Windows 7 Free Anti-Virus .vs. Purchased Anti-Virus

I am away from home on holiday at the moment. So I have left my laptops at home and I am writing this post from an Internet cafe. And this Internet cafe is stupid enough to have AVG anti-virus program installed on all of their computers.

I have just tried to download both Pale Moon web browser and Firefox. And this horrible AVG anti-virus program won't let me download it. It keeps blocking the download every time I try. And I cannot do anything about it because it's not my computer. And as this Internet cafe only has Internet Explorer browser,I am being forced to use that. To write this post because their anti-virus program won't let me install another web browser.

I am just glad that I am sensible enough not to install any ant-virus programs on my computers at home.And so I do not have any anti-virus programs on my computers. And I recently bought a Windows XP netbook,with Windows XP Home Edition.And I do not have any anti-virus programs on that and I do not plan to in the future. Windows Defender does not stop me installing or using any program I want to.

So forget anti-virus programs,they will tell you that you have this virus and that when you don't have. And they will block programs that are not anti-virus programs. Thousands of people use Firefox and Pale Moon web browser and they are NOT spyware or a virus.

Who ever invented that AVG program should go and see a psychiatrist because Firefox and programs like it are not viruses. So NEVER install any anti-virus programs on your computer. Just stick with Windows Defender and MRT-Malicious Software Removal Tool. You are better off.

Windows Defender is not installed on Windows XP like it is on Windows 7 and Windows Vista. But you can install it yourself from the Microsoft website. I have got Windows Defender on my Windows XP. And I don't have any viruses on my Windows 7 or Windows XP computers. Andrea Borman.
 
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Don't want to get embroiled in a debate ov Andrea's opinions but I would advise anyone reading this thread to consider the combination I use of Windows firewall and Microsoft Security Essentials - both free and have kept me safe. I would not encourage anyone to connect a device to the internet without malware protection.
 
The cafe would be stupid to let people download and install what they wish. The download is most likely blocked by the real admin account. Probably a lot of other things are blocked there to keep people from messing everything up.
Joe
 
Joe S said:
The cafe would be stupid to let people download and install what they wish. The download is most likely blocked by the real admin account. Probably a lot of other things are blocked there to keep people from messing everything up.
Joe
Click to expand...

True,that probably is it. The Internet cafe has probably set their computers to block downloads of other software,even web browsers. Because they do not want anyone to change the settings. But most Internet cafe computers are slow and do not work as good as my computers at home. In fact most poorly,because Internet cafe owners do not look after their computers very well. And do not even know much about computers. We know more than they do. So you cannot expect an Internet cafe computer to be like your own computer.

And the reason why I have not taken any of my several laptops with me on holiday is because,if you use public Wifi in hotels and coffee shops. I am sure everyone will see your computer on the network and can hack into it. Where as at home my BT network is only for me. So only my computers are on my network at home. And then there is the fact that if you leave your bags in left luggage, like I do while I look for a hotel,that they x ray your bags. And x rays may damage my laptop.

A few weeks ago I wrote here in this thread that Windows Defender saved my computer when it detected Open Candy which is spyware on my computer. After I downloaded amsn,a clone of Windows Live Messenger and removed it for me. See here on the Microsoft website-Encyclopedia entry: Adware:Win32/OpenCandy - Learn more about malware - Microsoft Malware Protection Center Microsoft has condemned Open Candy as spyware. So Windows Defender does protect your computer.

And on my Windows XP Netbook I do not have any anti-virus programs on there either,I just have Windows Defender. I am never going to install an anti-virus program. Andrea Borman.
 
Joe is right they are stricter than I thought in Internet cafes.

I am still on holiday and so I have left my laptops at home and I am using Internet cafes. And I am very upset because a few minutes ago,I just got told told off by the manager of the Internet cafe I am in for installing Safefox web browser on the computer I am using. I installed Safefox because I use it at home on my own computer. But the stupid manager came up to me and said" could you not install any software on my computers we don't want you to break our computers."

I told him that I have got Safefox at home on my own computer and other people use it and it is not bad software. But he told me I am not allowed to install any software not even web browsers or chat messengers on the computers. And that I have to use the software that is on there and I cannot install anything else.

So that means I cannot talk to my friends on Pidgin or Google Talk or Aim Messenger because they do not have that here in this Internet cafe. And they will not let me install it.

So I cannot call my friends on Aim or Google Talk, grrr. Why do internet cafe owners have to be so stupid? I thought I was bad at computers, but they make me feel like a genius.

I recently saw a You Tube video on how to stay safe in an Internet cafe and the person in the video advised us to use Firefox or another web browser instead of Internet Explorer. But how can we use Firefox when the Internet cafe will not allow us to install it? I have tried talking to them explaining that I have got Safefox on my own computer at home and it is not bad software. But they still say I am not allowed to install any web browsers or chat messengers on their computers in the Internet cafe.

I now feel like risking the security of my own laptop by bringing it with me next time I go away from home, and perhaps using mobile broadband. Or taking a chance and using the public wifi they have in the hotel or hostel. To avoid Internet cafes and their stupid rules. And also, they found out I installed Safefox because they watch everything you do on the computer, from their master computer. And that in itself is a security risk, if you are logging into your emails.

I hope they don't find out I have just written this post or I will probably get told off again,or thrown out of the the Internet cafe. Andrea Borman.
 
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First you must be jesting, You go into someones place of business use their equipment, then you get upset when the owner says you cannot install software on their computers.
Put it this way what if you let a stranger in for a cup of tea and they asked to use your computer and you said well yes. The stranger then installed a well known program and you got upset and the stranger said well there is nothing wrong this program it is perfectley fine. You than said my equipment my house and my rules.
The My equipment my business and my rules also applies to the owner of the cafe, he must have these rules to prevent other that are not as well intentioned as you from putting malicious, especially keyloggers software on his internet cafe machines. Next time bring your own computer and you can do as you like with your own computer but do not presume to do something with someone else's computer!!
 
,You have got a point but I think that the Internet cafe owner is being silly.First of all the computers in the Internet cafe are very slow because the cafe owners do not look after their computers. And that goes for most Internet cafes I have been to. And also the Internet cafe owners I have met know less about computers than what I do. Which does not say very much does it? As I have said before if you put me next to them, those people make me look like a computer genius.

I love the Internet and I have got blogs and websites,which are about current affairs,Lebanon,Hezbollah and other things in the Middle East. But I am sure if the Internet cafe owners knew what I wrote about and even if they could read my posts here.They would not like it,even though every website, even You Tube lets you talk about anything,as long as it is not porn. Which is fair enough.

But in some Internet cafes they just make their own rules and treat us adults like children. We are told we cannot have open time. We are denied access to some ordinary websites like My Space. We are even told what we can and cannot write about or look at. Even though it is just normal stuff that everybody reads and watches. For all I know the staff here in this Internet cafe, a different one from the last one I was in. Already knows I am writing this post,saying bad things about them. And yes,I am writing this post using Pale Moon web browser and I did not ask them if I could install it. Because they only have Internet Explorer here,and that is not even working good.

That is why I bought my own computer last year because of all the problems I had with Internet cafes. They say some people are not grateful for what they have until they loose it. Or in my case leave it. Because I thought I did the right thing leaving my computer at home when I took my trip here to Manchester. But now I wish I had just bought a pay as you go mobile broadband stick,like T Mobile or 3 and used that if I was worried about using the public wifi in the hostel or a coffee shop.And taken my laptop with me. Instead of going to Internet cafes,where there are rules and I cannot do the things that I want,like I do at home on my computer.

We are very lucky to have our own computers or laptops. But we just do not realize it,until we leave home without it. And end up using Internet cafes. I am going away again on Friday back to Manchester, but this time I will take my laptop with me and hook up to mobile broadband. Or even the public wifi.

Because then no one can tell you when to get on or off the computer. You don't have to ask permission every time you want to do some thing. And no one can tell you not to install this software or that. And as our computers are better than the Internet cafes. As we look after them and they don't. You are better off with your own computer. And you have got your privacy. Because in an Internet cafe they watch and record everything you do.

By the way talking about computers,I have recently bought a brand new Windows XP Netbook and I have written a thread about it here. Windows XP in 2011. Both Windows XP and Windows 7 are good operating systems and I love Windows. But Internet cafes give Windows a bad name. Andrea Borman.
 
That all may be well and good, but it is their cafe and so you must follow their rules, they may even block certain content when using their WIFI connection.
 
But I was using the computers in the Internet cafe and I still am. But in a different one as my laptops are at home. But I think on wifi because you are using your own laptop, you can do what you want. As you are only using their Internet connection. Or I could use the pay as you go mobile broadband if I did not like the wifi.

But the question is-Is it safe to use public wifi in hotels or coffee shops? I have asked the hotel staff and they don't know anything about computers it seems. So they cannot tell me. I am worried that I might get a computer virus from using public wifi. Andrea Borman.
 
"they don't know anything about computers it seems" sorry that bit made me laugh inappropriately
 
I hope that any newbies to Windows doesn't take some of the advice given in this thread seriously. It is like playing Russian Roulette to go with no AV at all, a bomb waiting to explode at any given moment. Running a computer with no AV is kinda like having sex with a stranger & having no protection (a condom).

What I'm going to say is probably going to make little, if any difference to one participant in this thread, but it's imperative to have some kind of AV or IS suite, keep it updated, and run it regularly. I run ESET NOD32 AV, but the choice is with the user as to what he/she wants to run. Times are tough (money's tight), so I know, and have been down the road of running free AV's. As far as the free ones goes, the latest MSE is probably the best choice for most users. There are others, but most have paid counterparts that leaves out components in the free versions.

My next choice will be a tough one, as I'll go with a IS suite. Either ESET Internet Security or Avast Internet Security. But I'll go with one or the other.

As to anyone who doesn't run any AV solution at all, this is treading on thin ice. If one doesn't want to run a AV, at least run free scanner such as ESET Online Scanner once a month or so. It can be ran while the computer(s) aren't in use, at a time of your choosing. The ESET Online Scanner can be found here, it's best ran from IE for best results.

Free ESET Online Antivirus Scanner

This is a very powerful scanner, and will find many infections that a lot of other online scanners & even installed AV's misses. For the protection of everyone, virus scanning with a quality product is a responsible thing to do. For the sake of everyone on the net.

This includes Mac & Linux users, too. Viruses & Malware can be spread through any OS, no matter how safe they're promoted to be.
 
I would also add to the above post, IMHO taking you own computer to an Internet Cafe with out the proper AV and Malware protection is plain stupid, there is no other way to say it. In addition to my Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), I run Malware Bytes, and purchased Version of Super Anti Spyware. I also use Spyware Blaster by Java Cool it is free and and prevents your browser from accidentally going to known bad sites.
Like Link Removed said you should at least run a Anti Virus Program there are good free ones, I suggest MSE but there are other free ones, ESET is a good purchased one so is Kaspersky and I am sure there are even Fans of Norton who will tell you it is a good one. But for heavens sake have a AV program installed on your computer no matter the Operating System (OS)
 

No, I was not talking about taking your computer to the Internet cafe. I was talking about using the computer in the Internet cafe-the Internet cafes computers. Which are very slow,and not well looked after. And if you went to most Internet cafes, you would hate it. The rules,and they record everything you do on the computer.

So today,I have just bought a T.Mobile USB stick which is pay as you go mobile broadband. So that when I go away back to Manchester on Friday,this time I will bring my own laptop with me and have my own Internet connection. The T.Mobile broadband,so I won't have to go to Internet cafes. As I can use my laptop in my hotel room or in the lobby if the signal is weak. And they may have public wifi as well.

I have my own Internet connection at home of course,BT,but it is home broadband and it only works in the house. Not outside the house. But the mobile broadband and possible wifi which most hotels have,enable you to connect to the Internet when you take your laptop away from home with you. So you don't have to run to Internet cafes. And you have got your privacy.

And it is true to say that if you have not got your own computer and are just using Internet cafes,you are not your own boss. Andrea Borman.
 
I'm having a problem with getting my head around your attitude to AV programs. Even if your sensible just running windows defender is putting yourself and others at risk. At home I have a rule No AV no NET. Is always best to be safe than sorry.
 

Well, being an ICT administrator manager, and a Siemens PLC engineer, I Know that everyone, needs some sort of Anti-Virus Program, as well as an Anti-Malware product, I've since got rid off AVG, because of issues, and now use MSE, Malwarebytes and Spy-bot S&D, I haven't everhad an issue since, not with viruses or Software and other downloads. But with Virus software, you get what you pay for, If you go free, expect them not to be fully featured or Accuate, if you pay for them, it depends on what you pay for, you may get heaps of features, most you wouldn't need or use!

As for Internet cafe's they are like Busnisses and Schools, They lock down System and inferstructure, to provent, Hackers, Malicious Programs and stop people from changing settings, Installing or Removing Software.

Internet Cafe's Would most likely use older single core Processors of the Pentium 4 era, with 512MB to 1GB ram, I wouldn't expect to see them to have big HDDs or even a Video card, what Video they have would be 64MB from system Memory, they wouldn't have a DVD Burner and have Windows XP Home Edition. That most part of the reason they are slow, you're used to high copacity computers, also, the Cafe's computers may have Viruses or Spyware on them, from other people. I gues that Cafe owners wouldn't update and Clean out these computers. I wouldn't expect to go to an internet Cafe to Play any games. Their computers are really desighned for Internet use, Email, a Document, Facebook, Twitter, youtube, etc. they are designed for people on the move, without a computer, or if you are someone, who is older or non technical, and don't have their own computers or internet access for that matter and aren't heavey users. I would treat them like an open Wireless Access point in a Coffee shop or Airport, and not do my banking or other private stuff on them, because a hacker may beable to find a way of getting your details.
 
nmsuk said:
I'm having a problem with getting my head around your attitude to AV programs. Even if your sensible just running windows defender is putting yourself and others at risk. At home I have a rule No AV no NET. Is always best to be safe than sorry.
Click to expand...

Anti-virus programs have been known to block access to sites and programs that are not infected with a computer virus. And also tell you,that you have a virus when you don't have one. And some like AVG and McAfee Security install themselves as browser plug ins as well as on your computer. And tell you what site it "thinks" is safe and what is not. And most times these programs flag sites that are normal everyday sites that are not bad sites. If I was browsing the web, I would hate to have a program like that in my face the whole time. And I would hate any program to take over my computer in such a way.

Take Comodo Dragon browser,it kept warning that Facebook was an unsafe website and it did block some websites. And not only that, when I went onto my other web browsers to get onto the sites I wanted. Which were normal sites about web browsers and software,it changed the settings in my other web browsers and blocked those sites in those too. So I uninstalled Comodo Dragon and everything was back to normal. I could get back onto the sites I wanted.

Then there is Netscape 8 which is a slow and terrible browser, that cannot even play videos, because it does not recognise the installed Adobe Flash Players. Unless you download them again in Netscape 8,but the download was so slow and took so long,I gave up trying. And Netscape 8 has this security scan that scans for malware and it told me I had 3 files infected with adware,and offered to remove them. NO WAY, because Windows Defender said I did not have any adware or malware. And I trust Windows Defender more than I trust a web browser that does not even work. So I uninstalled Netscape 8, and I have read that Netscape 8 has been know to break Internet Explorer. Because it removes files.

We have got Windows Defender, and that is good enough and Windows Defender does not take over your computer like an anti-virus program does. And I have also got a Windows XP Netbook that I bought a month ago. And no, I have not installed any anti-virus software on that. Just like I have not on Windows 7. But my Windows XP Netbook has got Windows Defender on it.Which I installed myself because for some reason it is not bundled with Windows XP, like it is with Windows 7 and Windows Vista. But it should be, as some Windows XP users who have never used Windows Vista or Windows XP do not know about Windows Defender.

I have no anti virus software on my Windows 7 or Windows XP, but Windows 7 and Windows XP is a very safe operating system.So you don't need any anti virus software on Windows. There are no viruses on Windows.

And I have now bought a T.Mobile USB stick, so that when I go away again on Friday I can take my Netbook with me and not have to use Internet cafes. And also if you are with BT like I am,on my package,it includes free wifi access to BT Open zone and BT Fone anywhere there is BT Open zone hotspots. And I am pretty sure I won't get a computer virus using these. Andrea Borman.
 
I've been using my current AV Comodo Internet security for about 2 years and have yet to see it take over or do anything untoward. It doesn't block websites for me it could if I configured it to but at default it doesn't. I've also never had it remove any files that it shouldn't do.

Facebook in it's self isn't a dangerous website but quite alot of the stuff on there is malicious. I've never used the comodo dragon browser so can't comment at the moment but I'm going to download it now and have a play with it as the issues your describing were probably a config issue.

Netscape 8 it's been a legacy browser for so long I'm not surprised it can't do video's. Netscape was dropped and Firefox has replaced it which is my browser of choice due to the nice plugins available for it.

I agree with you that windows defender is good at what it does, but I still wouldn't just rely on it for my sole AV protection. It not finding any malware\spyware doesn't mean it's not there. Another thing if windows defender is so good why did Microsoft release the more powerful MSE?

IMHO not running antivirus is foolhardy. Sites are being hacked all over the place. What happens when one of your safe sites get's hacked and a malicious payload is dropped onto your machine? I know this probably won't happen but it's possible.

Andrea now for a request when you've used the T-Mobile stick could you give me a small review of it's performance as I'm thinking of getting my nephew one.
 
Andrea, if nothing else, here's a good app for you, and it doesn't interfere with your computer(s). G Data Cloud Security is web based (a plug in for IE & FF 3 & 4). It prevents connections to malicious websites, w/o "taking over your computer", as you see it. Here it is:

G Data CloudSecurity - G Data CloudSecurity

Try that app out for a bit. You don't need to update it or anything. For those who has AV's installed, it doesn't interfere with your installed protection, but enhances it.
 

Well,I am back in Manchester for another visit to the city.But this time I have brought my own laptop,a Netbook with me from home. And I am using my T.Mobile pay as you go broadband in my hotel room. And it is a very good signal and quite fast. When I use it at home I don't get a good signal because of the spot the building is in. I live in a small block of flats. And also I cannot use my mobile phone inside the house in most parts of my flat,except in the bedroom. And it is the same with my mobile broadband,I can only use it in the bedroom. But then I have telephone broadband at home which comes from my landline anyway.

Here in the hotel they also have free wifi which I can connect to. And that works good too. So now I don't have to go to Internet cafes and worry about who is listening or watching me. I am glad I have brought my own laptop with me this time.Andrea Borman.
 
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