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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: jr2 on June 21, 2008, 01:55:51 am

Title: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: jr2 on June 21, 2008, 01:55:51 am
Hmm, which AV software do you use?  Choose up to three.  (like, at work, or if you use two of them or whatnot)  (although generally, you shouldn't use more than one anti-virus)
EDIT: Added <<none>> to the bottom of the list.  ;)

Wikipedia list & comparison of AV & features (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_antivirus_software)

Review of some free Anti-Virus software (http://www.computersight.com/Communication-&-Networks/Security/Stop-Dont-Pay-Another-Dollar-for-Your-Anti-Virus-When-You-Have-So-Many-Other-Great-Free-Options.136478)

Might be useful, gives pros and cons of each one.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Dark Hunter on June 21, 2008, 02:21:13 am
AVG Free for myself. I like it because:

A) it's free and
B) it runs quietly in the background until something requiring user attention happens, which is rare. If mundane pop-ups do occur, they are small notices in the corner that disappear after a few seconds... not big windows that suddenly appear over whatever it is you are doing.

My father uses Norton on all other computers in the house, which I do not like at all (although I do find it somewhat funny that Vista doesn't allow it to fully run without admin permission).
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 21, 2008, 07:57:07 am
AVG now, but getting NOD32 in a few days. Used to be stuck with Norton. :ick:
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Jeff Vader on June 21, 2008, 08:25:33 am
avast! 4 Home Edition for reasons I've stated in the other recent anti-virus-related threads. (Used to be stuck with F-Secure products).
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Thor on June 21, 2008, 08:42:59 am
I use a combo of AVG Free and Zonealarm Firewall (not AV though) to keep my pc healthy.  seems to do the trick
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Stormkeeper on June 21, 2008, 12:09:20 pm
AVG Free atm. Norton is evil. Norton lags my comp.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Ghostavo on June 21, 2008, 01:39:36 pm
None...
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: DREDHAWK on June 21, 2008, 02:21:16 pm
i use Norton AntiVirus
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 21, 2008, 03:27:37 pm
:shaking: How can we hack him????? It'll be impossible! HE'S GOT NORTON!!!!
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: BlackDove on June 21, 2008, 04:49:04 pm
NOD is the only answer, everything else on that list is fail.

Tested for truth.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: DREDHAWK on June 21, 2008, 06:18:23 pm
I use Norton Anti Virus because  its what came with the computer when i got it.  i never was to warred about virus and bugs the world wont end if my computer get fried bye a virus
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Whitelight on June 21, 2008, 07:45:39 pm
Norton antivirus here to.

Works for me.  :)
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: IceFire on June 22, 2008, 01:45:28 am
I've banished Norton's products from being any more than 10 square meters from my computers at all times.  The bloat and performance destroying virus like software has crippled far too many computers for me to be able to recommend, use, or even want to be involved with it.  I convinced someone that the reason they have a slow computer was Norton...they removed it, put on AVG Free, and were surprised at the huge performance boost that they suddenly achieved.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Fury on June 22, 2008, 04:21:25 am
Indeed. It is ironic that OEM manufacturers bundle worst kind of AV's with their computer. Norton is one of the worst.

If NOD32 would have a (non-crippled) free version available, I'd probably use it. But since it doesn't, I use avast Home which has served me loyally many years now.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Nuclear1 on June 22, 2008, 04:26:17 am
McAfee and a wonderful free gem called MalwareBytes Anti-Malware.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Whitelight on June 22, 2008, 12:07:45 pm
I've banished Norton's products from being any more than 10 square meters from my computers at all times.  The bloat and performance destroying virus like software has crippled far too many computers for me to be able to recommend, use, or even want to be involved with it.  I convinced someone that the reason they have a slow computer was Norton...they removed it, put on AVG Free, and were surprised at the huge performance boost that they suddenly achieved.

Wow, really... I haven`t had any preformance loss, but, on the other hand,  i`ve got a buddy who said the same thing as IceFire. Oh well....

I can`t speak for everyone, but i`m sticking with Norton :D
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: DREDHAWK on June 22, 2008, 07:43:51 pm
Iv been using Norton for years on my  computers i haven't had in permanence lose or problem.   Ill just stick with Norton to
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 22, 2008, 08:57:57 pm
Althought I still have it on one computer Norton should be classified as a virus as far as I'm concerned.  It takes over your computer like it owns it and does what it wants when it want even when you specifically shut it off.  I had it hitting my firewall for updates 3 times a second when it was fully up to date and I had automatic updates disabled.  It also thinks FS2 is a worm and blocks it.  I'm talking just the antivirus no firewall or internet suite.  What the hell is it doing even looking at my ports not alone blocking them.  NAV2004 was the last good version.  Anything 2005 on is a POS. 
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Dark Hunter on June 22, 2008, 09:56:35 pm
I think the problem is that Norton was written for casual computer users. That's why it takes so much control. These people probably wouldn't even know what a port is, much less how it affects their computer's internet connection.

So for people who do actually know something about what they're doing (ie, us) it just gets irritating. We know how to configure a security program to defend against external threats yet leave things open for our own programs. The casual user doesn't, so Norton does it for them, with a "better safe than sorry" attitude.

I would like to stress that I am not trying to imply that everyone who likes Norton is computer-ignorant. I just believe it was written with computer-ignorant people in mind. Like my old programming professor told us: always write your program with the assumption that the user doesn't really know what they are doing.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 22, 2008, 10:12:22 pm
My big problem with that is even if you tell it to allow FS2 it won't until you go in and manually configure the worm protection or turn it off.  If you change versions of the exe say from one 3.6.10 build to another it will ask you again but won't work until you delete the old permissions and add them manually again.  There is also no way of disabling it without uninstalling it.  At least with the 2004 version you could take it out of the registry and run manual scans when you wanted to.  Another perfect example of a program that thinks it's companies software should be the only things running on your system. 

Sad part is I only bought it so I could boot off the CD and run scans when I get handed a computer with a virus.  Guess what?  The newer versions don't even allow that.  Ghost is the only good program they have left an only if you buy the corporate version which means 5 user license even if you only have need for one.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 22, 2008, 10:25:56 pm
Also, with Norton, you can't run custom scans. It's all or nothing, you can't scan a folder/file, you have to scan the whole PC.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: DREDHAWK on June 22, 2008, 10:46:30 pm
My Norton can do custom scans  like i said before i have been using Norton for years and haven't had any problem at all.  never had Norton take my computer like it owned it  so i don't now it works for me lets leave at that
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 22, 2008, 10:49:17 pm
Not true.  Just right click on the file or folder and click scan. 

Now that is my one pet peeve with AVG Free.  It won't do a full scan of a network drive.  One of the reasons I keep Norton around for now.   
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: jr2 on June 23, 2008, 02:29:49 am
Althought I still have it on one computer Norton should be classified as a virus as far as I'm concerned.  It takes over your computer like it owns it and does what it wants when it want even when you specifically shut it off.

QFT

Not true.  Just right click on the file or folder and click scan. 

Now that is my one pet peeve with AVG Free.  It won't do a full scan of a network drive.  One of the reasons I keep Norton around for now.  

AVG Free 8.0?

Anyways, you all should look into The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com).  It's awesome for fixing infected systems and recovery purposes.  ;)  Basically, boot a stripped-down version of XP from CD, with free anti-virus, recovery, and system testing utils thrown in - it also has FireFox and some office utils, so it's pretty much good to go for emergencies.  You can even throw it onto the hard disk using the installer script.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 23, 2008, 09:17:29 am
Not true.  Just right click on the file or folder and click scan. 
Not with any version from the last 3 years. And AVG will scan a whole drive.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: jdjtcagle on June 23, 2008, 09:19:22 am
Where's the "I have a mac so I get no viruses" option? :D

[/obnoxiouscomment]
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Psyco89 on June 23, 2008, 09:22:07 am
Where's the "I have a mac so I get no viruses" option? :D

[/obnoxiouscomment]

Well that's when us cool people who use Mac's just click none because we are... :pimp:
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Ghostavo on June 23, 2008, 10:14:07 am
http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2006/02/macosxleap.html
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: jdjtcagle on June 23, 2008, 10:17:24 am
:shaking:
What will I do?!?
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: Dark Hunter on June 23, 2008, 10:39:14 am
http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2006/02/macosxleap.html


:lol:

I remember when that first happened. I believe I read somewhere that the virus writer had written it just to spite those "Macs don't have viruses" people.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 23, 2008, 02:02:16 pm
Not true.  Just right click on the file or folder and click scan. 
Not with any version from the last 3 years. And AVG will scan a whole drive.

I just did it 3 times last night with AVG free 7.5 both on single files, a zip file which scanned inside the zip and on the directory I extracted to.  All you need to do is right click on the file/directory and it's in the same section with add to archive etc.  There should be a line that says Scan with AVG. 
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 23, 2008, 02:09:55 pm
Not true.  Just right click on the file or folder and click scan. 

Now that is my one pet peeve with AVG Free.  It won't do a full scan of a network drive.  One of the reasons I keep Norton around for now.   

AVG Free 8.0?

Anyways, you all should look into The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com).  It's awesome for fixing infected systems and recovery purposes.  ;)  Basically, boot a stripped-down version of XP from CD, with free anti-virus, recovery, and system testing utils thrown in - it also has FireFox and some office utils, so it's pretty much good to go for emergencies.  You can even throw it onto the hard disk using the installer script.
[/quote]

So far I only have AVG Free 8.0 on one machine so I'm not sure.  7.5 gives some sort of message about the free version not supporting network drives. 

I have Ultimate Boot CD lying around here somewhere.  Never had a need to use it yet.  If things are bad enough I can't get to the system at all I just toss the drive in an old P2 450 I have lying around for just such an occasion.  If it screws it up I don't really care I have an image of the drive that takes about 10 minutes to restore.  Laptops are the only real pain in the but since I can find my converter to stick a laptop drive in a PC.  Yea I put that where I knew I wouldn't loose it.  If I can't find it I can't loose it.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 23, 2008, 02:59:01 pm
Not true.  Just right click on the file or folder and click scan. 
Not with any version from the last 3 years. And AVG will scan a whole drive.

I just did it 3 times last night with AVG free 7.5 both on single files, a zip file which scanned inside the zip and on the directory I extracted to.  All you need to do is right click on the file/directory and it's in the same section with add to archive etc.  There should be a line that says Scan with AVG. 
I'm referring to Norton when I say that it won't scan single files/folders/drives.
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 23, 2008, 03:42:31 pm
Well I just did it with NAV 2008.  Same thing selected a file, right clicked, and selected Scan with Norton Antivirus.  1 object scanned.  Screenshot (http://fubar4.fubar.org/fubar/Clipboard02.jpg)

Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: tinfoil on June 23, 2008, 03:52:47 pm
Why is HandyBits on there?
Title: Re: Which Anti-Virus software do you use?
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 23, 2008, 04:30:39 pm
Well I've had NIS '04/'05 and N360 '07.