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Computer newbies: Checking one Anti-virus program against another
Checking one Anti-virus program against another
by The ancient one - 1/6/09 8:51 AMDo I have this right? If I want to check my AVG anti-virus software against let’s say AVAST anti-virus software, to be sure that AVG is not missing things, and if only one anti-virus programs should be running, I must first uninstall AVG and then install and run AVAST, then uninstall AVAST and reinstall AVG (assuming that AVG is the program I want to keep) and while doing this make sure that I am disconnected from the internet?
The ancient one.
Yes, Either That, Or...
by Grif Thomas
- 1/6/09 9:03 AM
In reply to: Checking one Anti-virus program against another by The ancient one
...use one of the various review sites such as the link below:
http://www.av-comparatives.org/
After clicking on the link above, click on the "Comparatives" tab on the left side of the screen.. Once there, click on "Online Results" link for the ""On Demand Comparitive" which provides testing results for "known" viruses and spyware or the "Retrospective/Proactive Test" link which provides results for unknown/heuristics types of detections.
Hope this helps.
Grif
Thanks, Grif
by The ancient one - 1/6/09 11:53 AM In reply to: Yes, Either That, Or... by Grif Thomas
I may decide to buy a paid for program that also has anti-spyware and then from time to time go through the procedure mentioned above.
AV "Do All" products...
by Nosmo179 - 1/6/09 4:46 PM In reply to: Thanks, Grif by The ancient oneHey there. I am interested in this subject too. I always wondered what was best and felt fairly safe with the hardware and software firewalls I used plus the Avast! Home edition. But just after Christmas my desktop got attacked by Antivirus 2009 - a nasty piece of malware. It took the CNET forum that is dedicated to help others hit by AV2009 to get it removed.
So, I am now trying Trend Micro Internet Security 2009 program, all in one app with Firewall, too.
I did find a site (http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm)that had loads of info, seems like an expert has worked very hard to build a site that may give us some good advice. One thing I did read was that James A. Eshelman (the web developer) recommends a few products for the best protection and he recommends NOT to use the protection program's email scanning mode. He says that having the program do the constant watch of all email in and out doesn't increase protection but does hurt your system's performance. He stated that the AV program will find an email virus when you try to open the email and that is good in itself.
He has a link to recommend the site - it pops up and email with this in the body: Hi! I think you would like the following site: Windows Support Center http://aumha.org. So, I need to read more of your comments and much more on this site I told you about.
Later.
Antivirus 2009 like Antivirus 2008
by caktus - 1/6/09 7:27 PM In reply to: AV "Do All" products... by Nosmo179Only becomes a problem when it is clicked on or downloaded. Anytime a web site does something (like scanning) that you did not expect or initiate yourself, close the window and leave it be. Antivirus 2009 like Antivirus 2008 generally hack different sites for only a few moments to avoid detection by the sites host or web master. So when you next return to that same site it may no longer be there.
Regardless the applications and updating we employ, we are the last line of defense against all the little deviants lurking around every other corner of the Internet. And generally, regardless what anti-malware applications we employ we must always try assume responsibility for the last line of defense as best we can. And
while today one AV program may be the "best" tomorrow yet another may be the "best."
Charlie
As To Email Scanning, It's Your Choice..
by Grif Thomas - 1/7/09 8:40 AM
In reply to: AV "Do All" products... by Nosmo179
...and much depends on the internet service provider you have.. "Most" ISPs and Exchange services now provide antivirus scanning of all the mail that goes through their server.. That hasn't always been the case and your ISP may not provide scanning of mail through their server. In addition, I personally feel that it's best to detect and eliminate malwarey BEFORE it actually reaches the machine.. If you wait to eliminate malware till you attempt to run/open a file, it might be too late.. I've seen such and so have you.. That's exactly how Antivirus 2009 was installed on your computer.. Although it probably didn't come through email, Antivirus 2009 was allowed to "run/open" on your computer and it installed itself. Unfortunately, your malware detection tool did NOT find and eliminate the problem when it opened..
As a result, email scanning may have a limited advantage for some users and only YOU can decide whether the performance issue outweighs the security email scanning provides..
Hope this helps.
Grif
RE: performance issue
by caktus - 1/7/09 9:40 AM In reply to: As To Email Scanning, It's Your Choice.. by Grif Thomas
The only time I myself ever noticed a performance issue is when multiple tools on the local machine such as AV and firewall both where scanning email. I guess what it did was create a bottle neck slowing download and sometimes even causing the client to freeze up.
? 2008 or 2009 Antivirus ?
by johnonon - 1/10/09 4:32 AM In reply to: AV "Do All" products... by Nosmo179I think I was hit by Antivirus 2008 about a week ago on another computer. Got rid of it with add-remove Left the puter with the following Turn on comes to desk top no Icons, about 30 sec. I get Icons with blue background then 30sec Icons with white background then 30sec back to desktop no Icons and this goes on and on??? Dell runing XP Home 3 Has been working great for 5 yrs. Thank you JON
I got great advice at another CNET forum..
by Nosmo179 - 1/10/09 5:59 AM In reply to: ? 2008 or 2009 Antivirus ? by johnononI know you will get lots of great advice at:
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6132_102-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=300720&start=0&tag=forum-w;forums06
because I did.
I got hit just after Christmas with AV2009 and worked it for two long days. I started out doing the manual steps, then Malwarebytes. In the end I had to do more than some and less than others.
I recommend going there and reading the posts - 156 at this time. Search for hikergirl (her post about a MS online scan got my computer fixed - one of my posts about that link is more current so look at that too - http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6132_102-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=300720&messageID=2946996#2946996) and also the posts #2 - #5 are a great start.
Good luck.
Antivirus 2009
by johnonon - 1/10/09 6:24 AM In reply to: I got great advice at another CNET forum.. by Nosmo179Thanks for the reply !! JON
Umm....are you sure?
by bob b - 1/6/09 2:41 PM In reply to: Yes, Either That, Or... by Grif Thomas
I think you can have as many AV products as you like on the machine.
It might be best to only have one active at a time....they might fight.
So turn one on...turn the others off.
No need to uninstall and the reinstall.
For Most AVPs, It's Best To Have Only ONE..
by Grif Thomas - 1/6/09 4:10 PM
In reply to: Umm....are you sure? by bob b
Primarily, because antivirus programs hook the system deeply, they can conflict when even installed on the computer.. In fact, most of the major brands such as McAfee, Norton, Sophos, and a few others won't even install with another AVP on the computer. See the links below for others that feel the same.:
Sophos Antivirus Instructions. Answer to General Question number 2: '' 2) I would like to have 2 AntiVirus Programs installed on my computer. Would that provide better virus protection?''
http://www.mcmaster.ca/uts/virus/sophos/sophosfaq.htm#g2
See the "IMPORTANT" statement at the bottom of the "Step 3: Use Up-to-Date Antivirus Software" in this Microsoft article:
http://www.microsoft.com/nz/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/print.htm
Read the first sentence below the heading: "If you already have antivirus software on your computer":
http://www.edu.pe.ca/journeyon/tech_support_pages/stchelp/antivirus/
_____________
That said, you may get other opinions on the subject, but for me, it's best to have only one antivirus on the computer so you're sure it's doing the job it's supposed to. If it doesn't get the job done, then get one that does.. And if you're concerned about an infection, to get a second opinion, use an online antivirus scanner..
Hope this helps.
Grif
avg is crap
by Nightmares0nwax - 1/7/09 9:31 AM In reply to: Checking one Anti-virus program against another by The ancient oneavast will find everything avg does not, avg is no use, it really isnt, i cant tell you the amount of computers that have turned out to be infected when they are running avg.
RE: AVG
by caktus - 1/7/09 9:49 AM In reply to: avg is crap by Nightmares0nwaxTo each their own. As have many, been using AVG for years virtually trouble free. No AV is the best while I assume probably no AV is the worst. What is better today may well be less tomorrow. Usually it's a lax last line of defense (us) that gets us into trouble.
None of them are perfect
by waytron - 1/10/09 4:01 AM In reply to: Checking one Anti-virus program against another by The ancient oneNone of the antivirus programs are perfect. I serviced hundreds of infected computers last year and I can tell you that viruses, malware and spyware are able to get into computers that were protected with every brand of antivirus software. I have removed Antivirus 2008 and 2009 from virtually every kind of machine. If you do not mind paying for protection then I have had the best overall luck with NOD32. But I have also had very good results with both AVG and Avast for the free versions. You really should also have 2 or 3 antispyware scanners installed such as Spybot Search and Destroy, Malwarebytes, Windows Defender and AdAware.
You should not have more than one antivurus installed or more than one firewall installed at the same time. If you want to scan with something else just to be sure, try one of the many free online scanners such as HouseCall from Trend Micro, Norton, Kaspersky and BitDefender. Most of the free online scanners can be used without uninstalling your current security software.
One other note: Note all Security software is created equal and some may perform very well at the expense of using up all your system resources and slowing down your computer. So it can be a trade off between protection and performance, especially on slightly older machines that may not have as fast a processor and plenty of memory. I have seen products such as Norton 360 bring a 3 year old computer to it's knees, making it almost useless.
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