Windows 7 - Microsoft Security Essentials rated best free antivirus for Windows

Slightly old news but still worth noting...

Microsoft Security Essentials rated best free antivirus for Windows

I concur. For a free, simple solution for the average home user, nothing beats MSE.

MSE is very good. Worked very well on my 64-bit OS, although it did slow my system down to a degree, as it caused several programs to "hang" while it scanned them as they were launching.

The only other issue I encountered with MSE was it flagging my USB drive as a "malicious worm" (Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY!inf) - which from Microsoft's Malware Protection Center Site explains that - "It should be noted that 'autorun.inf' files on their own are not necessarily a sign of infection, as they are used by legitimate programs."

Other than a little system slowdown and false positive alert about my USB drive, it seems to be a good program that is more comprehensive than Windows Defender.

I'd question why you have a USB device with an autorun.inf file on it. That's a bit out of place. An autorun.inf file merely points to an executable, and that's a big issue.

The Malware Protection Center actually shows no information on that but Win32/Autorun.GY finds a nasty result on the web: Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY is a malicious virus. Remove it in 60 seconds with these simple instructions

Doesn't sound like a false positive to me.

You're right, that is a little unusual. Unless etalmar put it there intentionally, which is possible.

Etalmar, did you specifically place an autorun.inf file on that drive? If not, have you ever plugged it into another computer that could have been infected without your knowledge?

Hi, etalmar,

I agree with JonM33 and BCXtreme. It doesn't sound like a f/p to me either. Microsoft is not the only vendor that detects that worm. See W32/Autorun.worm.gen.za!1f65e215c852.

I suggest that you first disable autorun, see this tutorial: AutoPlay - Enable or Disable AutoRun - Windows 7 Forums. Following that, update MSE and scan the USB drive and allow MSE to quarantine the file.

Beg to differ ...

The Malware Protection Center link can be found here .. Encyclopedia entry: Worm:Win32/Autorun.gen!inf - Learn more about malware - Microsoft Malware Protection Center

And I quote ...

You are linking to Worm:Win32/Autorun.gen!inf and not Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY!inf, which you originally referenced in your first post. Which one is it?

When you look at the notes for Win32/Autorun.gen!inf you see some very dangerous information:

That's not a false positive. The other part about "autorun.inf" files are not an indication of an infection means just that. If you load a CD or DVD you will see an autorun.inf file.

What makes it a true positive is the fact that a virus signature matched the particular autorun.inf file on your USB drive to a known virus. Other AV programs identify it as the following.

• INF/Frethog (CA) Worm.Win32.AutoRun.rja (Kaspersky)
• Mal/AutoInf-B (Sophos)
• INF.Autorun.Gen (VirusBuster)
• Trojan.AutorunINF.Gen (BitDefender)

I copied and pasted the info from MSE's alert box that popped up, so if there is any conflicting info about the specific name, that is why. The link was provided by MSE for additional information, but I'm not surprised that Microsoft would offer conflicting data.

No disrespect intended, but this matter is really not an issue to me. My new OS is working fine with no problems, so let's just forget I even mentioned about the "false positive" alert from MSE and call it a day.

Thanks very much for offering to help me, but for now, I am leaving well enough alone. I've always been a proponent of the "If it ain't broke, then leave it the hell alone" theory and when I mentioned the autorun alert from MSE, I wasn't asking for help with removing it. I was simply stating what it supposedly found on my USB drive.

I have been using MSE for a while now, and have nothing but praise for it. Microsoft have done quite a good job with it, and so they should, they know their OS better than anyone else.

Regards,
Thorn