Virus-checkers

[kuri]

Do any of you have any experience with ClamWin? On my to-do list for my earned day off today was re-installing a virus checker. I couldn't get the keygen to work with Norton Anti-Virus, and finally decided that it's stupid to continually have to update keygens and other things I barely control. So I googled "open source anti-virus Vista" and found ClamWin. So far, it appears to be a fairly lean program: only drawback is that it won't scan automatically - I'll have to remember to do that myself every so often.

Have any other experiences or recommendation for anti-virus software? Preferably that a) works with windows (not ready to make that leap yet, sorry, need my OS off the shelf and working) and b) doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

[Debra]

Comodo anti-virus and they have a firewall both free. They take a bit of tweaking but not a lot. http://antivirus.comodo.com/

[skdadl]

I'm using AVG, which is free. How does it work? You're asking me? After two years, it seems to be fine. It does little updates every day and sends me cheerful messages -- that's all I know.

[scott]

AVG works for me, although I prefer the old version 7.5 over the new v8. I have used McAfee and Kaspersky, both paid versions. AVG is just as good IMHO. The new AVG isn't quite as configurable, but it stops viruses.

[kuri]

I now have AVG, Comodo, ClamWin and Norton installed. Will see which one has the right mix of alerting me and leaving me alone. So far, AVG can't complete a scan though. Get an error message part way through and it tells me I need to close applications. :?

[pogge]

It sounds like you're running a bunch of anti-virus applications all at the same time. Don't do that. You'll screw up your system.

One at a time.

[radiorahim]

Of course I have to start by saying that the best way to prevent viruses and other types of malware is to never install a software programme called "Microsoft Windows" on your computer. :)

ClamAV (the anti-virus engine that Clamwin uses) is mostly used on free software GNU/Linux systems and in particular on mail servers ...not really to protect the GNU/Linux machine, but more to protect Windows machines that connect to them over a network.

But just in case some malicious person or corporation installed this Microsoft Windows programme on your machine and you don't know how to get it off, one other anti-virus programme that you can use is "Avast" available from http://avast.com.

They give you I think 30 days permission to use it, but if you do this rather bizarre thing called "registering" it, they'll give you a thing called a "serial number" and you can use it for a year.   Then you'll have to ask permission to use it again...and the cycle goes on...you keep having to ask for permission to use it.

You're quite correct that Clamwin doesn't have a "real time" anti-virus scanner.   However given that it's licensed under the GNU General Public License you never ever have to ask for somebody's permission to use it.   If you want to use it just use it.  You don't need to get a serial number and you don't have to give anyone any information about yourself.

The advantage using Clamwin is that "realtime scanners" that are constantly running in the background slow your computer down.

The disadvantage is that you'll need to be much more vigilant about running regular scans on your machine and making sure to manually scan every file that you download. :)

[radiorahim]

It sounds like you're running a bunch of anti-virus applications all at the same time. Don't do that. You'll screw up your system.

One at a time.

Yes I missed that...never run more than one anti-virus checker on your Windows computer...they often fight with each other.

[vmichel]

I have AVG and like it.

Word of caution: I used to have Norton, and wanted to get rid of it, so I uninstalled it and let the subscription lapse. Or so I thought. When it came time to renew the subscription and I didn't, Norton blocked access to the internet entirely. It was hideously complicated to fix. I had help.

Apparently this is a known thing with Norton -- you can't just let Windows "uninstall" it. So when you decide you don't want Norton, there's something you have to do to really totally take it off your computer and not have it block your internet. (Of course I still don't know what that thing is!)

[kuri]

Oh man, so I guess I got to choose one. Hopefully, uninstalling doesn't take too long - don't have another day off for awhile and I seriously never have more than 20 minutes to spare for these type of things lately in the evenings. (Hence my reluctance to switch OS. L.'s played around with Ubuntu on a dual boot on his compy and had headaches. I need things to just work.)

That Norton issue is weird. I'm hoping that since I never had a legal subscription in the first place that it doesn't happen to me.

[Debra]

review of comodo http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1969207,00.asp oops that's the firewall here is the anti virus though this is based on a beta version http://www.pcmag.co.uk/vnunet/downloads ... -antivirus

avast http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1864589,00.asp

AVG http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1864594,00.asp

these are probably the top ones used see if the reviews help.

[radiorahim]

(Hence my reluctance to switch OS. L.'s played around with Ubuntu on a dual boot on his compy and had headaches. I need things to just work.)

A little thread drift...

Take a look at some other GNU/Linux distros.    Yes Ubuntu is very popular and there's lots of "buzz" around it and an excellent user community.  That's both a good and a bad thing.  The problem is that often when folks encounter a problem with Ubuntu they assume that every Linux distro is the same.

The GNU/Linux system isn't "owned" by anyone...so that means that companies big and small, groups of online communities and even a couple of basement hackers are free to put out their own Linux distribution.

If you had the skills you could put out "Kuri's Linux"...or if a group of folks on this board had the skills and wanted to put together a GNU/Linux distro we could have "BreadnRoses Linux".

It might sound crazy at first...but many GNU/Linux distros these days actually include tools that are designed to make it ... well maybe not "easy"...but certainly "easier" for folks to put together their own GNU/Linux distro.

Putting out "Kuri's Windows" or "Kuri's MacOS" would be totally illegal!

A case in point about "distro shopping".   I setup a computer lab for a senior's centre last year.   I was going to install "Kubuntu"...which is basically Ubuntu using a KDE desktop instead of the "Gnome" desktop used in Ubuntu.

I had a problem with an onboard sound chip.   It wouldn't work "out of the box".

So, I tested "Linux Mint".   Linux Mint is a "fork" of Ubuntu (because GNU/Linux is free software you're allowed to do that).  It's put together by a very small development team based in Ireland.  I didn't even have to install it.   I just ran it in "Live CD mode" where everything runs off the CD.

As soon as Linux Mint came up I heard the "login music"..."music to my ears"...literally!
With Linux Mint that soundchip did work out of the box...and that's what I ended up installing.  It's still running flawlessly.

At other times I've found this or that distro that didn't do what I wanted them to do on this or that particular computer...so I just tried something else until I found what I wanted.

[Toby Fourre]

AVG has a good reputation.  Avoid Norton's; it takes over your system.   It is really designed for very large networks.  It can be adjusted for a home user but most are set up for maximum "protection" and simply suck down all your resources like a big memory leech. Most of us don't buy a computer simply to watch Norton's do a seven minute boot.   MacAffee is another resource hog.  

I've used Linux for a dozen years and never had a virus or any other malware on my machine.  I have had attacks (we all do) but none got through.