What's the Best Anti-virus?

[mdd1963]

Currently using 360TS and for a firewall, Personal Firewall....

As long as you don't mind "Allow/Block" popups once in a while attempting to D/L assorted files/programs, the combo seems to work well...; in fact, the firewall seems pretty darned attentive, and gives me 10 times more 'allow/block' interactions than the AV itself...

(Try to D/L the "GiveMePower" app with these tools running; impossible! )

 

[LarryA]

Very interesting thread and comments. have a couple of questions. Windows 7 64 bit comes with a built in firewall and most routers have a firewall as well. For a loaded question depend on use does a third party firewall really help that much?

What AV software has good tech support?

 

[Night Hawk]

The Windows firewall as well as that you find with a router mostly control permissions. With the firewall on a router you have at least have guest access by logging in with a user name and password much like logging into a user account on a pc in order to have internet access. The Windows firewall prevents program installs and startups when not added in as exceptions.

Don't think for a minute that will prevent a lengthy list of malwares that once downloaded on the drive can still wreck some havoc since many are written to get around them. Those types of firewalls have very limited malware code type detection and why you still need a good degree of layered protections in place. I've run into this on a number of occasions where even the better av programs can be stumped by how some once on the system take control of certain system processes like the task manager to prevent removal until the key component is manually traced and removed.

 

[groze]

The Windows firewall as well as that you find with a router mostly control permissions. With the firewall on a router you have at least have guest access by logging in with a user name and password much like logging into a user account on a pc in order to have internet access. The Windows firewall prevents program installs and startups when not added in as exceptions.

Don't think for a minute that will prevent a lengthy list of malwares that once downloaded on the drive can still wreck some havoc since many are written to get around them. Those types of firewalls have very limited malware code type detection and why you still need a good degree of layered protections in place. I've run into this on a number of occasions where even the better av programs can be stumped by how some once on the system take control of certain system processes like the task manager to prevent removal until the key component is manually traced and removed.

Night Hawk, just for info. Some dual routers/modem have different settings. Mine has low, med, high and suspend. Some might even have custom setting. What I can't figure out is if the firewall is just for wifi or for both Ethernet & WiFi. Hopefully, both. I wouldn't recommend high though unless you want to type all web addresses in the exclusion field. I use low, low won't stop it, med, custom, or high won't stop malware either if you excluded the website that cause the problem.


LarryA
At least I would recommend getting Microsoft Security Essentials for windows 7 if you don't get a virus protection program.

Microsoft Security Essentials - Microsoft Windows

Download Microsoft Security Essentials from Official Microsoft Download Center (Make sure you choose the correct version here)

 

[Night Hawk]

Mostly the firewall on any router is there to prevent unauthorized access to the network or web. I actually ran into that type of problem on the old router I had here where everybody went through the old G type lacking a firewall! Someone pulls up out front of the house could use the WiFi without any need to log in!

Once I got into the updated N type also by Cisco I then had to set up the laptops as well as the remote desktop here to be logged on automatically. The levels you have there are for raising the security requirement for each machine that will log onto the web through it.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep well I have had Kaspersky for five years now and it auto switches off any other firewall and at least I can configure it to my own preferences - I admit I have never tried that with the Windows one.

My router/modem a TP-Link had to be set for what security and it took some doing with having TP-Link support guiding me through it as I would never have got it up and running. I opted for the WPA2-PSK and for the record I always have the thing cabled as I am not a great fan of wifi.

But as always and I must sound a bit repetitive the best security is the person operating the keyboard because logic tells one nothing is infallible.

 

[Night Hawk]

No such animal as a 100% Fail Proof setup to find! Common sense is one of the greatest tools when ever you have suspicions about any link to some unknown site which can keep you out of trouble! The firewall included with the av program here may seem to block too many sites when not finding any bugs but will keep you from running smack into one with bugs at the same time by use of an effective web filter which is another smart tool to have in the layers of protection.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

No such animal as a 100% Fail Proof setup to find! Common sense is one of the greatest tools when ever you have suspicions about any link to some unknown site which can keep you out of trouble! The firewall included with the av program here may seem to block too many sites when not finding any bugs but will keep you from running smack into one with bugs at the same time by use of an effective web filter which is another smart tool to have in the layers of protection.

Now we are one the same full stop Night Hawk like I said before if the buttons are not pushed then nothing can get in eh?

Plus when you think of 50,000 new malwares per day unless you have first hand knowledge of them how the dickens can you spot them when they are released anyone who thinks otherwise is dreaming.

Having said that I do believe in having a decent paid for with back up - free on call scanners. In a sick sense it makes life a little more interesting in a way and it does keep this thread going LOL!!

 

[Night Hawk]

No such animal as a 100% Fail Proof setup to find! Common sense is one of the greatest tools when ever you have suspicions about any link to some unknown site which can keep you out of trouble! The firewall included with the av program here may seem to block too many sites when not finding any bugs but will keep you from running smack into one with bugs at the same time by use of an effective web filter which is another smart tool to have in the layers of protection.

Now we are one the same full stop Night Hawk like I said before if the buttons are not pushed then nothing can get in eh?

Plus when you think of 50,000 new malwares per day unless you have first hand knowledge of them how the dickens can you spot them when they are released anyone who thinks otherwise is dreaming.

Having said that I do believe in having a decent paid for with back up - free on call scanners. In a sick sense it makes life a little more interesting in a way and it does keep this thread going LOL!!

The problem I have here is not from getting them except for the observations when trying out something new and the av flags the download when you open the storage folder on a second never primary drive and puts into quaranteen. Why? Some installer will have an IE toolbar installer or McAFail trial you have to make sure to uncheck when trying out some new freebie.

The things I deal with most are the bugs other people seem to get nailed with when loaning out a laptop to one of their kids or blondering into a nasty site. The kids for some time would "CLICK on EVERYTHING"! and you know right where that leads to! Malware Wonderland! Recently it wasn't even on a laptop or desktop pc but a scamware on a smartphone when someone went to music site when being sent a link and WHAMO! It was a phony that locked the phone up until you paid $300 fine(Bogus of course) with the name of one of the social networks on it showing how bold some of these malware writers are.

There is one place however you can report something like to on the web if I didn't already mention this earlier in the event you have a source like a bad site you can report or order something from a supposed hardware vendor like one scam site I ran across a few years back off of a well known shopping site believe it or not when searching for a new MB to replace what was in the old case. I didn't know about this site back then and later learned the clown running the phony pc hardware site tried to make a $2,600 purchase in Istanbul, Turkey using my card! Internet Crime Complaint Center

So it isn't just malwares afterall but being able to screen for any number of things! The place was set up just like another legit site with the security but mal intent not malware was the deal there.

 

[LarryA]

Tried one AV well known had a number of malware intrusions and 2 virus. Never had a virus issue. The AV could not find the virus or malware. The AV does not have a Firewall using the Windows 7 exclusively. The AV stopped working.

Very care full what e mails I open and web sights venture to very limited that is why I was asking.

If you are on MSN as an example or SevenForums the computer could get infected with malware or virus from the net? Thought you had to open an e mail, do a down load or go to a web sight that has virus or malware?

Thank You my knowledge on virus and malware is very limited since it has never been an issue until recently.

 

[groze]

Tried one AV well known had a number of malware intrusions and 2 virus. Never had a virus issue. The AV could not find the virus or malware. The AV does not have a Firewall using the Windows 7 exclusively. The AV stopped working.

Very care full what e mails I open and web sights venture to very limited that is why I was asking.

If you are on MSN as an example or SevenForums the computer could get infected with malware or virus from the net? Thought you had to open an e mail, do a down load or go to a web sight that has virus or malware?

Thank You my knowledge on virus and malware is very limited since it has never been an issue until recently.

:huh: I don't think you can get malware by just visiting or posting on the SevenForums or MSN.

The actual malware site tries to get you to click the box and sometimes it won't close or fake recording comes on and says you are infected. The only way to close the browser sometimes is use the task manager. Sometime you still can't close it with the task manager, you have to do a hard boot. I still can't figure how they are able to keep browsers open like Firefox, I.E., SeaMonkey and maybe even Google chrome.

 

[ThrashZone]

Ha the booby-trap dialog boxes yea click anything and it activates everything is a run option

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yes Night Hawk I personally have not been held uo by what they call ransomware and I think there id =s some governmental program put out down here that guards against it though how effective it is I don't know, Plus as I mentioned the thing can be changed slightly in it's program language for want of a better term and and you sound like me just really cautious with anything that comes through and is why I have my Kaspersky set on high in all the settings - takes a bit longer if you are worried about losing a bit of light speed data transfer LOL!! but effective.

Now I suppose it is understandable - if that is the right term again - for crims to put this crap out it is the individuals who do it for fun and because their lives are short on excitement.

 

[Night Hawk]

Well for scamwares the first stunt is to take over the taskmanager when on the pc platform so you are not able to end the task and hard booting won't work either depending on how advanced the malware is. The main executable will buried somewhere in the host admin account's sub folders and launch automatically at start up time. It also multitasks far enough to download the bogey you see onscreen which is usually found in a temp folder once you can get control over it and end the hidden file's process.

Now here was the tricky part I went over with the tech support for the av program used with the tech person arguing I "had to" use their new special removal tool when I already had taken care of it! The first step was locating which file it was and where it was hidden and simply moved it to another temp location while still in the normal boot. Once done a reboot into Safe Mode to manually nuke it there was easy as pie since it was no longer active! The last step was rebooting one more time normally and then being able to run the full system sweep scan with the av program which then was able to locate the gui files and say Good Bye!

On the smart phone mentioned I told someone to wait while I looked it up as far as finding removal instructions for the FaceBook scam that was going around a year ago. Once I found the instructions needed I later find out the friend's son with the smart phone couldn't wait and smashed it! That solved the problem alright! And when informing the teen that I had found the info needed "Well I couldn't use the phone so I smashed it with a hammer!" Whatever makes your day! (walks aways whistling a bit from the confused kid)

 

[LarryA]

Ok Gentleman maybe I need to do a new post and ask for some help? Hate to mention any AV brands I feel like the issues was my fault not the A.V. Moved the temp files to a platter drive off the SSD and Page files. Was not getting cleaned by Temp File Old Timer.

Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit. Nod32 & Malawarebytes.

The system got infected doing down loads for Flight Simulator X Pay Ware from reputable sights when I was doing the down loads turned off Nod32 so it would not corrupt the down loads.

At some point all of a sudden to shut down the computer had to do a hard shut down and boot. neither Nod32 or MWB found any issues. But NOD32 all of a sudden had to reactivate the AV. Could not activate. I could purchase a second time. Uninstalled Nod32 and down loaded Norton Internet Security Trial version ran the up dates. Then NIS found a couple of virus CPU.Gen and a couple others. The system was still infected I think?

Then yesterday down loaded Hitman Pro, CCleaner, MWB, Adware removal and one other one cant remember the name got the name from this sight. Ran 4 addware removal tools found a number of adware issues and tracking cookies.

Wondering if I should do a fresh installation of the OS thru elevated command prompt? Was a lot deleted and reg edit files cleaned?

 

[Golden]

If in doubt, perform a fresh install.

I recommend a DISKPART CLEAN at the Languages Screen (accessed by pressing Ctrl+F10)

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok Gentleman maybe I need to do a new post and ask for some help? Hate to mention any AV brands I feel like the issues was my fault not the A.V. Moved the temp files to a platter drive off the SSD and Page files. Was not getting cleaned by Temp File Old Timer.

Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit. Nod32 & Malawarebytes.

The system got infected doing down loads for Flight Simulator X Pay Ware from reputable sights when I was doing the down loads turned off Nod32 so it would not corrupt the down loads.

At some point all of a sudden to shut down the computer had to do a hard shut down and boot. neither Nod32 or MWB found any issues. But NOD32 all of a sudden had to reactivate the AV. Could not activate. I could purchase a second time. Uninstalled Nod32 and down loaded Norton Internet Security Trial version ran the up dates. Then NIS found a couple of virus CPU.Gen and a couple others. The system was still infected I think?

Then yesterday down loaded Hitman Pro, CCleaner, MWB, Adware removal and one other one cant remember the name got the name from this sight. Ran 4 addware removal tools found a number of adware issues and tracking cookies.

Wondering if I should do a fresh installation of the OS thru elevated command prompt? Was a lot deleted and reg edit files cleaned?

Personally do as Golden says mate but if you want a couple more to run try these
SUPERAntiSpyware | Remove Malware | Remove Spyware - AntiMalware, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware! - seems to target adware especially and AdwCleaner Download < download from bleepingcomputer

 

[Night Hawk]

He could also try the VIPRE Internet Security 2015 free trial version. Once the 30day trial is activated you get the full version for the trial period which can find a score of things just by browsing folders on the drive. If the problem isn't solved right away by using all these then a Nuke will guaranty nothing is left!

That may be a consideration if the drive is loaded with other errors even without any further bugs found. When May comes along to update the subscription here I'll going with the life time license. The track record for this one bypasses all those freebie downloads without any doubt for finding and removing as well as filtering any questionable sites before you get nailed with something.

 

[LarryA]

All very good recommendations thank you, Icit2 thank you for the links those are the ones I found on SevenForums and ran a number of times and re boots.

Night Hawk thank you for the link will read up on the A.V. VIS you posted.

Golden correct and a solid recommendation. Try a repair at this point not found of two many broken threads. May decide to do fresh installation of the O.S. if the repair does not work. F/10 wipe the HD clean. Should probably clean the other 5 H.D. as well. Have one other hard drive is removed for storage and back up. I hope it not infected?

I just found what may be another virus or tracking cookie? .Bat file after running a search not sure log in for what?
Path C:\Users\Name\AppData\Location\Local\LMIR0001.tmp_r.bat

 

[ThrashZone]

You'd be surprised on how many third party security suites are more closely comparable to Viruses