Kaspersky and Barclays

[floppybootstomp]

They say Kaspersky antivirus software is free for online Barclays bank customers. I use Barclays online for business so I thought I'd be eligible. After listening to just about everybody here poo-pooing Microsoft Security Essentials I thought ok, I'll try this Kaspersky thing.

So I uninstalled MSE and went to install a free version of Kaspersky.

I couldn't figure out how the hell to do this. So I went to a branch of Barclays (Lewisham) and eventually managed to corner a member of staff, young white male, and asked him how I could get this free software.

All he said was 'I don't know, I have a Mac'. I told him I wasn't interested in his weatherproof outdoor clothing and pressed my inquiry 'How do I load a free version of Kaspersky AV into Windows 7?'. He admitted he didn't know again but whipped out his Apple Phone and looked it up.

Eventually, after much button pressing and brow-furrowing he looked pleased and came up with an answer 'It's easy, all you have to do is download it and enter your online banking number'. Now, I'd already read this myself and tried about 1001 options to do this thing, but I couldn't.

I told chummy this but he just looked at me as if I was 98 years old and suffering from dementia and looked puzzled and remained silent. So I gave up with him and tonight I tried this thing again.

I have now downloaded Kaspersky AV and have a 30 day trial version installed. I have tried everything I can think of but nowhere has an option come up for me to enter a Barclays online banking number to get a free version. I do notice, however, that Kaspersky want me to participate in a feedback program where they would access my computer without my knowledge and they also want me to sign a sort of standing order agreement where they'd help themselves to a subscription fee every twelve months.

There did not seem to be an option when paying for an activation code to opt out of this standing order/direct debit agreement.

So, not impressed so far. I uninstalled MSE but I do know that it worked, it has caught several nasties over the years, albeit all minor ones. Malwarebytes has never caught a thing, by way of mentioning.

Does anybody here have a Barclays online banking account and managed to install a free version of Kaspersky? If so please let me know how to do it, I would be grateful.

If I don't have any joy with this I am going to uninstall Kaspersky - and I'm wondering just how many registry entries this will involve removing - and install one of the well known freebie AV's.

And please don't recommend Bitdefender cos imo it sucks - I used it and it deleted valid files without asking my permission first, that is one damn arrogant piece of software.

And finally, I am considering not using any AV software at all, sometimes I think common sense and computer online experience might be enough to avoid any nasties. Only considering this mind.

 

[muckshifter]

I use Kaspersky on this system, was £14-something, I don't use Barclays however.

If this link works, you may find it useful?
http://support.kaspersky.com/fts_st...n-GB&type=&pid=kav&version=16.0.0.614&hotfix=

my bank offers Mcrapfee.

 

[nivrip]

I installed Kaspersky for free, from Barclays, about a month ago. I must admit it was not a simple procedure.

I opted out of all their feedback rubbish and, like you, ended up with a free 30 day trial but with a promise of an activation code via email that would transform it into a year's subscription. The activation code duly arrived but when I put it in I was informed that it was out of date !!

Several failed attempts later I rang Barclays, using their 0800 number, and they then transferred me to Kaspersky who were very apologetic and gave me a new activation code which worked .

I think that one of my problems was that I had been with Kaspersky, through Barclays, before and their system was looking at me as a return customer wishing to renew whereas I was applying as a new customer.

It should never have been this difficult.

I switched back to Kaspersky, from MSE, because it did very well on two different recent surveys and MSE was not highly rated.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for the feedback chaps

Mucks: Your link, already been there I'm afraid. I tried 'Activation code fails' and their answer is 'Check your internet connection' Right.

Niv: Thanks for the info but I have failed to see, so far, any connection between my Kaspersky install and Barclays Bank. I will have a look for this 0800 number and maybe give it a go but I must admit the Kaspersky popups all the time are already beginning to cheese me off.

And those surveys? I don't place much credence by them, I figure what it all comes down to is the winner will be the one who has the most up to date data base at the time of the survey, and that could differ day by day, hour by hour even. Surveys make lots of money for the surveyor through attracting advertising revenue and the end result is often just a placebo for the would-be AV software user. Imo.

Cynical? Moi?

 

[muckshifter]

yeah, thought you may have 'discovered' their help page ... like everything else, if it works, no need to fix it.

you probably been HERE also Here

As for an 0800 #, I cannot find one for Kaspersky direct.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks Mucks and no, I hadn't been to any of the links you gave. But if you read all the Barclays FAQ's they assume you've already managed to get an activation code, I couldn't even get that far.

As for the 0800 number I'm sure Niv was referring to a Barclays number, not Kaspersky.

I could ring Kaspersky on their 0203 number, I have prepaid minutes on a monthly plan on my mobile and usually have plenty of minutes left at the end of each month so a call to Kaspersky would effectively be free for me. Could be interesting, a call to them.

But tbh I'm on the verge of uninstalling this thing, I just logged on to my Natwest account and the damned thing kept popping up at every stage of logging in, very irritating.

 

[nivrip]

And those surveys? I don't place much credence by them, I figure what it all comes down to is the winner will be the one who has the most up to date data base at the time of the survey, and that could differ day by day, hour by hour even. Surveys make lots of money for the surveyor through attracting advertising revenue and the end result is often just a placebo for the would-be AV software user. Imo.

Cynical? Moi?

I agree entirely with that. But when it comes to making a choice of AV what else can you go on? I'd like to think that the two surveys that I looked at were reasonably impartial.

Gullible? Moi?

 

[nivrip]

As for the 0800 number I'm sure Niv was referring to a Barclays number, not Kaspersky.

I rang Barclays on 0800 111777 and asked to speak to someone who could deal with the Kaspersky offer. They were very helpful.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Well, I suppose there could be pertinent differences between each software package's scan engines and that would make a difference but basically they're all trying to do the same job. And it is true - what choice do we the punter have when it comes to choosing which AV software is best? I suppose all the reviewers can't be taking backhanders. Can they?

Since last posting I've read of other Bitdefender users being cheesed off at it deleting files, in some cases software on USB sticks, complete programs. Are Bitdefender not aware of the quarantine option?

I have uninstalled Kaspersky, too much ag for my liking. I have to say it was a clean, painless uninstall with options offered on any parts I wanted to keep. I only found 4 registry entries to get shot of and one folder with text logs in one of the AppData folders.

And on the recommendation of a friend have installed Lavasoft's AdAware free edition. I have no idea what it's reputation is or how good it is but after experiencing Kaspersky I can certainly say it's non-intrusive. I ran one quick scan with AdAware and it found one cookie - from Microsoft oddly enough - it considered a threat and deleted it. Yes, deleted it, not quarantine it.

That concerned me a little but it was only a cookie I suppose. If it tries that trick with anything important then it will be history.

I've said it before but I haven't paid for any AV or Anti-Malware software for some considerable time now, perhaps as long as twelve years, and I don't intend to pay for any in the future. I'm of the opinion (and it is only an opinion) that the best form of defence against nasties is common sense and some knowledge of how things work online and with one's computer and associated software.

And when there are free, albeit usually slimmed down, versions of AV software going, why not take advantage of them?

So, that's the saga so far, let me go take a look at these top ten tables of AV software to see where AdAware is placed, I may be in for a nasty awakening

 

[floppybootstomp]

Well I've had a look around and in some surveys Lavasoft came last while in others it came about halfway out of around 20 contenders. So, according to those who undertake the tests - not good.

I was surprised to see Avast seems to do very well in these tests, both the free and paid for versions. I've used Avast in the past but just like Kaspersky, it's forever letting you know it's there, which I find irritating.

I'll keep Lavasoft's AdAware onboard for awhile and let it do a deep scan overnight. I am now considering using Avast, however. I wonder if those popups can be disabled?

And for those of you using Kaspersky - Congratulations! You appear to be using the bestest ever antvirus software on the planet According to these test people anyway cos it comes first just about everywhere.

 

[muckshifter]

... well, the only time Kasper 'pops-up' is when it informs me it completed the regular weekly scan.

It also popped-up, 10mins ago, to inform me of a virus on my brothers SSD 120 he just brought round for me to see if it's 'working' or not ... quarantined and dealt with as the drive was detected ... I hit my brother and formatted the 120.

It works, sorry, dunno what the 'virus' was, I just let Kasper deal with it and checked the rest of my drives.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Is there an option to disable notifications then? Cos this Kaspersky popped up all the time when I installed it, especially online. I would go to log in to one of my bank accounts and it would tell me it was protecting me. How nice.

And if I so much as opened a folder containing text documents, pictures, whatever, up would pop Kaspersky telling me it was checking the contents.

It would appear we are/were using different versions.

 

[muckshifter]

It would appear we are/were using different versions.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. I don't get any pop-up unless as I stated above. I'm only using the stand alone antivirus program 2016, not Internet Security.

I've had Kasper before, and got an email ad (spam email) with a 'special' offer, so I re-purchased the AV program. I do like it ... Bitdefender (free) was giving me problems with Win 10.

funny, innit.


To be honest, as long as you are happy enough with your chosen AV program, and you stay virus free, then use it.

 

[nivrip]

The only pop-up I get is when I go into anything to do with finance. If I go into any account I am told that I am now covered by Kaspersky within a protected browser. It supposedly makes it more difficult for anyone to get into the account. How it does it is a mystery to me.

However I have noticed that when in the protected browser I am unable to use the Snipping Tool so it is obviously doing something.

Other than that I do not get pop-ups. Never had any problems with Documents or Pictures.

 

[floppybootstomp]

What a saga this is turning out to be

Lavasoft's Adaware is now history, I had some very odd behaviour going on, like some video files either not opening or taking a full minute or so to open. Windows explorer also kept crashing. These anomalies have not occurred since removing AdAware.

So currently I am unprotected (cue smutty jokes).

Thinking, wondering.....

 

[muckshifter]

I'd try £60 Norton or the £80 McAfee if I were ...


... not sane.





I'm back on my AMD system and ... Bartender Free is 'working' fine here.

 

[Anon_F]

Interesting that when I log on to this page Kaspersky puts up a page warning me of a phising scam?
So the mention of Kaspersky & Barclays must alert the software??

 

[Becky]

Interesting that when I log on to this page Kaspersky puts up a page warning me of a phising scam?
So the mention of Kaspersky & Barclays must alert the software??

How weird! I'm a Kaspersky user too but I don't get that message here... Welcome to the forums, by the way!

 

[nivrip]

Nope, never had anything like that.

Apart from the activation code problem at the beginning I have found it very straightforward. Maybe I've just been lucky.

 

[kilvor]

Interesting comments from all. I use McAfee and have been told by a PC 'expert' that McAfee is the main reason for my slow running. I am thinking of dumping McAfee and maybe trying Kaspersky but my 'expert' recommends free AVAST. Anyone had any good/bad experiences with AVAST.