.

Here is Avast's statement about it... http://www.avast.com/eng/faq-installation-problems.html#idt_222
Here is Grisoft's statement about it... http://free.grisoft.com/doc/28627/lng/us/tpl/v5
Here is Microsoft's statement about it... http://support.microsoft.com/kb/189264
Here is Symantec's statement about it... http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2000031316555206
Here is ZoneLab's statement about it... http://free.grisoft.com/doc/28627/lng/us/tpl/v5"

Jstas

I just started using ZoneAlarm's security suite. I kinda like it. It's not a gigantic resource hog but it does use some resources. Afterall it is running a firewall, virus/spyware protection and a bunch of other stuff that fills in alot of holes that other "complete" suites miss.

It used to be pretty poor for performance but they just released a new version about a month and a half ago and it's very much improved.

http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en&lid=ho_zass

hearingimpared

Jstas wrote: »

I just started using ZoneAlarm's security suite. I kinda like it. It's not a gigantic resource hog but it does use some resources. Afterall it is running a firewall, virus/spyware protection and a bunch of other stuff that fills in alot of holes that other "complete" suites miss.

It used to be pretty poor for performance but they just released a new version about a month and a half ago and it's very much improved.

http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en&lid=ho_zass

My cousin has been using ZoneAlarm's suite for a couple a three years now and it is really good. But you have to disable the prompt option, it will drive you nuts. Make sure that you choose the suite that does include the anti-spyware protection. There are different versions.

tryrrthg

If McAfee and Norton suck so bad what does everyone use for a firewall?

bobman1235

tryrrthg wrote: »

If McAfee and Norton suck so bad what does everyone use for a firewall?

ZoneAlarm.

Willow

audiobliss wrote: »

SpyBot Search & Destroy and/or Lavasoft Anti-SpyWare.

I run both occassionally.

Thanks,

Jstas

tryrrthg wrote: »

If McAfee and Norton suck so bad what does everyone use for a firewall?

McAfee actually had the best Firewall on the market for a while. Until they eff'ed it all up with the Internet Security Suite stuff. Guardian was awesome.

I'm on the page with bobman though. In the abscence of Guardian, ZoneAlarm takes top honors IMO. Couple either of those with a hardware firewall on your home network router and you'll be behind security layers so deep that anything you have on your system will not be worth the time for a baddy to try and crack through your setup.

For me, now I use ZoneAlarm on my systems and they are behind a Linksys WRT54G wireless router. The WRT54G is Linux based also and the firewall is quite robust mostly due to the way Linux handles system permissions and file access. Wireless security is WPA and also access is limited by MAC address. Full logging is enabled and I can see who is on my network, who is trying to get on and traceroute information for all connections. I realize it's overkill for a home network but living in an apartment complex, any monkey can get on your network easily enough and surf for things like child **** or snuff films or perform malacious acts and they all get traced back to you because it's coming through your account on your ISP.

kn505

How can you tell if someone is on your network or is trying to get on your network?

bobman1235

If you have a router, you can usually log into that and see a list of computers (by MAC address) that are using your network.

Jstas

You can also use network sniffers and analyzers to see where network calls are coming from, where they are heading and which ones have failed. Most firewall programs have a trace route program and a network sniffer/analyzer with them. If not, you can find any number of them online. Sun Microsystem's Solaris has a very nice network packet sniffer as part of the OS called snoop. I have seen it ported to other Linux versions.

Most of these programs will output a list of traffic that you can view. The trace route programs will give all kinds of info on each jump an incoming packet made. Some of these sniffers will even give you a WhoIs work up on the domain name owner, where it is listed and hosted, who handles the locking and even contact info for the domain name owner.

Yeah, privacy and security don't really exist. The only thing you can do is to put so many pitfalls and traps in the way that it makes the time spent circumventing them all a greater expense than the reward behind the firewall. At that point, it isn't worth it and you get to have security through obscurity and lack of value.