free anti-virus/spyware etc. protection

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  • robk
    Full Member
    • Nov 2010
    • 167

    #16
    I've used Microsoft Security Essentials for a couple of years. I have noticed no reduction in speed and have not had any virus problems although occasionally MSE has found and sorted possible attacks.

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    • mercia
      Full Member
      • Nov 2010
      • 8920

      #17
      thanks all - plenty to choose from

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      • Pegleg
        Full Member
        • Apr 2012
        • 389

        #18
        My recommendation for free anti-virus/spyware etc. protection is to use Linux. But if you really must use Windows these links are worth reading:

        Extensive guide to Windows 7 security, covering topics like updates, Windows Defender, anti-virus and anti-malware software, firewall configuration, User Account Control (UAC), Protected Mode for Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), Data Execution Prevention (DEP), folder options, and more


        Second tutorial on Windows 7 security, focusing on AppLocker and Software Restriction Policies (SRP), BitLocker encryption, privacy and security settings in Windows Media Player (WMP), and Parental Control


        http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/safe_web.html (this is a bit out of date)


        I only run Windows in a virtual machine and so far Microsoft Security Essentials has proved adequate.

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        • Frances_iom
          Full Member
          • Mar 2007
          • 2411

          #19
          Originally posted by mercia View Post
          ..
          any suggestions gratefully received
          Linux - usually free on several magazines - I suggest Mint12 - no problems re buying an expensive O/S and then paying 25% of your processor cycles to avoid problems

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          • Resurrection Man

            #20
            You may find it inordinately difficult to remove all traces of Norton from your PC unless they have changed things since I last delved into the murky world of PCs. There were (are?) many stories of bits of Norton lurking about under the hood and causing no end of problems. I like my computing clean, simple and easy to use and although I am a tech-head would far rather use it than fiddle about with it. Hence the Mac.

            Slightly OT I was reminiscing the other day about the various versions of Mac and Apple stuff that I've had. From Apple II's (and personally heavily involved with the development of add-ons to them at the time), to the very first tiny Mac SE. Before that there was the 660AV...an audio-visual version that was light years ahead of Bill Gates who was still locked in a world of 80 x 24 character screens and DOS. The very small Powerbook 100. Several more powerful Powerbook Lombard G3s. A chunky G4 MacPro. Think there may be a few that I've missed along the way! Been a long long time. And currently an iMac.

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            • johnb
              Full Member
              • Mar 2007
              • 2903

              #21
              Originally posted by Resurrection Man View Post
              You may find it inordinately difficult to remove all traces of Norton from your PC unless they have changed things since I last delved into the murky world of PCs. There were (are?) many stories of bits of Norton lurking about under the hood and causing no end of problems.
              There are Norton removal tools that will (hopefully) leave the PC clean of the Norton product: https://www-secure.symantec.com/nort...=1&pvid=f-home

              Do though remember to set a restore point before running.

              I confess that I have been using Norton Internet Security for about 10 years, on various machines - mainly through inertia rather than any attachment to the produce. That said, I have never had any virus or trojan infection, touch wood.

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              • MrGongGong
                Full Member
                • Nov 2010
                • 18357

                #22
                aaah Norton removal

                anyone remember Bonzi Buddy ? stuck like s**t to a blanket

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                • Dave2002
                  Full Member
                  • Dec 2010
                  • 18009

                  #23
                  I have moved over to Mac OS X during the last few years, and hardly ever bother with Windows PCs now. The Macs are largely virus free, but there have been recent reports of some taking hold. In order to protect others I use the Sophos software, which traps phishing attacks, and PC viruses, so that I don't propagate them. http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products...e-edition.aspx

                  For PCs I have in the past used quite a few, including AVG, Avast, Zone Alarm. Mostly I have used the free versions, though sometimes these are tricky to find. I have paid for service for one or two years, but generally I don't think it's worth it. I once paid for MacAfee, which was horrendous. It may have protected my machines, but slowed everything to a snail's pace.

                  AVG and Avast (free) seem good enough for most purposes, though I have also used Adaware (Lavasoft) and Malwarebytes as an extra check.

                  There does seem to be some evidence that some of the better paid for AV software can do a better job, and there may well be malware which hardly any AV software will pick up. Mostly you don't know that these things work unless they claim to find a problem.

                  I heard that Kaspersky was very good, but I found it was a pain to install as it was incompatible with most of the other security software I had installed. I never got to finish the install. If someone has it already, then I'd probably say stick with it. The alternative might be to wipe all trace of it, then start again with another vendor's software, but that was one package which caused major incompatibilities for me.

                  I was going to add that using WAN monitoring tools can also help, as if problems are suspected (e.g your computer runs veeeerrrryyyy slowly) it helps to find out which processes are connected externally, and what they're connected to. This can be really interesting, and it's usually possible to disconnect processes which look dodgy. I'll get back with some suggestions later.
                  Last edited by Dave2002; 07-06-12, 11:07.

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                  • MrGongGong
                    Full Member
                    • Nov 2010
                    • 18357

                    #24
                    One solution if you are seriously worried about these things and have relatively simple computing needs is to use an "obsolete" operating system
                    no one writes windows 98 viruses anymore
                    and it still works

                    I did have the recent trojan thing on my Macbook which was a bit tricky to remove (time for the Terminal !) but now patched

                    Comment

                    • DracoM
                      Host
                      • Mar 2007
                      • 12960

                      #25
                      AVG has done stuff for me more than adequately.
                      Of course, much depends on how wild is the internet usage in the household, but for most things AVG seems OK.

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                      • Dave2002
                        Full Member
                        • Dec 2010
                        • 18009

                        #26
                        Originally posted by johnb View Post
                        There are Norton removal tools that will (hopefully) leave the PC clean of the Norton product: https://www-secure.symantec.com/nort...=1&pvid=f-home

                        Do though remember to set a restore point before running.

                        I confess that I have been using Norton Internet Security for about 10 years, on various machines - mainly through inertia rather than any attachment to the produce. That said, I have never had any virus or trojan infection, touch wood.
                        >>>I have never had any virus or trojan infection, touch wood.
                        How do you know?

                        There are web sites and other tools which you can access which will test out your security protection. Whether or not you wish to try these may depend on how cynical and/or trusting you are. I think some of them are genuine, and will honestly check out your system, but of course some of them may be fake, or even only partially fake (!! even 0.005% is bad enough) and install malware on your system.

                        One possibility for checking out those sites would be not to run browsers on your machine, but rather in a VM (Virtual Machine environment). That way, if you suspect that a site is not behaving properly, then you can kill the VM to minimise problems. Also, might make sense not to run from your own IP.

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                        • johnb
                          Full Member
                          • Mar 2007
                          • 2903

                          #27
                          Dave,

                          Rather you than me!

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                          • Northender

                            #28
                            Originally posted by DracoM View Post
                            AVG has done stuff for me more than adequately.
                            Of course, much depends on how wild is the internet usage in the household, but for most things AVG seems OK.
                            Same here.

                            Comment

                            • Dave2002
                              Full Member
                              • Dec 2010
                              • 18009

                              #29
                              Originally posted by johnb View Post
                              Dave,

                              Rather you than me!
                              I presume you mean regarding the threat testing. I have actually tried some of those sites in the past, and was very surprised to see what they came up with. Allegedly none of them got through my protection.

                              There's a bit more on threat testing etc. here - http://www.penetration-testing.com/h...source=adwords

                              I recall that I did use the tests at the Gibson site - https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 and it was informative. Hopefully it didn't cause any problems.

                              I did not try the tests at HackerWatch - http://www.hackerwatch.org/probe/ - so can't say whether I'd recommend them or not.

                              However, without doing some form of testing, how can one ever know that firewall or AV software is working at all? A negative response does not tell you much. Maybe you need to get one of your friends to send you a copy of a virus!

                              Comment

                              • Dave2002
                                Full Member
                                • Dec 2010
                                • 18009

                                #30
                                Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post
                                I was going to add that using WAN monitoring tools can also help, as if problems are suspected (e.g your computer runs veeeerrrryyyy slowly) it helps to find out which processes are connected externally, and what they're connected to. This can be really interesting, and it's usually possible to disconnect processes which look dodgy. I'll get back with some suggestions later.
                                TCPView is a good tool for monitoring connections on a Windows PC - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../bb897437.aspx

                                Recommended!

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