Is it really necessary to Buy AV software? 6

[Tina2002]

Hi

I have lots of freeware that seems to get rid of malware/spyware, trojans, etc - I have Spybot, AdAware, CWshredder. I also go to 'panda' site for a free scan.

Is it still really necessary/recommended to buy a copy of say Norton Antivirus?

Would anyone have some good opinions on this?
I don't know too much about this, and am considering buying extra software, but don't want to waste the money if I don't have to.

Thanks!

 

[vop]

All of the above mentioned tools, including 'panda', are primarily after the fact scans. Once you experience a bad system compromising situation, it becomes easy to realize how much easier it would have been to detect and address system corruption mishaps as early as possible rather than having to spend the hours and sometimes days to (HOPEFULLY) neutralize or correct a particularly tough infestation after the fact.

An optimal antivirus tool needs to be running real-time and kept up-to-date ALWAYS. As such, it inspects every incoming file for 'virus signatures' and IMMEDIATELY quarantines where warranted.

Periodic scans (health checks) are no better than ignoring the real risks and sometimes permanent consequences of unsafe sex when a safer protocol is clearly available.

Where highly effective virus prevention and neutralization measures can be easily achieved, it is best and most prudent to ALWAYS do so. Otherwise the costs and time involvement for corrective action, and the aggrevation factor will be a most unfortunate, yet highly avoidable, consequence.

Vince
_____________________________________________________________
[*** If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking. ***]

 

[tazuk]

Tina2002

AVG AntiVirus is free for home / personal use. I install it on all the pcs I build for family / friends and, providing they update the definitions regularly, have yet to have a machine come back infected.
NB: where you have a permanent online connection it is a relatively straightforward task to setup an AVG update on every login (in addition to the scheduled update).

Personally I use NAV2004 on my desktop and AVG on my laptop, but am considering ditching NAV in favour of AVG on my next rebuild.

Online scans are worth continuing on a periodic basis regardless of which AV product you install and use, given the increasing tendency for modern malware to attempt to disable commonly-used AV products.

HTH

TazUk

Blue-screening PCs since 1998

 

[bfralia]

I can highly recommend AVG though I recently found six viruses it missed on a computer I was working on for someone else. I use it at home.

In this day and time, haveing an A/V program is almost as important as having an operating system.

 

[jrbarnett]

I agree that AVG is a good product, but remember it is only free for personal use. For commercial use, a license must be purchased.

I would add, however, that enabling a firewall on a standalone PC (even the XP in built one) can do a lot to stop items such as Blaster getting into the PC in the first place. For machines not running XP, try Kerio or ZoneAlarm, also free for personal use.

John

 

[jlockley]

!!!!YES!!!!

If you choose to join a community, which you do if you use the internet, you assume the responsibility of doing no harm to the other members. While you may be able to find malware and virus infection after the fact with free online scans and downloads, you cannot prevent your computer from becoming infected and acting as a spam gateway, an engine for denial of service attacks or a sort of electronic Typhoid Mary for all of your friends, unless you have preventitive software installed.

You need a firewall, and you need AV protection, updated regularly and turned on appropriately. (I believe that's automatic now - the last bout I spent weeks fixing was due to a period of only a few minutes when I turned off firewall and protection at the request of SBC to fix an IP issue. As usual, they were wrong, but I forgot to turn it back on, and I lost a lot of time and money.)

All of the AV programs are good. Some get things others miss, but not much gets through. In addition to McAfee and Norton there is the program mentioned above, Pc-cillin, etc. PC-Cillin, which I found more compatatable than NOrton for a while, offers a $25 upgrade if you own any other product.

You can also usually buy an older but not legacy version of any software for very little money - go oem if you must - and update it to serve the same purpose as new.