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Reccomend me a darn good antivirus
Ninehigh - 15/11/11 at 06:06 PM

Missus is currently reinstalling windows after our antivirus has failed to notice TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED counts of the w32/ramnit.e virus, so that one's out of the window...

Seeing as we're now prepared to actually pay for one (although let's not go mad!) what can get rid of this (so we can remove it from the second drive and keep all the baby pictures we were backing up)

All suggestions will go down well thanks


dlatch - 15/11/11 at 06:16 PM

avast


chrsgrain - 15/11/11 at 06:17 PM

A Mac


T66 - 15/11/11 at 06:18 PM

Avast free -



Not a resource hog, just works ......


gottabedone - 15/11/11 at 06:28 PM

Defo Avast and see what the NOD online scanner finds (although this isn't as good as it used to be)

Steve


Bare - 15/11/11 at 06:31 PM

actually microsoft 'essentials' as found in win 7 is likely the very best antivirus available and it's FREE. there are, as always, 'better' ones, but in server versions... for serious coin.


GRRR - 15/11/11 at 06:37 PM

I recommend Norton Internet Security 2012, its not the resource boat anchor it used to be and check out reviews on the net, it gets the best detection rates. Pc World has it less than half price at the mo too


britishtrident - 15/11/11 at 06:38 PM

Avira Premium --- note the free version is also good but the update servers for the free version are over loaded

Avira also do a free bootable CD/DVD as an ISO file that you can down load burn to CD/DVD and then boot from, it is based on Linux so will clear even the nastiest deep routed Windows virus.


russbost - 15/11/11 at 06:40 PM

Another vote for Avast - it simply sits quietly in the background & works!


Dangle_kt - 15/11/11 at 06:51 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB14ey7uO1s


designer - 15/11/11 at 07:06 PM

Avast


NeilP - 15/11/11 at 07:14 PM

AVG Free - but I no nuffin about it other than it works...


wombat - 15/11/11 at 07:22 PM

We have 3 laptops on Bullgaurd, always picks up issues and if you cant resolve their backup assistance is good.
Only my experience....


AndyW - 15/11/11 at 07:30 PM

I tried several free one's and since going to Norton on new computer had no problems


IainL - 15/11/11 at 07:44 PM

Another vote for Bullguard, been using it for 3 years now and no issues.


Peteff - 15/11/11 at 08:26 PM

We switched to Microsoft security essentials last year as AVG was causing problems for some reason and hanging the computer and if you can get something free from Microsoft why not ? Anyway it's been good so far and detects stuff as it comes in usually and requests to clean it immediately, we've had no attacks it hasn't dealt with.


MikeFellows - 15/11/11 at 08:54 PM

they all suck

the people who make the viruses are much cleverer and better paid (most of the time) than the anti virus developers.


pajsh - 15/11/11 at 09:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dlatch
avast


Avast +1

Had Norton and McAfee on new computers and slowed things down loads so binned them after the free (3) months ran out.

Went back to Avast and had no issues in 5 years

Also run Lavasoft Adware and Malwarebytes.

All freeeeeeeeeeeeee.


Andi - 15/11/11 at 09:37 PM

ESET NOD32.. You pay, but its the best one I have ever used and I think i have used most.
Andi


D Beddows - 15/11/11 at 10:05 PM

Microsoft Security essentials for me as well - I've tried them ALL and would never waste my money on Norton and the other commercial ones. AGV was alright a few years ago before it started doing too much and slowed everything down. Avast was my last one before Security Essentials and it was ok (although the 'Avast Security Database Has Been Updated Message' gets old quite quickly...) Although Security Essentials is a Microsoft program it seems to be as good as their firewall - and I quite often have to use 'evaluation' copies of software to get me out of a corner at work which involves more than slightly dubious downloads and I don't get any problems.

I do keep a very good eye on things though which is easily as important as the antivirus you use.


Ninehigh - 15/11/11 at 10:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Avira Premium --- note the free version is also good but the update servers for the free version are over loaded

Avira also do a free bootable CD/DVD as an ISO file that you can down load burn to CD/DVD and then boot from, it is based on Linux so will clear even the nastiest deep routed Windows virus.


It was the free version of Avira that let them through.. Also it occasionally finds viruses that don't appear to exist outside of the software, not even on their own database.

I shall pass these on and see what missus thinks

[Edited on 15/11/11 by Ninehigh]


D Beddows - 15/11/11 at 10:31 PM

with regards to the baby photos - download a copy of Linux Mint - burn it to a CD, set your PC to boot from the CD drive and restart it with the CD in the drive. Linux Mint is fairly obvious to use if you're used to Windows and it should be pretty straightforward to copy your photos (which aren't anywhere virus's hide) to a USB stick. Linux isn't affected by Windows viruses either btw and is free.

Then format the drive and start again...........


David Jenkins - 15/11/11 at 10:46 PM

I used to have AVG, but got fed up with the computer being hung up for hours while it updated. Changed to Avast and have never regretted it.

If I used Windoze on a regular basis then I'd probably go for the paid version of Avast, but I use Linux Mint for just about everything that doesn't *have* to use Windoze.


Ninehigh - 16/11/11 at 12:15 AM

quote:
Originally posted by D Beddows
with regards to the baby photos - download a copy of Linux Mint - burn it to a CD, set your PC to boot from the CD drive and restart it with the CD in the drive. Linux Mint is fairly obvious to use if you're used to Windows and it should be pretty straightforward to copy your photos (which aren't anywhere virus's hide) to a USB stick. Linux isn't affected by Windows viruses either btw and is free.

Then format the drive and start again...........


That's a good point.. I'll have to give that a try


Ivan - 16/11/11 at 10:59 AM

Slightly OT but I run different AV's on each of my machines and hope that when transferring files form one to the other that the one AV will pick up what the other doesn't - is that a sensible thing to do?


Confused but excited. - 16/11/11 at 11:41 AM

I used to use Norton Internet Security until I did a test on their website and it told me my computer was not protected!

I now use Kaspersky. Real time protection for under a tenner a year. I think it's brilliant.
Simply download the free 30 day trial, then buy one off eBay for under a tenner.
I have done this for the last few years and not had a single issue with viruses, data miners or any other malware since.
Proper job.

[Edited on 16/11/11 by Confused but excited.]


cloudy - 16/11/11 at 01:05 PM

Microsoft Security Essentials....


Ninehigh - 16/11/11 at 08:22 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cloudy
Microsoft Security Essentials....


Is that available for xp?


D Beddows - 16/11/11 at 09:19 PM

yup, as long as you have Service Pack 3 installed - MSE just seems to work as an antivirus should (ie doing everything it should without you knowing it's there at all ) definitely worth a go imho


Ninehigh - 17/11/11 at 03:13 PM

Quick update because this one's a real humdinger. While all the "trying to remove the virus" escapades was going on I unplugged that second drive. I got Linux mint on a disc this morning and booted it from cd, having plugged the drive back in.

Linux called it a "500mb filesystem" with 0 items and 14mb free...

So I quickly gave up on that one and booted windows back up. It's not there. Device manager shows it but otherwise no presence.

Is there a way of telling windows it is there, or could the virus have fried the c**p out of it?