Best Antivirus?
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You are really bored, aren't you? :~
[www.tamautomation.com] Robots, CNC and PLC machines for grinding and polishing.
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In my experience most virii are introduced to corporate systems by senior management. At a previous company a director's laptop brought the systems down for close on three days. Fortunately I was in Barbados at the time on honeymoon.
“I believe that there is an equality to all humanity. We all suck.” Bill Hicks
ChrisElston wrote:
Fortunately I was in Barbados at the time on honeymoon.
Honeymooning in Barbados does sound slightly preferable to cleaning up after a major virus infection at the office.
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That's part of the confusion :-)
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You are really bored, aren't you? :~
[www.tamautomation.com] Robots, CNC and PLC machines for grinding and polishing.
I am just really good at finding bugs. Especially obscure ones.
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Hi people, I am searching for a new antivirus for the firm. We were using ESET NOD32 during a long time, but our licences expired. We got an antivirus installed through server policies by the central IT-Management of the company. That one was giving us A LOT of problems with some professional software we need for our job. I have tried to explain that in the central, but they don't really give a sh... about it. After some time I have managed to arrange permission to search for an antivirus to be used in our Virtual Machines. I have researched a bit with oncle "G" but I am finding a lot of list with different results. It depends a lot from the Lab of the research, the firm publicing the list and its relationships and so on. So I don't have any conclusive result. That's why I want to ask you about options. For sure we need a secure one, but I am actually searching for a good average security, compatibility and performance. Thanks for your comments
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
1. Most of the times I am called to solve a virus infection, I find that the computer DID have an anti-virus program installed; useless stuff. 2. Most of the times I am called to solve a "my computer is slow" / "crashes" / "has problems" problem, I find it's a crapware(not malware)-caused problem, with the anti-virus as the top offender, or some update system, causing complains. 3. most of the times I have to reinstall an OS it has something to do with a crapped up AV uninstall. So - 1. The anti-virus IS the virus. I stopped using it on personal computers (I admit corporate environments are a different matter). 2. I use Windows Update to patch regularly. 3. I turn off Autoplay for all drives (scan your registry for NoDriveTypeAutorun and change all values to 0). 4. I don't click stupid links, or play with dangerous stuff (illegal downloads, porn), I don't execute stuff that looks suspicious. 5. I use USBDLM (a simple USB utility) to run my own batch file when a pen drive is inserted. If it finds an Autorun.inf there, it shows me the contents and asks if I want to delete it. 6. I clean all viruses on other people's computers manually to learn their tricks. 7. I regularly look at SysInternals Process Explorer so I am familiar with the stuff running in my PC. On my current PC which is now 6 years old and has never had a virus, has never been reinstalled, and runs fast even though it is Windows Vista (faster than most newer PC's which are ill-configured or have anti-virus programs installed). This is not risk-free, and it is not for everybody, but I have been evangelizing this approach and have had good results even with some non-technical users.
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Hi people, I am searching for a new antivirus for the firm. We were using ESET NOD32 during a long time, but our licences expired. We got an antivirus installed through server policies by the central IT-Management of the company. That one was giving us A LOT of problems with some professional software we need for our job. I have tried to explain that in the central, but they don't really give a sh... about it. After some time I have managed to arrange permission to search for an antivirus to be used in our Virtual Machines. I have researched a bit with oncle "G" but I am finding a lot of list with different results. It depends a lot from the Lab of the research, the firm publicing the list and its relationships and so on. So I don't have any conclusive result. That's why I want to ask you about options. For sure we need a secure one, but I am actually searching for a good average security, compatibility and performance. Thanks for your comments
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
I just tried AVG on my Win8 64bit machine and soon it crashed with blue screen. I could not simply uninstall it as win8 was crashing and restarting over and over. So I had to go to safe mode and stop AVG services as I could not do it from Task manager. Then restarted and uninstalled AVG. Moreover AVG turns off Windows Defender so I had to turn it on again. My recommendation - if you are on win8 stay with windows defender.
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1. Most of the times I am called to solve a virus infection, I find that the computer DID have an anti-virus program installed; useless stuff. 2. Most of the times I am called to solve a "my computer is slow" / "crashes" / "has problems" problem, I find it's a crapware(not malware)-caused problem, with the anti-virus as the top offender, or some update system, causing complains. 3. most of the times I have to reinstall an OS it has something to do with a crapped up AV uninstall. So - 1. The anti-virus IS the virus. I stopped using it on personal computers (I admit corporate environments are a different matter). 2. I use Windows Update to patch regularly. 3. I turn off Autoplay for all drives (scan your registry for NoDriveTypeAutorun and change all values to 0). 4. I don't click stupid links, or play with dangerous stuff (illegal downloads, porn), I don't execute stuff that looks suspicious. 5. I use USBDLM (a simple USB utility) to run my own batch file when a pen drive is inserted. If it finds an Autorun.inf there, it shows me the contents and asks if I want to delete it. 6. I clean all viruses on other people's computers manually to learn their tricks. 7. I regularly look at SysInternals Process Explorer so I am familiar with the stuff running in my PC. On my current PC which is now 6 years old and has never had a virus, has never been reinstalled, and runs fast even though it is Windows Vista (faster than most newer PC's which are ill-configured or have anti-virus programs installed). This is not risk-free, and it is not for everybody, but I have been evangelizing this approach and have had good results even with some non-technical users.
Best answer i have seen to the (which anti virus ?) question in a long time. Although I only do steps 1, 2 and 4 because i'm lazy :) I like to add Microsoft Security Essentials to non-technical users (e.g. mum), to give them psychological comfort.
Amr Abdel Majeed Software Developer
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Norm .droid wrote:
stick with Nod
That's what I actually would like to do, but the central seems to have had problems with them and is a No-Go inside the company. We have had it for over 5 years working without any problem and suddenly... pluff was deinstalled in background through server policies, being changed to a MS product. I don't know if there are more than one, because I have read a lot of people being happy with MSE here in CP (see link above) but the one we got installed was a pain in the a.. blocking the computer when scanning and VM was open, having false detections with official software we have licenced in the company and stuff like that.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
The problem with MSE is that the licensing terms do not allow you to install it in a corporate environment. It is limited to ten computers for a small business. If your firm is small you will be okay otherwise you will need something else. D
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ChrisElston wrote:
Fortunately I was in Barbados at the time on honeymoon.
Honeymooning in Barbados does sound slightly preferable to cleaning up after a major virus infection at the office.
-
Norm .droid wrote:
stick with Nod
That's what I actually would like to do, but the central seems to have had problems with them and is a No-Go inside the company. We have had it for over 5 years working without any problem and suddenly... pluff was deinstalled in background through server policies, being changed to a MS product. I don't know if there are more than one, because I have read a lot of people being happy with MSE here in CP (see link above) but the one we got installed was a pain in the a.. blocking the computer when scanning and VM was open, having false detections with official software we have licenced in the company and stuff like that.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Hi people, I am searching for a new antivirus for the firm. We were using ESET NOD32 during a long time, but our licences expired. We got an antivirus installed through server policies by the central IT-Management of the company. That one was giving us A LOT of problems with some professional software we need for our job. I have tried to explain that in the central, but they don't really give a sh... about it. After some time I have managed to arrange permission to search for an antivirus to be used in our Virtual Machines. I have researched a bit with oncle "G" but I am finding a lot of list with different results. It depends a lot from the Lab of the research, the firm publicing the list and its relationships and so on. So I don't have any conclusive result. That's why I want to ask you about options. For sure we need a secure one, but I am actually searching for a good average security, compatibility and performance. Thanks for your comments
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
I have dealt with McAffee and Symantec, neither of which I recommend due to bugs that slow or hang the system. BitDefender may cause problems with slowdowns and hangs and email mangling, but can be fixed with careful configuration. Windows Defender or MSE have a good current reputation, and they know how not to hang your computer. My best results have been with Malwarebytes, which seems to catch malware sooner and clean them better than any other that I have tried. I noticed some mention AVG, and have had no problems in the past with that, if you pay for the features that you want.
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I have dealt with McAffee and Symantec, neither of which I recommend due to bugs that slow or hang the system. BitDefender may cause problems with slowdowns and hangs and email mangling, but can be fixed with careful configuration. Windows Defender or MSE have a good current reputation, and they know how not to hang your computer. My best results have been with Malwarebytes, which seems to catch malware sooner and clean them better than any other that I have tried. I noticed some mention AVG, and have had no problems in the past with that, if you pay for the features that you want.
I have been using AVG for several years in corporate (paid) and personal (free) environments. I have rescued many computers through the years that have had subscription AV programs that stopped protecting after the subscription had run out. Job one is always to remove whatever AV is installed and replace with AVG Free then give the Lunarsoft [^]"treatment". AVG has had its moments and I have begun to shy away from their security tool bar but it does keep a low profile and always seems to be there when it's needed. I once discovered a virus infections that they missed and submitted it to the team and it was included in the very next update. Impressed me more than the missed virus peeved me. I do notice that AVG has popped up quite a bit in this thread - should tell you something...
- save the pulp -
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Hi people, I am searching for a new antivirus for the firm. We were using ESET NOD32 during a long time, but our licences expired. We got an antivirus installed through server policies by the central IT-Management of the company. That one was giving us A LOT of problems with some professional software we need for our job. I have tried to explain that in the central, but they don't really give a sh... about it. After some time I have managed to arrange permission to search for an antivirus to be used in our Virtual Machines. I have researched a bit with oncle "G" but I am finding a lot of list with different results. It depends a lot from the Lab of the research, the firm publicing the list and its relationships and so on. So I don't have any conclusive result. That's why I want to ask you about options. For sure we need a secure one, but I am actually searching for a good average security, compatibility and performance. Thanks for your comments
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
I really like Webroot SecureAnywhere.
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Hi people, I am searching for a new antivirus for the firm. We were using ESET NOD32 during a long time, but our licences expired. We got an antivirus installed through server policies by the central IT-Management of the company. That one was giving us A LOT of problems with some professional software we need for our job. I have tried to explain that in the central, but they don't really give a sh... about it. After some time I have managed to arrange permission to search for an antivirus to be used in our Virtual Machines. I have researched a bit with oncle "G" but I am finding a lot of list with different results. It depends a lot from the Lab of the research, the firm publicing the list and its relationships and so on. So I don't have any conclusive result. That's why I want to ask you about options. For sure we need a secure one, but I am actually searching for a good average security, compatibility and performance. Thanks for your comments
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
well telling you my personal opinion i never like to use antivirus but i care about surfing & removable media and love to play with viruses. if you can't do this than you can use windows essential... :)
Aamir Shahzad Web Designer/Developer.
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1. Most of the times I am called to solve a virus infection, I find that the computer DID have an anti-virus program installed; useless stuff. 2. Most of the times I am called to solve a "my computer is slow" / "crashes" / "has problems" problem, I find it's a crapware(not malware)-caused problem, with the anti-virus as the top offender, or some update system, causing complains. 3. most of the times I have to reinstall an OS it has something to do with a crapped up AV uninstall. So - 1. The anti-virus IS the virus. I stopped using it on personal computers (I admit corporate environments are a different matter). 2. I use Windows Update to patch regularly. 3. I turn off Autoplay for all drives (scan your registry for NoDriveTypeAutorun and change all values to 0). 4. I don't click stupid links, or play with dangerous stuff (illegal downloads, porn), I don't execute stuff that looks suspicious. 5. I use USBDLM (a simple USB utility) to run my own batch file when a pen drive is inserted. If it finds an Autorun.inf there, it shows me the contents and asks if I want to delete it. 6. I clean all viruses on other people's computers manually to learn their tricks. 7. I regularly look at SysInternals Process Explorer so I am familiar with the stuff running in my PC. On my current PC which is now 6 years old and has never had a virus, has never been reinstalled, and runs fast even though it is Windows Vista (faster than most newer PC's which are ill-configured or have anti-virus programs installed). This is not risk-free, and it is not for everybody, but I have been evangelizing this approach and have had good results even with some non-technical users.
My actual problem (and reason why I asked this) is that I am searching for antivirus to be installed in the Virtual Machines we use in the company. On the other hand... I agree it is a very good list of advices. I already do 2, 3, 4 and 7 personally. I can not deinstall AV because it is company laptop. But in my personal one I was 6 years without antivirus and had only 2 problems. The first one due to a classmate borrowed my laptop in a practical lesson and had virus in the usb-stick, the second due to active javascript and a google-add that blocked the screen with a "FBI-warning" and requested the payment of a tax (I cleaned it manually) In addition to your points, everytime I have to help someone with the pc or the laptop... I save all the data first, then I create a "data" partition, format the system one and start over again. After installing all things (without Internet) is done, I connect to the internet and do a full update of the system. When all is finished, I do a ghost-backup. If I am called another time again, just save possible new data. Restore backup without internet, connect to the internet do full update, re-do backup and ready to go. Best thing is, you only need 5 or ten minutes in front of the computer, the rest of the process is time I spend having lunch, a beer and chatting with my friend. If the person I am helping knows a bit about computers, I give them a tiny manual I wrote for this and they can do it by themselves, saving me the next visit.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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The problem with MSE is that the licensing terms do not allow you to install it in a corporate environment. It is limited to ten computers for a small business. If your firm is small you will be okay otherwise you will need something else. D
I didn't know about the limitations, that I suppose it excludes it of my list. We are 50+ people :( Thanks for the info
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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I have been using AVG for several years in corporate (paid) and personal (free) environments. I have rescued many computers through the years that have had subscription AV programs that stopped protecting after the subscription had run out. Job one is always to remove whatever AV is installed and replace with AVG Free then give the Lunarsoft [^]"treatment". AVG has had its moments and I have begun to shy away from their security tool bar but it does keep a low profile and always seems to be there when it's needed. I once discovered a virus infections that they missed and submitted it to the team and it was included in the very next update. Impressed me more than the missed virus peeved me. I do notice that AVG has popped up quite a bit in this thread - should tell you something...
- save the pulp -
InfinitelyRemote wrote:
then give the Lunarsoft [^]"treatment".
I didn't know about that wiki, thanks for the new bookmark :)
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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InfinitelyRemote wrote:
then give the Lunarsoft [^]"treatment".
I didn't know about that wiki, thanks for the new bookmark :)
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
YW - Rare indeed are the times when the steps described in that wiki do not result in a fixed machine. I keep updated copies of the recommended software on my key chain so I am always ready to come to the rescue. :thumbsup:
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YW - Rare indeed are the times when the steps described in that wiki do not result in a fixed machine. I keep updated copies of the recommended software on my key chain so I am always ready to come to the rescue. :thumbsup:
I am more "search and destroy" oriented. In my experience it has been faster to format and start over (I describe it some posts above) in so many ocasions that I have become lazy to fix the current system.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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I am more "search and destroy" oriented. In my experience it has been faster to format and start over (I describe it some posts above) in so many ocasions that I have become lazy to fix the current system.
M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
I am generally with you in the search and destroy method but thanks to that "Treatment" described, I have been able to repair a great many systems belonging to family, friends and neighbors with minimal disruption to their files and progs - in the worst cases I have had to bring in some specialized rootkit removers to clean some boot-sector nastiness. This has become known as "The $80 Treatment" - and the word gets around :-D Now that I think about it - seems lately the only time I reformat is to reinstall a "lunched" Linux distro that had just taught me one more lesson (like they do.) ;)
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