MUST-Read AntiVirus pgm-comparison

[rugger]

Its not a good idea to "just" run a virus scanner on a computer you don't know has a virus or not. Many viruses can hide their presence from the user and the operating system once they are installed. (though, I am not too sure how far a virus can go to stealth itself under the NT kernel, but I would imagine it could do it if it had Administrator priviledges.

Its best to install the virus scanner before the computer has a chance to become infected.

My best advice for finding viruses on a suspect system would be to connect it to a linux system and check it from there.

[Gurm]

No firewall? No AV program? Boy, Blaster must have had a field day with you guys.

- Gurm

[Ssin]

The thing is that if you're the only one to use the computer and you are being specially careful with your websites etc.. then you might do without an AV program.
I would, myself, recommend F-Secure or Dr Solomon. They are the best that worked for me so far. Norton is boggus (crashes 30% of the computers as far as I've been installing it - and I don't talk about Internet Security). Fact is nowadays AV programs are not enough, you need to have anti-spywares, anti-virus, anti-this, anti-that, firewalls, etc.. and have them updated every time you use your computer. I wonder if for a running time of 30 years wouldn't it be more efficient to have a research team working on a mini-bomb that automatically lands on virus programmers instead of spending money in AV programs?

[Ssin]

Originally posted by drslump
I'm sure that people like you, which know how to operate a computer at a sysadmin level, don't really need av software. However there are millions of computer users with powerful machines and broadband connections who haven't got a clue about how to protect their computers. The worst is that the companies who sell them the computers preffer to offer photo-editing or office software packages with the computer, rather than firewalls and proper antivirus software

Of course, if you give away the one program that people are desesperate to buy how can you make a living out of it? Besides, infected PC's do come back to shop for a service... and that is also charged.
No what you're talking about is strategy not folly.

[Technoid]

Originally posted by TransformX
On the other hand, whether it's a virus or HW failure, I have my backup on CDs. Do you...?

Nope, I have it on DVD :P

Originally posted by Ssin
Of course, if you give away the one program that people are desesperate to buy how can you make a living out of it? Besides, infected PC's do come back to shop for a service... and that is also charged.
No what you're talking about is strategy not folly.

Stupid strategy, customers get quite annoyed since anything that happens are ALWAYS our fault since we sold the computer :P

We have bundled antivirus and firewall software the latest 2 years

And it pays off

Much less nagging, and much more happy customers

Originally posted by Gurm
No firewall? No AV program? Boy, Blaster must have had a field day with you guys.

- Gurm

hehe

Originally posted by Ssin
The thing is that if you're the only one to use the computer and you are being specially careful with your websites etc.. then you might do without an AV program.

I doubt it....

I would, myself, recommend F-Secure or Dr Solomon. They are the best that worked for me so far. Norton is boggus (crashes 30% of the computers as far as I've been installing it - and I don't talk about Internet Security).

Sadly, Nortons latest versions uses IE and some scripting to generate their "program windows" this makes nav really "shaky" on systems with any IE instabilitys
Especially "hotbar" type add on programs for IE seems to screw things up

Fact is nowadays AV programs are not enough, you need to have anti-spywares, anti-virus, anti-this, anti-that, firewalls, etc.. and have them updated every time you use your computer. I wonder if for a running time of 30 years wouldn't it be more efficient to have a research team working on a mini-bomb that automatically lands on virus programmers instead of spending money in AV programs?

UGHH

[Kurt]

@Technoid: you mean no blaster/lovsan/nachi/swen complaints?

[Technoid]

Originally posted by Kurt
@Technoid: you mean no blaster/lovsan/nachi/swen complaints?

not on those computers with antivirus and firewall...

on those with not its another question....

[The PIT]

Never had a problem with Norton Anti Virus or it's firewall. Guess some people don't know how to set it up.

The scanner in Nortons is slow takes agaes scanning 21 gig of progs and data.

It's okay being careful with websites but what happens when you mistype the URL.

If you download the latest patches you'd have got away with blaster/nachi. Microsoft still haven't got the idea right about updates though. Office updates needs incorperating into Windoze update. Also the autodate needs setting up properly like setting it to go on logon, it would be nice to have that option. Also the idea of rebooting machine even when the user doesn't respond is bad as well. Wonder how many users have wandered off and lost the last doc they were updating.

[LvR]

The thing is that if you're the only one to use the computer and you are being specially careful with your websites etc.. then you might do without an AV program.

Yes - but only if you are as selfish as you appear. You don't know what your machine is receiving and propagating in the name of "clean data", causing virus/worm/etc reports to get bloated when we snare the damn things you refuse to even acknowledge to exist.

[TransformX]

Originally posted by LvR
Yes - but only if you are as selfish as you appear. You don't know what your machine is receiving and propagating in the name of "clean data", causing virus/worm/etc reports to get bloated when we snare the damn things you refuse to even acknowledge to exist.

Not when you have a well configured firewall which doesn't allow anything to come in or go out of your machine without your authorization...

[Admiral]

Darn AVG E-mail Scanner, how do you configure it ?
(using Thunderbird)

[Gurm]

Admiral,

Dunno if you CAN configure it for Thunderbird.

- Gurm

[The PIT]

Originally posted by TransformX
Not when you have a well configured firewall which doesn't allow anything to come in or go out of your machine without your authorization...

The firewall doesn't catch all you know however well you configure it.

[High_Jumbllama]

Originally posted by The PIT
... If you download the latest patches you'd have got away with blaster/nachi. Microsoft still haven't got the idea right about updates though. Office updates needs incorperating into Windoze update. Also the autodate needs setting up properly like setting it to go on logon, it would be nice to have that option. Also the idea of rebooting machine even when the user doesn't respond is bad as well. Wonder how many users have wandered off and lost the last doc they were updating.

http://office.microsoft.com/officeupdate/default.aspx?CTT=98

and click on "Check for Updates".

[LvR]

Yep - its rather like buying a Ferrari, and then refusing to drive it with the air filter and fuel filter fitted because you believe the half a horsepower sucked from the 615 stated on the spec sheets will detract from your overall enjoyment of the item .............................