OT: Technology and Geek Stuff Thread

[Topweasel]

I have Avira on my laptop...doesn't interfere with anything I do at all. Almost seems like it's not working...like it's being lazy.

Its supposedly with a specific version of the engine. Haven't confirmed its Avira but only three major pushes have been made since users started running into this "slow" issue. Our parent company knows of a similar issue with the server version, but its not supposed to be in the version we are running on the clients. The best description is that a breaker pops inside it an requests for on access scans take longer and longer because its readdressing the previous requests over and over and over again in an escalating manor.

If it wasn't for that it would be great probably the smallest system utilization of all the programs. I still don't like the tremendous amounts of false positives. It almost seems like it uses a self created white list for exes along with tight heuristics.

[Topweasel]

Shouldn't use msconfig, that should only really be used for temporary testing of screwed up programs. It leaves the stuff in the registry and basically is manhandling the registry at startup. Over time constantly using the selective startup can cause more issues with windows.

The good thing about it though is that it lists the registry locations for each program. You can go in there and hand delete those entries you don't need.

[-Deborah-]

Top, please don't advocate that casual computer users edit their registry.

Mark, msconfig is fine for what you're trying to do, but the best solution is to look there at each program and then uninstall the ones you don't want running.

[nhwbrooklyn]

A remember update and scan with malwarebytes, at a minimum, once a month. IMO this is a must for PC users.

[Panoptes]

Marko,

One of our very own well respected forum users and IT type guy has advised me that I may have found the key to avoiding viruses and other issues simply by clearing my MS driven laptop of any and all virus cleaning programs. Its his belief (like many) that the companies that claim to be your cure to viruses are the very ones creating the viruses to keep themselves in business.

No viruses on the 4 year old lap top the whole time I have owned it.

I have used the Malwarebytes program many have recommended about once a quarter and have yet to have it find any hidden or blatant problems. The scans always come up clean.

[nhwbrooklyn]

Windows 7 gonz?

Windows 7 is better at protecting itself than XP but I would never recommend going without 3rd party protection. I work with a lot of web developers and I see people hacked quite often, even with protection.

[Panoptes]

XP SP3

And I always keep it up to date

Never an issue.

I don't know if this means anything to the subject matter at hand but I always have my computer clear all history and temp files every time I shut down (which is almost everytime I get off the computer). When I am not on-line but don't have the computer shut off, I turn off my internet connection access (wi-fi usually).

[nhwbrooklyn]

Well good luck to you. Say hello to the china-men in control of your computer for me too

[Timmy]

The PCWorld Jan 2011 issue has a comparison of the top free and paid AV products. No surprise Norton was the winner in the paid category and Avast won the free section.

Mark you don't need to purchase the 360 package which I think is bloated for what they charge. Instead buy the plain Antivirus product which is significantly cheaper. The auto renew is a ripoff so you'll want to uninstall all of their software and install the new version. Buy.com has the 3 PC Norton 2010 for $30. It allows updates for one year from the time of installation/registration.

http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=211970494

[Newbomb Turk]

this looks cool

NEXT: SONY to launch PlayStation smartphone...

[nhwbrooklyn]

That is cool. Smart move for sony too because smart phones are getting so powerful they are on the verge of making hand held game devices obsolete. LG already has a duel core processor android phone coming out soon.

[maxw3ll]

XP SP3

And I always keep it up to date

Never an issue.

I don't know if this means anything to the subject matter at hand but I always have my computer clear all history and temp files every time I shut down (which is almost everytime I get off the computer). When I am not on-line but don't have the computer shut off, I turn off my internet connection access (wi-fi usually).

Without anti virus programs you would have no way of knowing you were infected. Bill Gates isn't going to tell you. Hackers that write viruses don't incorporate functions that announce their presence to a user. Also, XP and up to date should not be in the same sentence. Even the best AV programs cant stop them all. There have been studies that measure how long an unprotected device on the internet lasts before it is compromised. They measure in minutes.

[Panoptes]

Without anti virus programs you would have no way of knowing you were infected. Bill Gates isn't going to tell you. Hackers that write viruses don't incorporate functions that announce their presence to a user. Also, XP and up to date should not be in the same sentence. Even the best AV programs cant stop them all. There have been studies that measure how long an unprotected device on the internet lasts before it is compromised. They measure in minutes.

Malwarebytes has never found a single problem.

My computer does not run slow (a sure sign of infection) and is not on-line 24/7. It gets shut down everytime I am done using it.

I must be doing something right. I am not entirely ignorant of how things work over the internets. My IT friends (this place included) tell me I am lucky but they also have me do this and that to make sure and I am always home free. I don't really think its luck. I really think there is something to the AV programs being in cohoots with the "bad guys".

I may be jinxing myself but after 4+ years, I am not too worried about being hit now.

[maxw3ll]

I think a large part of it involves what kind of sites are visited. Reputable big name sites should be fine. Most of the time people with virus trouble are visiting shady sites or big into file sharing and downloading stuff. If I was going to go the route of no AV I would frequently back up important data and re-image the computer more frequently. Congrats if it is working. If it isn't broke don't fix it. Plus, Everyone knows GONZ doesn't get computer viruses.

[Darl McrBride]

99.5% of the time, anyway.

Really, if you use a router/firewall, things like popup blocking and adblock, and aren't an idiot with your email and where you visit I think the chance of virus problems are slim. In my case I've gotten just one (foolishly connected to the network w/out the router for 5 minutes during a move). Buying a new hard drive, reinstalling everything, and copying the old hard drive to new for the data is a hell of a lot less painful than living with AV every day. Admittedly, I always seem to have woeful hardware - I actually have an 80486 still in production (ftp server running debian)

BTW, AVG has gotten a lot of bad press over the past year or so.