understanding antivirus programes

[Jspeedo]

Do a anti virus just identify the viruses and Trojan? Then you have t
buy a program to remove the viruses and Trojan

 

[Big_Al]

Do a anti virus just identify the viruses and Trojan? Then you have to
buy a program to remove the viruses and Trojan?

The 4 or 5 AV programs I've used will identify the virus and then its up
to your settings, but all of then can remove the virus, either by fixing
it, or just removing it.

I'm not sure a trojan is a virus, I would define a trojan containing
something that you don't want. But that may not be a virus, it might be
a malware item. Still that's my layman's definition.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Do a anti virus just identify the viruses and Trojan? Then you have to
buy a program to remove the viruses and Trojan?

In general, most, if not all, anti-virus programs remove the malware
that they find. However, depending on what the particular malware is,
and what the circumstances are, there are cases where they are unable
to remove it.

But bear in mind that removing a virus is not always possible. A virus
is not necessarily just an annoyance that causes you problems until
you remove it. It often can cause permanent irrevocable damage to your
system; that's why it's so important to *prevent* getting infected in
the first place.

Worst case, the result of getting infected with a virus is that you
will have to do a clean reinstallation of Windows.

 

[db.·.. >]

there are some programs
that give you a false alert
in order to scare you into
buying the program.

infection however, is not
always the cause of problems.

sometimes the computer
simply runs poorly because
it is not configured correctly,
or it hasn't been tuned up or
a faulty hardware or program
makes the computer act
strangely.

in any case here is a link with
additional information and a
link for microsoft free utility:

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/default.mspx

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-US/center/cleanup.htm

 

[Kayman]

Do a anti virus just identify the viruses and Trojan?

Only, if the virus information is known and the AV applicaton is updated.

Then you have to buy a program to remove the viruses and Trojan?

No, you don't. However, as Ken Blake mentioned, there are cases where an AV
scanner may be ineffective and a clean re-installation is required.

Real-time AV applications - for viral malware.
Do not utilize more than one (1) real-time anti-virus scanning engine!
Disable the e-mail scanning function during installation (Custom
Installation on some AV apps.) as it provides no additional protection.

Why You Don't Need Your Anti-Virus Program to Scan Your E-Mail
http://thundercloud.net/infoave/tutorials/email-scanning/index.htm
Viral Irony: The Most Common Cause of Corruption.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/community/columns/filecorruption.mspx

Avira AntiVir® Personal - FREE Antivirus
http://www.free-av.com/
You may wish to consider removing the 'AntiVir Nagscreen'
http://www.elitekiller.com/files/disable_antivir_nag.htm
or
Free antivirus - avast! 4 Home Edition
It includes ANTI-SPYWARE protection, certified by the West Coast Labs
Checkmark process, and ANTI-ROOTKIT DETECTION based on the best-in class
GMER technology.
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
(Choose Custom Installation and under Resident
Protection, uncheck: Internet Mail and Outlook/Exchange.)
or
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
http://free.grisoft.com/
(Choose custom install and untick the email scanner plugin.)

and (optional but highly recommendable)

On-demand AV applications.
(add them to your arsenal and use them as a "second opinion" av scanner).
David H. Lipman's MULTI_AV Tool
http://www.pctipp.ch/ds/28400/28470/Multi_AV.exe
http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp
English:
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2008/01/09/scan-your-computer-with-multiple-anti-virus-for-free/
Additional Instructions:
http://pcdid.com/Multi_AV.htm
--and/or--
BitDefender10 Free Edition (*NOT FOR VISTA*)
http://www.bitdefender.com/PRODUCT-14-en--BitDefender-8-Free-Edition.html
--and/or--
Kaspersky's AVPTool
http://downloads5.kaspersky-labs.com/devbuilds/AVPTool/
There's no updating involved since the scanning engine is updated
several times a day and you simply download the updated scanner whenever
you want to do a scan.

A-S applications - for non-viral malware.
The effectiveness of an individual A-S scanners can be wide-ranging and
oftentimes a collection of scanners is best. There isn't one software that
cleans and immunizes you against everything. That's why you need multiple
products to do the job i.e. overlap their coverage - one may catch what
another may miss, (grab'em all).

SuperAntispyware - Free
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html
and
Ad-Aware 2007 - Free
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html
and
Spybot Search & Destroy - Free
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
and
Windows Defender - Free (build-in in Vista)
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
WD monitors the start-registry and hooks registers/files to prevent spyware
and worms to install to the OS.
Interesting reading:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136195/article.html
"...Windows Defender did excel in behavior-based protection, which detects
changes to key areas of the system without having to know anything about
the actual threat."

And:
Routinely practice Safe-Hex.
http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html
Hundreds Click on 'Click Here to Get Infected' Ad
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2132447,00.asp

Good luck