which antivirus / malware / spyware would you recomend

[Tirmizi]

I just came across this problem , their seem to be some malware on my system ... I have nod32 antivirus , never used any spyware or malware remover.....


what would you guys recomend that should be the best , or if there is any online spyware removal tool thats reliable ....

Bit off topic .... but needed a quick reply ...



Tirmizi

[Jose Delgado]

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.

That should do it.

Worked for me.

[Mac Wheeler]

Have you tried Microsoft Defender?

[Dave OSullivan]

I have Lavasoft Ad-Aware Ad-Aware @ Lavasoft - The Original Anti-Spyware Company - Lavasoft and nod32 installed and haven't had anything that they couldn't sort out.

Dave.

[Eric Johnson]

Use these two in combination and you should never really have any problems:

Lavasoft Ad Aware
Spybot Search and Destroy

* both free

[Jamie Iaconis]

Hi,

I agree...

SpyBot and Ad-Aware!

I use them both and never have a problem!

Jamie

[R-Yeah]

For anti virus solutions i recommend AVG Free - AVG Free - Download antivirus and antispyware software for Windows XP and Vista

It does the job perfectly and does not hog your CPU like crazy comparing to commercial solutions that costs money (!) .

[Cowboy]

Hard to believe something slipped past nod32. I used them
for years when I had pc's. Later on I added Prevx along with
nod32.

So quit playing with those spyware/malware toys and go get
the real deal.

Prevx - Customer and Network Security and Breach Management

Cowboy

[jhongren]

with all the anti spyware installed, do we still need norton antivirus?

John

[Jose Delgado]

Don't get Norton!

It slows down your computer and internet like crazy!

[jhongren]

Originally Posted by Jose Delgado

Don't get Norton!

It slows down your computer and internet like crazy!

Thanks Jose. I should have known about this..been paying so much each year for my house laptop and desktop.

John

[Jose Delgado]

Originally Posted by jhongren

Thanks Jose. I should have known about this..been paying so much each year for my house laptop and desktop.

John

Yeah. It does SO many thing on the background while you use them, Which makes them REAL slow.

McAfee does that as well but not as much.

[jhongren]

comparing mc afee and avg, which one is better? =)

[Jose Delgado]

Never used AVG but I have McAfee.

Yes, I do need to get rid of that helpless piece of junk but I'll keep it around for a while.

[Mary Gallivan]

Hi Timirzi

I asked a similar question a few weeks ago but not for any particular virus.

I've always used spybot - search and destroy and ad-aware.

I think there's also a 'no ad-aware' and I was advised to run all 3 as well as an anti-virus.

I've now got rid of Norton and on recommendations started using Avast - it's free as well. although I don't know it that's only for a certain lenrth of time.

As soon as I installed and ran Avast it picked up a virus that has been in a folder that I've had for years on my computer, so I was quite impressed.

Best wishes

Mary

[Mary Gallivan]

PS. - sorry for spelling your name wrong Tirmizi - no excuse as it's on the page!! :-)

Mary

[BIG Mike]

I used Norton AV Corporate edition for years on Wyn98 and XP OS's with zero problems. It seemed to catch everything, but does not work with Vista.

I did the trial version of Windows Live One Care, which was also terrific, but the boneheads don't offer the subscription in Greece <grrrr>.

So now I'm trying out Norton's 360, which seems to be doing a good job. Too early to tell yet (although it does have a couple of annoying features, LOL.)

[lakshaybehl]

INDIAN SOFTWARE... Quickheal antivirus. Has worked better than AVG for me and some of my friends over there in UK!

[veotis]

I use Zone Alarm Security Suite. It has a firewall, along with anti virus and spyware monitoring. Also, I have Ad Watch with my Ad Aware program and I use Spybot. It use to be that viruses were the main problem, but I think it is safe to say that spyware/malware is the biggest problem. That is why I paid for 2 different programs to be monitoring my computers for spyware, and use those 2 programs plus Spybot to routinely scan my computers. Usually, Spybot doesn't find anything. But, Ad Aware and Zone Alarm will.

[lelaiskandar]

I use Avira Free Antivirus, Super AntiSpyware & a-squared for my Vista & XP. No problem so far (I had used Norton & McAfee but they took too much time during loading)

Should anything happen, I have UBCD for Windows (UBCD for Windows) just in case. I've helped a few friends get rid off malware & virus using this cd. A superb download.

For great review of all things antivirus&spyware related I suggest Richard's Gizmo review at Security / Privacy / Encryption | Gizmo's Tech Support Alert

[Jason K. Thomas]

Originally Posted by Tirmizi

I just came across this problem , their seem to be some malware on my system ... I have nod32 antivirus , never used any spyware or malware remover.....


what would you guys recomend that should be the best , or if there is any online spyware removal tool thats reliable ....

Bit off topic .... but needed a quick reply ...



Tirmizi

Spyware removal can be extremely tough. Do you know the name of the spyware you have? I find that you typically have to use a few tools, depending on the infection. Sometimes, a System Restore to an earlier state will remove it. In any case, check out a new product from Sunbelt Software:
Antivirus Software & Antispyware Software - VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware

You get both antivirus / antispyware protection. The performance is phenomenal.

[scene4u]

I use Norton Antivirus and have had no problems to date (touch wood). It is a little bit more expensive then some other packages but is worth the little bit extra.

[jhongren]

Originally Posted by scene4u

I use Norton Antivirus and have had no problems to date (touch wood). It is a little bit more expensive then some other packages but is worth the little bit extra.

I am curious. Since there is free antivirus software around, why would people want to pay for Norton?

John

[adarwish]

As others have mentioned, I'm a big fan of SpyBot Search & Destroy. It's free and effective.

I also use Symantec AntiVirus and Firewall. Fortunately, I get it for free through my University, and it's very robust and comprehensive.

[Jason K. Thomas]

Originally Posted by jhongren

I am curious. Since there is free antivirus software around, why would people want to pay for Norton?

John

The best free one out there is probably AVG, however, it has limitations, such as only being able to update once a day, as opposed to once an hour, etc. Norton is a resource hog and kills computer performance. McAfee is no saint either, but definitely better. Check out VIPRE.

[jhongren]

Originally Posted by Jason K. Thomas

The best free one out there is probably AVG, however, it has limitations, such as only being able to update once a day, as opposed to once an hour, etc. Norton is a resource hog and kills computer performance. McAfee is no saint either, but definitely better. Check out VIPRE.

Thanks Jason for the clarification. I think I will stick to AVG and update once a day is fine at the moment. =)

John

[Jason K. Thomas]

Originally Posted by jhongren

Thanks Jason for the clarification. I think I will stick to AVG and update once a day is fine at the moment. =)

John

It's all about how paranoid you are

[tj]

For free stuff I would recomment the duo of Antivir and AVG, for paid stuff AVG / McAfee.

Timo

[Amy Wasson]

I just had a virus on my computer and the only thing that caught it was Malwarebytes. I had Trend Micro on my computer, and I used Adaware, Spybot, and Hijack This and none of those caught what Malwarebytes did. I had a couple Trojan horse viruses in files and in registry.

I highly recommend Malwarebytes!

[Racey1]

Hi

I have free AVG 8 on one xp machine, but it will not load on the other. Also on two window 2000 machines AVG does not load now looking at others listed in the posts here.

Can I now ask a question have loaded Instant Buzz my AVG 8 will not let it load properly as anyone got Instant Buzz working in their machine if so what anti virus software are you using.

Tried the support desk they have told me it cannot be solved with AVG

Racey1

[Greg Cooksley]

Hey Tirmizi,

I have always used a combination of both anti-virus and anti-spyware.
I used to use Trend Micro, but they seemed to have slipped in
the reviews, so recently I moved to BitDefender.

No sooner had I run the first scan, but BitDefender picked up
six viruses buried in pdf's that I had downloaded. The great
thing is that it totally blocks the file.

I've used Lavasoft Adaware for years but am investigating Malwarebytes'
Anti-Malware at the moment.

This is one of those areas that you can't afford to just use
the same tools year after year because they tend to leapfrog
each other in terms of functionality. So it's best practise to
search for the best tools every year IMO.....

Regards

Greg

[mmurtha]

Hi Tirmizi,

I use AVG pro addition and it seems to work well. It can be a hog, but it is worth it to me.

Last year I picked up a key logger, and they are very difficult to detect and remove, but AVG was the only one that flushed it out of my system.

Hope this helps ...

Originally Posted by Racey1

Hi

I have free AVG 8 on one xp machine, but it will not load on the other. Also on two window 2000 machines AVG does not load now looking at others listed in the posts here.

Can I now ask a question have loaded Instant Buzz my AVG 8 will not let it load properly as anyone got Instant Buzz working in their machine if so what anti virus software are you using.

Tried the support desk they have told me it cannot be solved with AVG

Racey1

Racey,

The reason AVG will not let you use Instant Buzz is because it is a toolbar. You can add it to your white list of programs.

The easy way to do this is wait for the warning window to come up after trying to run IB wqhere it asks if you want to allow it or not. Then click the add program to your allow lists. I don't remember what it states exactlly, but you can tell. It's on the right hand side of the box.

Sometimes it talks it a couple tries before it will accept the entry that way, but it is quite effective.


Mary

[Racey1]

Racey,

The reason AVG will not let you use Instant Buzz is because it is a toolbar. You can add it to your white list of programs.

The easy way to do this is wait for the warning window to come up after trying to run IB wqhere it asks if you want to allow it or not. Then click the add program to your allow lists. I don't remember what it states exactlly, but you can tell. It's on the right hand side of the box.

Sometimes it talks it a couple tries before it will accept the entry that way, but it is quite effective.


Mary[/quote]

Hi Mary

Tried all the above with the help off the Instant Buzz support team it was they that said nothing else we can do.

Would like to keep Instant Buzz so I am looking for software that it will work with.

Racey1

[eljay003]

I agree about Norton. I used it before and my PC is really sllooowww. I don’t know why, I thought it’s just my PC then. But a friend of mine mentioned that Norton was the culprit so I immediately got rid of it.
He then recommended Avast while I am still scouting for a good antivirus. I am using it for more than a year now and I am happy with it J
But I don’t have any spyware and I’ll consider one from what you guys had posted here. Thanks!

[gdavis01]

I would recommend Symantec’s Norton 360 version 2. Contrary to previous versions, Symantec was able to integrate new technologies to this security software making it run using 80 percent less memory compared to other security softwares. After being contented with the trial version I finally bought a licensed version. Another good thing about it, which I just found out later, is that I can install it up to 3 PCs.

[lrminton]

I use Zone Alarm Security Suite and AVG free.

Zone Alarm Security Suite is primarily for my firewall. I use AVG free to scan all downloads.

I did use Norton, but had a virus it could not remove. At the time I had a paid version of
AVG and it was able to delete the virus.

As best I can tell the paid version of AVG no longer exists. It has been packaged with a
firewall package.

Since I really like Zone Alarm Security Suite I now use the free AVG as a backup and to
check all downloads.

When any of these start a system or disk scan, my computer slows down. Don't know what to do about that.

Lonnie

[woah316]

ad-ware, get the free version.

for deeper viruses and firewall, norton all the way, 50 bucks a year

[Angela V. Edwards]

Originally Posted by Eric Johnson

Use these two in combination and you should never really have any problems:

Lavasoft Ad Aware
Spybot Search and Destroy

* both free

We use Ad Aware and Komodo Anti Virus. Both of those are fee as well.

[KimW]

Actually Panda Internet Security is good for the average user.
As Jason K Thomas said, Sunbelt puts out good products too.

[jjpmarketing]

I would combine TrendMicro's PC-Cillin with Lavasoft's Ad-Aware. I don't know if its still the case, but SpyBot has an extremely annoying bug... where the popup to block something covers the buttons. I can never remember which one is allow and which one is deny. So I don't use them at the moment... although... I believe their software is a little more powerful than Ad-Aware... at least when comparing the free versions.

They might be very similar when you get a paid version of Ad-Aware.

I say PC-Cillin, because it is extremely fast and uses very little resources. Norton's is notorious for being a resource hog. Symantec Anti-Virus is probably the best... but it ain't cheap. Symantec is different than Norton's. Norton's is for consumers. Symantec is for businesses.

You can also get HiJack This!... it is good for removing rogue registry entries and BHO (Browser Helper Objects).

[Sandor Verebi]

I know and recommend PandaSecurity or McAfee. Both are good.

[Steven Fullman]

None.

Seriously.

If you're responsible, you won't need 'em.

Steve

[Angela V. Edwards]

Originally Posted by Steven Fullman

None.

Seriously.

If you're responsible, you won't need 'em.

Steve

Not sure if that can be accomplished, actually. Like I said, we have Komodo on our computers and my husband set it up so it would do a "system scan" each night at 3am. For months, everything would be fine and then all of a sudden, it would find a trojan in something that was previously 'clean'. It's done that several times.

I suspect these trojans can be time-delayed. If you've got a lot of files from buying WSOs or whatever, it might be good to have some sort of anti-virus. I'm sure the trojans aren't the fault of the people whose products these are.

[NickMarks]

I've always used SpyBot and Ad-Aware, never had a problem.

[jjpmarketing]

Even if your responsible... you can still get viruses/spyware.

I was checking out the new search engine "cuil", and trying to see all the sites they were listing when I searched for "JJP Marketing", and I got a virus that way. I clicked on a link that took me to a site... and it happened so fast I didn't even know what happened. I clicked to close a popup and the next thing I know I have a virus.

[KimW]

Originally Posted by Steven Fullman

None.

Seriously.

If you're responsible, you won't need 'em.

Steve

Sorry Steve, but this is not correct. I'm not sure what you mean by responsible, but I've seen people get these type of problems just by making a typo.

[jjpmarketing]

I tried to explain to my sister... why it is best to never, ever, ever use the address bar to search the internet.

She would click on the address bar, search for this that and something else... and there is always some crappy parked domain in the search results. She clicks on it, and then proceeds to use that site's search engine.

Instant spyware. No wonder I have to re-build their system on a quarterly basis.

[Steven Fullman]

Originally Posted by KimW

Sorry Steve, but this is not correct. I'm not sure what you mean by responsible, but I've seen people get these type of problems just by making a typo.

Sorry, KimW, but it CAN be correct, as long as you follow a few simple rules...

1. NEVER click on an emailed link. Even from a trusted source

2. ALWAYS check the validity of a Secure website before you log in. (I can show you how to do this)

3. Disable Javascript unless you trust the site totally.

4. Disable 3rd Party cookies.

...follow those 4 rules, and you'll never need an A/V, Anti-Spy or Malware checker again...

Steve

[atom1980]

I use AVG + Comodo combination and it seems to work well.

Alternatively use a Mac I guess.. though no doubt they're not bullet proof.

[KimW]

Originally Posted by Steven Fullman

Sorry, KimW, but it CAN be correct, as long as you follow a few simple rules...

1. NEVER click on an emailed link. Even from a trusted source

2. ALWAYS check the validity of a Secure website before you log in. (I can show you how to do this)

3. Disable Javascript unless you trust the site totally.

4. Disable 3rd Party cookies.

...follow those 4 rules, and you'll never need an A/V, Anti-Spy or Malware checker again...

Steve

You're welcome to your opinion and I'm not here to argue with you.
I believe what I said, you believe what you said.