Internet Security

[Nekoda]

It's because those are probably adware and not viruses. Doesn't even have to be anything risky at all about a lot of stuff that is classed as adware. They're just useless and in the way so the programs get rid of them. Some adware might gather data and be more malicious but I doubt all of those were that dangerous.

AVG for example searches for viruses that may be of harm to your computer, it's not an adware scanner. No virus protection is flawless anyway so some malicious software might go off the radar. That's why there are constant updates.

Adware doesn't redirect my web searches, point me to false pages and make my cursor constantly disappear. When running windows in normal mode, I couldn't download the program mentioned - it kept saying that the site was not found on servers. When I changed my homepage to the site on my browser - it kept bringing me back to google as my homepage. When I clicked a link for the software - it redirected me to google homepage. Does adware do all this?

Only when I loaded my computer in safe mode with networking was I actually able to get the anti-virus software and fix all the problems I was having.

 

[RebornBen]

Adware doesn't redirect my web searches, point me to false pages and make my cursor constantly disappear. When running windows in normal mode, I couldn't download the program mentioned - it kept saying that the site was not found on servers. When I changed my homepage to the site on my browser - it kept bringing me back to google as my homepage. When I clicked a link for the software - it redirected me to google homepage. Does adware do all this?

Only when I loaded my computer in safe mode with networking was I actually able to get the anti-virus software and fix all the problems I was having.

Probably not but usually getting viruses is due to the users own mistakes so it might have passed your virusprotection because you had allowed it to and after it's messing up your coumputer the virusprotection might not be able to work properly. It's happened to me once when I wasn't careful enough.

 

[Boondock_Saint]

I run Linux Maya operating system on my computer. It is free for down load. Because so few people use it, I have no need for virus protection.

I keep a back up and reformat my hard drive every few weeks. I haven't seen a virus in years. No protection.

 

[somebodysangel_88]

My dad has always trusted Trend Micro (right now it's Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2012) for as long as I can remember. We haven't had too many issues using it! When I had my laptop, that's what he put on it til my hard drive crapped (computer was dropped) so, my laptop's done for but other then that, that's what we have always used!

 

[MacFall]

I use ClamWin and MalwareBytes. I haven't had an issue since I started using them just after Christmas, so... 7 months. People who have trouble with ClamWin often have better luck with Avast, but I haven't had any reason to change yet.

Whatever you do, don't pay for a Norton (or comparable) subscription. The open source community is much more mobile, end-user-friendly, and most importantly - THEY COMPETE. AVG was the best a couple years ago; ClamWin may be today. Maybe next year Avast will take over. The end users win, because it costs nothing to switch.

 

[trentlogain2]

use library computers and let them deal with it.

 

[white dove]

I just want to say that I'm going through something right now that I wouldn't have to do if I'd only been smart about downloading something I had no business downloading about a year (?) or so ago (no, not that). It was something so seemingly-innocent and I thought I needed it to perform a different task on facebook (ugh, facebook). So, now I'm going through this long and tedious process and have learned to back-up my important files in case I do something stupid like that again (no guarantees, I am a human being after all). Other than not doing certain things, I try to do the other basic stuff you're supposed to do "just in case." Kinda like what you said in the OP.

 

[Nom De Guerre]

Router, Avast Internet Security, Registry Cleaner, AdBlock Plus (just for Pop-ups and such), and a few tweaks here and there

 

[SnowyMacie]

Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, and most importantly...common sense

 

[RebornBen]

Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, and most importantly...common sense

Common sense is quite rare to come by though.

 

[bhillyard]

I use the paid for AVG. Set to update daily and also to scan daily.
It has given no problems so far - preventing/isolating various viri, trojans etc.
At the same time all my computers are used without admin privileges - only logging in as admin for those tasks for which it is essential - NEVER running production programs (office, photoshop, firefox) as admin.
This should also give a measure of protection.

 

[TwistTim]

Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, and most importantly...common sense

I use Avast, Malware Bites, CCleaner and Spybot - Search and Destroy, the later two on a weekly or monthly basis, Avast all the time and Malware we'll see how long I leave it running.

 

[elytron]

To avoid all the Window's malware out there, I don't use Window's.

 

[TheUnforeseen]

Care to qualify the opinion that "AVG is useless"? If you've had bad experiences with it some detail would be useful, otherwise your post is easily countered by someone else saying "AVG is great, Norton is useless".

Well, when I had a fully updated AVG free version. I somehow got a virus on my computer and it didn't even pick it up in a full system scan. I eventually found the file which was the problem, and individually scanning it, it still didn't pick it up.

 

[r035198x]

When I have to use Windows I have the free version of AVG which has always worked for me.

 

[contango]

Well, when I had a fully updated AVG free version. I somehow got a virus on my computer and it didn't even pick it up in a full system scan. I eventually found the file which was the problem, and individually scanning it, it still didn't pick it up.

What sort of virus was it, and how did you know it was a virus as opposed to some other kind of program you didn't want?

It would be interesting to know if it's a problem with AVG generally, a problem with the free version only, or an issue where you had a free anti-virus program and what got you was something else.

 

[RebornBen]

I use the paid for AVG. Set to update daily and also to scan daily.
It has given no problems so far - preventing/isolating various viri, trojans etc.
At the same time all my computers are used without admin privileges - only logging in as admin for those tasks for which it is essential - NEVER running production programs (office, photoshop, firefox) as admin.
This should also give a measure of protection.

Umm... what could office or photoshop do to your computer if ran as administrator? Write a bunch of dirty words and paint naughty pictures?

I think that's a bit too paranoid...

 

[bhillyard]

Though rare viruses have been produced in office macros. The help function in current versions of Office goes to the internet for the help - so, at least in theory a macro could download something nasty.
I've been teaching Computing/ICT for 40 years in a school environment and am used to a situation where students, particularly those who don't know what they are doing, will deliberately screw up a computer - at least as a user they couldn't totally screw up the machine.
Now retired, when called to a friends machine I often find it misbehaving because they have done something as an administrator that mars it's performance.
So the admin/user split is in the light of experience on two fronts.

 

[Qyöt27]

The real issue with the admin/user separation on Windows is that it's historically been really badly implemented, and therefore badly utilized by both users and software developers. Microsoft did take steps to rectify the situation for consumers starting with Vista (as XP and prior defaulted to giving everyone admin powers), but it still means that lots of legacy software just plain doesn't work without admin privileges - even when they shouldn't by any means have had them in the first place.

This particular point has never been a problem with Unix and its kin, or at least if it ever was it was so long ago that only the oldest of users would have experienced it (considering that sudo was originally written 'around 1980'...I couldn't find whether su itself dated back to the earliest implementations of UNIX or not, but I'd assume it was there at some point prior to sudo existing). Under that paradigm, it's always been a case of 'no program/user gets admin rights unless it absolutely needs them', and the average user can happily stay at the privilege level they are without feeling the need to have admin privileges outside of those tasks where it is required.

 

[RebornBen]

Though rare viruses have been produced in office macros. The help function in current versions of Office goes to the internet for the help - so, at least in theory a macro could download something nasty.
I've been teaching Computing/ICT for 40 years in a school environment and am used to a situation where students, particularly those who don't know what they are doing, will deliberately screw up a computer - at least as a user they couldn't totally screw up the machine.
Now retired, when called to a friends machine I often find it misbehaving because they have done something as an administrator that mars it's performance.
So the admin/user split is in the light of experience on two fronts.

Yeah well you'd have to get a macro like that from somewhere before that could happen. In a school I get it but at home I really doubt it will ever happen.