I don’t know about you but once again my mailbox has been flooded by virus’ (Viri?!) from all over the place, and Sophos and the others have released details of yet more V’s out there in the wild.
As a majority of you here use a Windows Product I’d like to take a chance to remind you that you do need to keep your firewall and antivirus programs up to date, with at least a daily drive scan. Be careful with attachments from people you don’t know and also update the definitions in your anti-spyware software.
Whilst quite a few on these boards are net savvy there are also people here who have little knowledge of these things. We all had to start somewhere.
Now that most of the above software is free there is no excuse not to have it if you have Windows…
Yes, I would agree. I run AVG (www.grisoft.com) on all my ‘windows’ computers, and within the family. It is a worthwhile package and it’s free for private individuals.
I have had no problems with it and it even detects trojan horses when they drop into my C:\windows\temp and \temporary internet files\ directories
Also good idea to check what has authority to get through the firewall. It varies with firewalls but some give you an option to block per program, and some may have gotten through.
Although I ‘hear’ everyone saying that AVG is a good virus scanner, why do people insist on getting freeware? I don’t ‘get it’ Why not pay a few quid and get software that is updated as soon as you dial up? I don’t have to scan me hard drive everyday, but only maybe once every other week or two. If it’s an oldish puter, and you don’t place much value on it, well yes, then maybe freeware may be enough, but for a new Dell puter? Anyway, you can also do a search in any of the big search engines (google etc)… just type in ‘FREE ANTI VIRUS SOFTWARE’ and you’ll get a whole list of free anti virus stuff. A simple analogy… you have an old banger, you don’t care if you get Asda’s own engine oil. However you go out and buy a nice new vehicle… Nah… you want the best hyper grade. Ask people who have used paid for anti virus software, and you will get an honest opinion.
Thank you from a thick puter user
Downloaded Avg and it seems fine. One more question. Does anyone know how i change security center settings so it doesnt keep telling me my virus software is out of date?
Or should i just delete mcafee virus scan ( i guess so having written this!)
Tel, ive had paid for norton, and mcafee, no better than avg, and in some ways worse. So, if summats good and free, why not use it?
A small word on anti-virus by the way, I read an article a while back by one of the people that invented it a Dr Soloman, dont use it, hasnt done for yonks, and calls it a waste of time, food for thought eh?
Best anti-virus software out there is AVG and it’s free!
install a spyware program…best out there is ad-aware and spybot…both free.
If you are running XP then get SP2…never had a problem with it.
another good program is hijackthis.
I do not agree Bully… Although the best FREE anti virus software might be AVG, I do not think that it is the best anti virus software. As for spybot (search and destroy) and adaware, I do not think that these programs are any more than gimmicks to novice users, who seek protection from online threats, and take dodgey reccommendations from friends, because everyone else tells them that are good.
I have been reading a 'puter mag, called PC Answers, for years.
They do a CD with programmes on it, as do all the rest. On the disc this month is Ad-Aware SE (the latest edition), Spybot S & D and a load of other security software, all free. Ad-Aware is a data-base of iffy sites and their iffy cookies etc. Spybot S& D is similar but aimed at trojan horses etc.
They have been recommending these two programmes for a couple of years now. As the prog’s are free, the writers can’t be paying a mag to recommend them. If these prog’s are rubbish gimics, why would a mag be recommending them?
I use Panda AV and Firewall paid for, and backed up by these 2 prog’s myself.
They have these two prog’s, also AVG available as free downloads from their site here at PC Answers.
Well… I don’t use software from magazines, because the way I figure it, they don’t give you anything for nothing. Even if I run a scan on freeware from a magazine, there is nothing to say that it is not infected with something, like a claw programm that hooks on to your hard drive and then monitors your internet usage. The old addage ‘Pay peanuts and get monkeys’ springs to my mind.
It’s down to personal choice at the end of the day, but ultimately, if you are buying mags that tell you how to run your puter to its optimum, then you don’t know enough. That is not meant to be an insult, by the way. … I now tend to rely more on the experience of people who I know have far more experience than me. Trying new software or using freeware is one thing, but relying on it is another.
