Windows 7 what antivirus do you use w/ w7

weissmertz

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Joined
Feb 28, 2009
i have been using norton 360 but my free trial has expired i have been able to renew it a couple times but not anymore .are there any free av that works w/ w7
 
I don't use ANY -- if you are careful with what you download from the Internet and check your Router Logs regularly and don't leave ports open unless you use them for things like RDP / FTP / SSL) then why bother.

The number of times I see on this and other forums problems caused by AV software - it would seem the cure is worse than the disease.

If you use Torrents or other p2p networks and download multi-media stuff such as music from "dubious sources" then thats a different issue but if you are a normal "boring" standard user like me there's no reason whatsoever to worry about viruses. In any case I don't have anything to hide if someone DID per chance get on to my machine.

For Online Banking I use a stand alone Linux computer which is not part of any LAN, otherwise I'm fine with Windows provided you apply security patches and are careful with what you install, run and download. Also check you machine(s) regularly for any signs of unual activity such as Internet activity when you aren't actually doing anything etc.

These days a really determined hacker can bypass most security systems if they feel so inclined to do it -- and the worst sort appearing now are those that actually attack the BIOS which your "Common or garden" AV package is fairly powerless to protect in any case.

Check this article out on "Rootkit" type of attacks.

Link Removed - Invalid URL

Here's another (OK a bit dated -- Chernobyl Virus) but in the same vein.

Fifth anniversary of Chernobyl computer virus attack

Cheers
jimbo
 
McAfee also has beta of their security center for Windows 7 that you can sign up for. I believe its good until December..
 
Avast works fine. AVG ran fine on 32bit win 7, but I had trouble on 64bit. I wouldn't recommend going without AV.
 
ESET Smart Security. you can download a free trial on the website.

norton and all those others hog ram.

(you can use any AV that works with vista)
 
My answer to your only question. I use Avast (Free) It runs 100% on 64 0r 32Bit. One of the more recent features of modern virus's, is to attack via rootkits. These are planted via the root (obviously) and on second boot begin to do their damage. They are one of the virus's which make the UAC worthless. So you are looking for a free version which looks for such. You also want one which looks for trojans, or spyware. The latter is not so easily found in the free editions. Avast and Avira both have good rootkit protection. I periodically check with "Advanced System care (also free), which is succesful in getting rid of both, plus quite a bit of other junk. I have run it on my computer for a couple of years, without disaster.

Jimbo,s post is interesting, but I do not think most users are prepared to setup a separate sytem merely to use their bank account. My bank has it's own protection schemes, on top of what I may use. LOL, I'm flat broke anyway - they won't find much there!
I would strongly advise that, if you are an overall user, that you do install anti virus control.
 
Hi dave

The old Linux machine (it's a REALLY OLD machine which was destined for a Single journey to the tip anyway - 512 MB RAM Pentium 2 machine) runs suse 10.1 really well (wouldn't dare trying any newer stuff on it). LCD switch is fine when I need an 'X' console. (For those who don't know Linux the 'X' server is the Video server from which you can select a GUI to run -- unlike Windows there is a lot of choice - the most popular being KDE, GNOME and XFCE -- for more info any Linux forum will more than help you - a good one is LinuxQuestions.org). However I'm not advocating a switch to Linux by any means - but just explaining why I can dedicate a machine to online Banking.

If you have an old computer lying around (and a surprising number of people still do - you can still make good use of them in these type of scenarios - even if the hardware is incredibly old - a small home server is an example -- CPU doesn't have to be lightning fast for a home server.

Linux is really great on older machines (but that's another issue). I do a lot of free lance work and have to keep accounts etc for various Tax jurisdictions such as Iceland, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany (and worst of all the UK--they are a REAL Pain if you are not a UK National) . So Online banking / accounts is quite useful. Also by logging on to a dedicated machine then I KNOW I have to do the basic Boring but necessary bookeeping. There's too many other distractions on W7 machines . :razz:

It would be interesting to see how many people have had "Spyware / Malware/adware/trojans/infections on their computers even WITH av software installed -- might make surprising reading.

But whether you do or don't what I would always regard as mandatory is to have a CLEAN image of the Official OS ( Retail or OEM but from the official install discs) after it's freshly installed archived away somewhere preferably on a DVD (or two) -- if you have the Blu Ray DVD's you can comfortably fit as much as 25GB on a BD-RW disk which with typical backup compression amounts to over 60 GB of data.

This way even if you "Hard format" a disc to cleanse it -- you should do a full format and then write Binary zeros in EVERY sector to totally flush out any possible contamination and then re-install your Fresh clean OS from your image backup. I prefer that method than installing an OS from a Disc say obtained from a Torrent -- whilst latest builds are probably genuine there's always a chance that something could be in them which "Phones Home" as soon as you are online.

AV software wouldn't protect against this sort of stuff as the OS presumably has to be installed BEFORE you can add applications to it so the virus / malware would have been decently embedded and hidden by then (or the "Rootkit" already enabled). So in these scenarios it's too late anyway.

These days most Virus writers aren't just disaffected teens "knocking up malicious code just for the fun of it" but can be very sophisticated competant intelligent programmers who are doing this stuff commercially for organisations of various kinds you don't really want to know about .

One of the biggest "growth industries" is "Identity Theft". It's not too dificult to take reasonable precautions against this happening to you - but installing AV software on your machine and then thinking you'll be OK whatever you do is a total 100% sense of false security and in my actual experience you are more likely to come to grief than if you just take care and install none.

Care in computer use is still probably of far more use than any AV software - but there's NO chance of stopping young teens (and others) from downloading all sorts of stuff especially from those social networking sites.

Cheers
jimbo
 
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Thank you for your "lecture tour".
"but installing AV software on your machine and then thinking you'll be OK whatever you do is a total 100% sense of false security but installing AV software on your machine and then thinking you'll be OK whatever you do is a total 100% sense of false security"
I did not insinuate it was 100%, nor would I ever. It most certainly is far from that. Were it so, then we would not see so many posts regarding the elimination of virus's.
Nevertheless, it is a huge step towards security, and to suggest it is not required, on pages such as this, is unwise. Anti virus programs help, as do home security devices (in my abode, you have to put a notice on the wall politely warning the would-be thieves that you have such!). They make the would be perpetrators go next door where it is less trouble.
Do you regard your own methods, cumbersome as they would appear to be, 100%. I would say not.
 
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Nod32 for me since 2005. Small memory footprint, and does what it says on the tin.

I've tried some of the 'free' alternatives over the years, but they're usually fairly limited (after all, they usually want you to buy the 'pro' version with all the features enabled). I've also had plenty of experience with the likes of Norton, but as I like my machine to run and not crawl, I've kept away from it for years now. I hear their 360 product is lighter on resources, but it's too little too late for me to bother with them anymore.

I also keep an eye out on site like Virus Bulletin (put what faith you will into these testing sites), and I've seen many 'well known' AV products fail to identify various 'in the wild' viruses (both free and paid), some just miss the occasional one, others don't seem able to stop anything at all, which makes me wonder what they actually DO do ;)
 
Avira Security Suite

For years I'd relied on AVG free and since my movement into x64 architecture I've come to embrace Avira. Their Security suite ended up catching 2 trojans and a dialer that had been in hiding on one of my backup drives for who knows how long. The latest versions handle rootkits as well and seem to be performing very well in the 7 environment. The issues with install and UAC seem to be non-existant and I haven't had to turn off the AV or firewall during installations at all. Things just keep running... nice. :)

General Oya:cool:
 
But the Avira Security Suite is Firewall, Adware, Spybot, Rootkit, and AV!

They have a trial. Check it out!
 
I use Kaspersky Internet Security and have had no problems. I would recommend to anyone
 
Nod32 for me since 2005. Small memory footprint, and does what it says on the tin.

I've tried some of the 'free' alternatives over the years, but they're usually fairly limited (after all, they usually want you to buy the 'pro' version with all the features enabled). I've also had plenty of experience with the likes of Norton, but as I like my machine to run and not crawl, I've kept away from it for years now. I hear their 360 product is lighter on resources, but it's too little too late for me to bother with them anymore.

I also keep an eye out on site like Virus Bulletin (put what faith you will into these testing sites), and I've seen many 'well known' AV products fail to identify various 'in the wild' viruses (both free and paid), some just miss the occasional one, others don't seem able to stop anything at all, which makes me wonder what they actually DO do ;)


Yep Norton 360 and NIS 2009 are now very efficient and use hardly any resources. Certainly less than Kaspersky...However since installing RC1, neither of them work, so i too am using Nod32 and must say im quite impressed.
 
Im using Kaskpersky internet security 2009, and yes it uses quite alot of resources. But on the other hand i usually scan when im off to bed or doing something else, and i think it does its job well.
 
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