What AntiVirus to buy?

[Guest]

In a week or two I will have to decide on buying a new AntiVirus product or
renewing my McAffe 2004 AntiVirus Security Centre again? The trouble is, I
am not 100% sure that McAffe is keeping my computer tip-top and free of
spyware? I used the free scan offered by Panda and it stated that I had and
one (1) hacker and nine (9) spyware bits installed on my computer sending
information to someone. I scan two or three times a day using McAffe,
Ad-Aware SE Personal, Microsoft AntiSpyWare and SpyBot, removing all the
spyware and viruses. How can Panda find this when the others don't? I have
noticed that my computer does slow down some times, but I put it down to NTL
cable broadband and I.E.. I am using XP. Any idea what I should buy? Thank
you for any advice.

 

[Heather]

EZAV (eTrust) is what I have used for years, since it was the free
InoculateIT PE. It's still offered with a 12 month free license, if you
want to try it.

http://www.my-etrust.com/microsoft/

Heather (thanks to DaVinci for the link)

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

I scan two or three times a day using McAffe, Ad-Aware SE Personal,
Microsoft AntiSpyWare and SpyBot, removing all the spyware and
viruses.

I am more curious about that one statement than anything else you said.
If in fact you really do use those products three times daily and they
find spyware/viruses each time (?), then there is no use recommending a
new a-v program.

You need to change your habits.

http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html

 

[Peter Seiler]

Any idea what I should buy? Thank you for any advice.

BitDefender Suite # and/or (when the final is out in nearer future) the
Kaspersky Internet Security Suite #6. My 2 cents.

 

[Heather]

I am more curious about that one statement than anything else you
said.
If in fact you really do use those products three times daily and they
find spyware/viruses each time (?), then there is no use recommending
a
new a-v program.

You need to change your habits.

http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html

Whoops.....zipped right over my head, Shaggy!! You are quite right, of
course. But perhaps he is calling malware.....viruses.

Cheers....Heather

 

[Befunge Sudoku]

I am more curious about that one statement than anything else you said.
If in fact you really do use those products three times daily and they
find spyware/viruses each time (?), then there is no use recommending a
new a-v program.

You need to change your habits.

http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html

I agree with this post

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

Whoops.....zipped right over my head, Shaggy!!

It was rather a subtle statement, wasn't it? .. buried in the middle
like that.

You are quite right, of course. But perhaps he is calling
malware.....viruses.

Does it matter?

For kicks, I run Ad-Aware, Spybot S&D, A-Squared, and my a-v on this
Windows 2000 box maybe twice a month, and none of them ever find
anything. Even after visiting lots of the dodgy web sites people list
("I visited this site and got infected with ...").

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

I agree with this post

Thanks. Having a reasonable clue is the first line of defense.

 

[optikl]

I am more curious about that one statement than anything else you said.
If in fact you really do use those products three times daily and they
find spyware/viruses each time (?), then there is no use recommending a
new a-v program.

You need to change your habits.

That, or donate his computer to a school or a church.

 

[jimbo]

In a week or two I will have to decide on buying a new AntiVirus product or
renewing my McAffe 2004 AntiVirus Security Centre again? The trouble is, I
am not 100% sure that McAffe is keeping my computer tip-top and free of
spyware? I used the free scan offered by Panda and it stated that I had and
one (1) hacker and nine (9) spyware bits installed on my computer sending
information to someone. I scan two or three times a day using McAffe,
Ad-Aware SE Personal, Microsoft AntiSpyWare and SpyBot, removing all the
spyware and viruses. How can Panda find this when the others don't? I have
noticed that my computer does slow down some times, but I put it down to NTL
cable broadband and I.E.. I am using XP. Any idea what I should buy? Thank
you for any advice.

The only virus I ever had was when I was using McAffe. But, any AV can
miss a virus somewhere, sometime. McAffe seemed to do what ever it
wanted regardless of my wishes, no way to make it stop calling home,
or thrashing around on my hard drive. And Norton seems to do the same
thing, but Norton does have a very good long term record for virus
detection.

I use NOD32, easy on resources and an excellent long term virus
detection record. My second choice would be Kapersky.

Good luck, jimbo

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all your reply's. It is mostly spyware/malware and something
called MRU that I'm talking about here and I think it all comes from my
daughter downloading MP3 music from, iTunes and LimeWire online? I am also
wondering what the Hacker bit of info on my computer is? How can I find the
Hacker it if all my antivirus software is not finding it?
=========

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Any idea what I should buy?

Devil's Advocate/Strawman/Trial balloon from somebody who knows next to nothing:

 

[Offbreed]

one (1) hacker and nine (9) spyware bits installed on my computer sending
information to someone. I scan two or three times a day using McAffe,
Ad-Aware SE Personal, Microsoft AntiSpyWare and SpyBot, removing all the
spyware and viruses. How can Panda find this when the others don't?

Are you sure the "spyware and viruses" are not simply normal cookies?
You want to get rid of them before scanning.

 

[Guest]

According to the spyware Ad-Aware, etc, it's spyware?
--------

 

[Guest]

According to the spyware Ad-Aware, etc, it's spyware?
--------

 

[Offbreed]

According to the spyware Ad-Aware, etc, it's spyware?

Could be. I have not used Ad-Aware for some time so I'm not up on what
they are calling what these days. You want to make sure about the
specific word as well. Is it "spyware", or something else that you are
translating into "spyware", thinking it means the same?

I remember that Ad-Aware did alert to the presence of tracking cookies,
making computers look riddled with malware. Then I started deleting the
cookies and only the serious problems would show up. Did my nerves a
world of good, that did.

BTW, you will probably want to identify and protect certain cookies.

 

[* * Chas]

That, or donate his computer to a school or a church.

Disinfect it 1st to get rid of all of the prurient material....

Chas.

 

[* * Chas]

Thanks for all your reply's. It is mostly spyware/malware and something
called MRU that I'm talking about here and I think it all comes from my
daughter downloading MP3 music from, iTunes and LimeWire online? I am also
wondering what the Hacker bit of info on my computer is? How can I find the
Hacker it if all my antivirus software is not finding it?

<Snip>

MRU means Most Recently Used. Windows store lists of MRU files, web
sites etc. in the Registry. They are generally innocuous and removing
them is like erasing your foot prints as to were you've visited and what
you've done.

On the Ad-Aware second tab, "Preparing System Scan" there is a little
green button with a check mark "Search for negligible risk entries".
Uncheck this button and you wont get the MRU results.

You are also probably getting a lot of Tracking Cookies. It's safe to
remove them.

Chas.