Virus scaners

I was wondering if someone knows of a good virus scanner which only scans when you tell it too and doesn't mess with thigns all over your system.

In otherwords not stuff like norton or symantec. I just want a nice and clean program. Not one that feels the need to edit my trash bin or install 50 billion registry keys and be impossible to get rid of and cause more problems then most viruses.

Does anyone know of a nice clean virus scanenr which actually just lets you set it to scan when you press the scan button and can actually be shut off otherwise?

 

I would highly recommend Panda. Many people here do and a friend of mine found viruses with it that Norton's missed. You can get it here: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download1110.html

P.S. There is a free version also on the site

 

Hi Coco, with most scanners (NOT Norton or Macafee) you have the option to use or not use their features (like resident protection or email scanning, etc.) Just go to the "configuration" panel. I use Avast and a lot of folks like AVG or AntiVir or you can go here to get the whole list available on MG. As I said, most of these will allow you the option to not use all of their features if you don't want 'em.

 

I like McAfee 7.0 never had any problems running on 2pcs can choose what to scan, drives, files, etc. Can turn on and off when you want is up to you.
can download at MG (not Free) Has never failed me! includes firewall can turn on and off as wish or set to auto.


Here at MG are several good anti vir programs that are free,
I use AVG free edition like it too! use on two other pcs



Http://www.majorgeeks.com/vb/showthread.php?t=27385

 

NOT TRUE!
McAfee very versita, user friendly, all features optional, can scan all or select any drive or file.

 

Not downing your likes or dislikes ASUS but I found Macafee to be a little bloated for my taste and it was a real pain to uninstall. But then, all applications are like preferences in autos -- everyone has a favorite and would argue to the death about it

 

i used antivir i think it was.
go to www.free-av.com
it picked up stuff norton did'nt.and also you can select what you want to do with the infected file(s) .delete, quarantine, etc...
only used nortons for the email scanner though mostly.other then that i woulda stayed with the free one

 

I haven't run a virus scanner for years and I Have no intention of ever running a virus scanner. Over the last 4 years i've gotten 3 viruses and each time I notice there is a problem go out and find a virus program run it, clean up the problem and then delete the virus program. So far for me virus programs have always caused more damange then the virus itself. I know some programs do allow you to turn off their features but it's amazingly hard sometimes, or if you do they keep reminding you. Or even with them off other things are still added.

I essentially would like something that doesn't even need to be installed. Like for example you know when you install norton it runs a short virus scan first before launching the install program. Well that thing would be perfect for me if I could update it's virus list and chose what drives to scan. That's all I want in a virus scanner.

Anyways i'll check out the ones you guys mentioned. I've tried AntiVir before but for some reason the stupid thing will stop in the event that it finds a virus. Which is annoying because who watches a virus scan. I just want a report after it's all done.

 

I'm a big fan of NOD32. Loads quick, unobtrusive, and does the job it's intended for.

 

Have you ever looked at what most of viruses do? Most do nothing harmful at all. If you go read the info pages on viruses they write up a whole lot about how it spreads and where it hides itself but most of the time they won't even tell you what it does or if they do they tell you in one sentence. Many of them are things like "displays merry christmas on december 25th" or "Shows snow falling during christmas season" or just stupid things which really don't matter.

Now of course granted there are a few which are harmful but if you let one wipe your computer that's user error, and that's big time user error. Well actually in most cases if a virus gets on your computer at all that is user error. I've been using computers since 87 and i've never had a big problem with viruses. If you pay attention and know what you're doing very few will ever get threw. Of course everyone makes mistakes and a few get threw and I deal with it when that occurs. I've tried running virus programs and over the years virus programs have caused me way more headachs then any virus ever has.

Anyways if the computer has any important if which you just can't lose it should be backed up.

I fell and most likely always will feel that the proper way to guard against viruses is to correctly secure your computer. Not deal with it after the problems occured but fix it before it ever does occur.

 

Panda website

Is "Panda" at www.pandasoftware.com? I want to be sure to have the right website.

 

OK Ive just dropped in this thread, and I'm finding your comments very disturbing Coco,

Meaning taking preventive measures like utilizing an Anti-Virus program, because obviously your methods dont work, seeing as you have had three viruses in the past Do you know how many Ive had, correct 0

Which means i also haven't contacted a virus and then let it continue to spread to my friends and family through my address book, who not being 100% computer savvy would feel very vulnerable and threatened by this
So its idiots who think they know everything, and brag about not needing Anti-Virus protection who allow the continued spread of in some cases crippling viruses
Agreed not all viruses are harmful, but a lot of them are not only corrupting files and folders rendering systems unusable, they are collecting personal information including bank details and credit card numbers
If you see some of the people who drop by here with virus related problems,you might want to reconsider your advice, a lot of average computer users get very upset and confused after a virus attack

I'm computer savvy enough to deal with a virus myself, but rather than think I'm too clever to use one, i prefer to take preventative measures and help to stop the spread, the internet would be a better place if everyone felt the same

Still good luck and i really hope nothing bad happens to your machine

 

(see above message)

 

McAfee

I do NOT want to stir up a hornet's nest, but can someone OUTLINE what's wrong with McAfee?

 

Hear, hear General! My first experience with a really bad virus was waaaaay back, Friend of mine got the "Natas" (remember that one? Probably not, like I said it was a long time ago) virus from an email sent to him by a friend from a trusted email account If you remember that virus it was so "harmless" that we wound up scrapping his hard drive. So, your point about someone being a "Typhoid Mary" and transmitting a virus to people who trust you is spot on the money.

 

First off let me apologies I really didn't mean to turn this into any sort of debate at all.

I just want to reply to one thing general lee said. You claim to have had zero viruses. Well thats great news but you do realize that if that's true it means you haven't needed or had any use for viruse scanners at all?

As for those viruse that collect info and send it back that should be blocked by your firewall. Nothing can access the internet on my computer without permission. Now of course I realize there is always the chance of security holes or backdoors but if one of those gets exploited it will be by a new virus and a virus scanner won't catch it right away and chances are the firewall will recieve an update or at least be notified of the error before the virus scanner recieves an update to detect this new virus.

I don't even bother with virus scanners on webservers which i've setup for a few companies. It slows them down too much and isn't worth it, (plus I will use linux based machines most of the time). One place I do stick virus scanners is on file servers. I can't control what goes up on there so I do it on them, but that's pretty much the only place I put them.

If you want I will admit that it is most likely a good idea to keep one around so long as it does nothing at all unless you tell it to scan(which is what I wanted). I just don't see the need for around the clock protection when it's almost never needed and could cause program conflicts. Also i've never once sent a virus e-mail out to anyone, although I do recieve many a day.

 

Ok Coco, sorry i misrepresented myself ive never actually contracted a virus, but i have had plenty picked up by my Anti-virus software and not just through my e-mail accounts ive had several crop up on web sites as ive been surfing the net
Many trojans backdoors etc are quite happy to latch onto genuine processes to gain access to the internet to call home, which to the average user would be perfectly acceptable, which is the whole point of my post a lot of people read these forums and i wouldnt want anyone thinking its acceptable to leave thier computer unprotected

And a lot of remailing viruses do this without the user even realising

But im glad to see you do use a firewall, so you do feel the need for some third party protection

 

Hey Coco, have you not been listening to what has been happening to some of these people who have received virus's? My gosh man, what blanket are you hiding under. Everyone should have a virus scanner and a program to wipe them out with. Don't ever send me an email Coco......... Mercy, the mans daft!!!!

 

Didn't mean to hit so hard there Coco. But...............

 

I go with the hardware firewalls. Not a big fan of extra processes running in the background.

BTW, Robo, it's not that I feel invincible. It's just I find running anti-virus to be more of a problem then running a secure system and fixing the few viruses I do get. It is of course a personal prefrence though.

One thing you guys may find interesting though is in a graduating IT class at my local college it was asked who runs antivirus on their home computers and it only came up with 20% of the graduates who run it themselves.

I've seriously found that the geekery someone seems to be the less likely it is that they are running antivirus.

Anyways, I'll leave it at that. I'll keep replying as long as it doesn't get too heated (if I did upset you feel free to talk about it in a pm with me). I really don't want to start an arguement though so please remember it's just my personal prefrence.

 

I myself didn't use an anti-virus program for a long time. I use "mailwasher" religiously and my friends know not to send me anything that will execute. Unless I know it's coming, I will not download anything that's not a picture or text.

I was more worried about things that could get in while just surfing, this is why I have a router and a software firewall. I still allow Active-X but I shouldn't.

That being said, I thought better of it a few months ago and decided "better safe than sorry" so now I am using NOD32. But this is after trying Norton and McAfee, which almost ruined my idea of using an anti-virus.

 

OK dude I'm not disputing that its your personal preference and you are entitled to do what ever you want with your computer
Firstly the point i was trying to make is that a lot of less knowledgeable people browse these forums and i wouldn't want them thinking that running Anti-Virus software is a bad thing
Secondly I'm afraid in your earlier post quoted recently by Greyhound, you came across as arrogant and seemed to be giving off the air of someone who does think they are invincible
Whether you actually meant it to come across like that i dont know

Finally

Now we can all quote any statistics we feel like, i just had a vote here and the result was 100% majority using Anti-Virus (only me here but hey its 100%) and i like to think I'm pretty geeky
But hey it doesn't surprise me either as most IT graduates have a general air of superiority when graduating, arrogance is often a necessity in the computer industry
Now I'm undecided as to whether you posted that stat as just a general FYI, or you were trying to make the point that most of us here who use AV software are just amateurs

I'm not wishing to have an argument either, just making my observations on your posts.... Its all good

 

I also use MailWasher Pro. With my AVG and benign.

 

And it seems like they have a sweet deal with being pre-installed on a lot of new computers, especially Norton.

Of couse it's a 30 day trial version. That way a lot of people will pay for a year subscription instead of going through the trouble of getting something else.

 

Heheh, ever tried fixing something like Loveletter?

I guess if you like to format a lot....

 

Most common calls to Microsoft:

Virus and Spyware calls.


Most of those peole use absolutely no Antivirus at all.

 

I do have adaware installed. I don't really use it much but it's here. I also have AntiVir installed. I ran a full scan with AntiVir last night and came up with no viruses. I haven't run adaware for awhile and i'm sure if i do it will come up with a handleful of tracking cookies but I don't care much about those. Although I could run it and post the results if you'd really like.

If you don't consider AntiVir a good AV and you got one which qualifies as a good AV and doesn't mess with the system except when I run it i'd be more then happy to try a scan with it.

Like i've said, I don't run the protection all the time but I do occasionally manually scan. Although typically only if I think someting is messed up. I go months without scanning.

As for General_Lee_Stoned, I didn't mean to sound like i'm invincible or I know all. I'm sorry if I did. As for the other comment, well, it sort of made me laugh. First time i've had someone worried I might NOT have been calling them a geek. At any rate no I wasn't implying anything about the people here at majorgeeks, if i thought you were all stupid I wouldn't have come asking for your opinion in AV to begin with. It was just something I thought i'd share. No hidden meaning, I promise.

 

Even then, sometimes they know just enough to make them Dangerous!!!

 

To the Viri Gurus:

I've got the W32 Welchia Worm B on my new laptop. (Am on my desktop now).
I'm Using (Up to date) Nortons and went to the Symantec site to download the viri removal tool for that virus. It didn't find anything. Norton found it and says no target and no suspicious action. BUT.. access was denied and repair failed. I think this bug replicates a file name in the OS. I'm lost as to how to totally get rid of this worm.

 

I was unclear in that post although I think I did make it clear in previous posts that I do scan. When I said I don't run them I mean I don't let them run all the time. Usually I delete them once i've completed a scan because I can't fully disable them. So by run I merely meant I don't let it go unless I tell it to scan. I'm about 50-50 for having one actually installed. They tend to bug me a lot so I get rid of them but if they can be fully disabled they stick around usually.

As for webscripts it's not really a concern of mine. I've had debates with people about it before and i've even told someone to try and write a webscript which would do something to my computer and i've never once had someone manage anything harmful. Almost all the time when something goes wrong with those it's because the user is outdated or said ok to install software they shouldn't have or something else. I've never recieved a virus through a webpage.

The last virus i've actually had was MSBlast and I only recieved it because I was installing a new computer and after connecting to the internet (for about 2 mins) to update it gets the virus. Of course I just resolved that issue by simply slipstreaming a more recent version of windows so that msblast comes prepatched and doesn't infect a fresh install anymore.

Also your comment about IT grads not having real world experience isn't very well founded. Most IT students had jobs in the IT industry for at least a few years. Some come straight from high school but the vast majority come from other jobs to gain extra skills. Many programs require a certain amount of years of experience to even enter.

 

I have guys with MCSE's and such who work in a position lower than me. I'm a level 2 MS tech.


Saying Most IT students have had IT jobs doesn't say much.


Ok, back to our regular programming

 

well, here's my hat.

fw=love the panda antivirus, it's thorugh, not the fastest, but ti's well thought out and I don't worry. There was a time way back when that I didn't run anything, but as you get older you start to learn a few things. Formatting sucks when you've accumulated the amount of things that I have, and with the nature of virii becoming more aggressive I think it's a must have. As for geekery, well, I can tell you that I'm a hardcore geek, for crying out loud I just posted about making my own audio cables. I used to have a duron 600 runing at 1150 with a closed circuit water cooling rig I built myself, right down to the waterblock. When I started this nonsense water cooling was far from the mainstream. it's not good to justdge peoples tech skills by what they do or don't do on systems. and just to further make everyone hate me, I tend to agree with adrynalyne's statements. just because you have an MCSE or something equivalent does not make you a computer god, I've fixed many an MCSE's mistakes. it's all about experience, classroom scenarios can't even hope to scratch the surface of what happens to machines in the real world run by real users.
end my 2 cents. Sorry if i've offended anyone, but it's just my opinion.

 

thanks xflat

THANKS -- I knew you guys had this stuff posted elsewhere -- thanks for the link.

 

I am not claiming to know it all or have all the answers. Nor am I claiming to be any sort of god. Please stop trying to prove i'm not amazing or super human I have made no such claims so stop trying to disprove them since they don't exsist.

As for IT grads knowing everything, yet again I also made no such claims. I offered a stat. I didn't say something like 90% of the worlds smartest people say this. I merely mentioned something from IT grads.

It doesn't matter where you go in the industry you will never find a person who doesn't make a mistake, anyone who is claiming to know it all and never makes a mistake is a flat out lier.

Also for the record it really doesn't matter how much work experience someone has for the majority of this. Were mainly talking about home computers use of virus scanners. If a user is currently managing to get by on a home computer without a virus scanner once they graduate and start working there home computers going to be doing much of the same work. Even more likely they'll be doing less work at home since they'll have a work computer. So if they are managing just fine now they will continue managing their home computer just fine once they start work because work won't be much of a factor in them getting viruses on their home computer at all.

 

Yada, yada, yada.

Coco doesn't want to run AV and does not fear data corruption or loss.

So be it. Not my cup of tea, but is apparently Coco's. So no point in continuing to prod and poke to change Coco's mind.

Just so long as the less gutsy out there know that this is not recommended.


Problem solved. Next!

 

Me, I am going to run virus protection every chance I get.

 

Is it not so that some years ago running AV on computer really was a slowdown and sometimes also very risky? Today much better integrated, computers and OS (2K/XP) can handle them better = almost no reason not to use them (the good ones at least, heh). If you have had bad experience then it might be sticking in memory. Same as if you once had xxxx brand of hd breaking down it will take time to recover faith even if new models have nothing to do with old.

I think you can surf, email safely witout AV but then you need preparation and much self-control. Not many have that.

.

 

I checked the site you referenced and others. According to the site I do have the correct patch installed and I disabled system restore before I began. The worm is a "robinhood" type and will remove itself in June so I guess I'm OK. It's just so very annoying, like a cold sore, knowing that it's there. This was the first (known) virus I've contracted since I began using computers in '92.
I contracted the virus when I was downloading windows updates and viri updates through symantec when I first went online using the new laptop - - "murphy's law". There goes my squeaky clean record.. oh well..!

I'll be more selective/careful when responding to posts. I knew better.
Thanks for the responses everyone.