AntiVirus: Effectiveness in work

[kram 2.0]

Hey,
I've searched the forums, but being a very loose end subject, I've decided to make my own thread:

I've recently encoutered a breach into my system: a virus, quite simply. It has to do with the AOL Instant Messanger profile virus. I've decided to get an antivirus. So, I go online, and search for some. This, being a poll, shows three softwares that I have found popular:

1) Symantec Norton's Antivirus
2) McAfee Annti Virus
3) Trend PC-Cillan Anti Virus

Symantec's Norton has a reputation of being quite annoying, if I recall. I already have McAfee in my computer, yet its useless because it's far out of date (came with my Win98SE computer...). Since it came with the computer, I would need to buy the full version, instead of an upgrade.

I have heard many good things about Trend and its software. I am currently inclined to that one, than the former two.

Please tell me what you think of them: I need the most effective one possible. I have a Win98SE (upgrading soon, hopefully) 10GB, with 384 SDRAM, 500 Celeron. It's pretty fast with the amount of memory its on.

I do thank you in advance - this topic may have been brought up before, but I can't find anything that's specific.


Thanks,
kram

[TwoRails]

You found McAfee popular??? Wow..I've never liked it and never heard anything good about it. NAV has always worked very good for me, and AVG is also quite popular here at PCM.

[kram 2.0]

<b>Wow..I've never liked it and never heard anything good about it. NAV has always worked very good for me, and AVG is also quite popular here at PCM.</b> What's AVG? And which antivirus would I need in order to clean spyware, viruses, before they touch the ground (infect sys)? Also, NAV = Norton AntiVirus?

Also, here's <a href="http://www.trendmicro.com/en/products/desktop/pc-cillin/evaluate/overview.htm">Trend's Pc-Cillan</a>. One more question (sry) - what's this whole thing about upgrading for services? Do you need to constantly pay to keep up with new protection?

Thanks,
kram

[HAL9000]

I've currently switched to Etrust and find it to be very good.

[Kubie]

I have been using PC-Cillin because it comes free with Asus mobos. I t has done a very good job for me.
When it expires, I will go to AVG from www.grisoft.com.

Carl

[TwoRails]

Yes, NAV = Norton AntiViru.
For Spyware, you'll need a spyware program, like SpyBot.
AVG is one of the newer AVs on the block. It's been getting very good reviews in the magazine and such, and from other Forum members.
Yes, most AVs now charge a few $$ for updates; it costs money to do the R&D to develope the constant protection needed in today's world.

TwoRails

[Atchikan]

I used Norton for a while, but I switched to AVG once it expired. AVG is free and works great. If you want Norton for a good price, you can go to newegg.com and get it for about $13.

[kram 2.0]

Originally posted by Kubie
I have been using PC-Cillin because it comes free with Asus mobos. I t has done a very good job for me.
When it expires, I will go to AVG from www.grisoft.com.

Carl Nice! Do they still? I'm planning to build a computer with a P4P800 DX - would that work? I'd be very interested.
And thanks - I'll look at AVG.

Thanks,
kram

[Kubie]

kram8806,

It came with my P4P800, P4P800-VM, and P4S533.
I have used AVG and it is a very well made AV, especially for the free price.

Carl

[kram 2.0]

Seems like AVG would be what I'm looking for: I'll probably get the profession edition. I take it its much like Symatec's Norton and McAfee and PcCillan but its better? Also, it looks like free upgrades :).

Thanks,
kram

[james8547]

I personally use NAV 2003. I got it for $8 shipped from eBay. It works fine for me. No conflicts or problems. It detected 1 malware. I like NAV and ghost. It doesn't even conflict with my software installations. I also have Spybot and ad-aware.

I have AVG installed on the old Dell.

I'll continue on using NAV. Staples usually have NAV for free with rebates for upgraders.

I avoid McAfee like the plague. I used it once and it gave me a hard time. I couldn't play games or install any progs without it messing up.

[kram 2.0]

I'll steer clear from McAfee, unless anyone believes it suffices. I'm looking well into AVG and PC-Cillan. I've used NAV before and it gave my computer a challenging time - it froze up my computer, per say. I was wondering whether it has drastically changed lately, or what has happened lately with it. Eh, it might have been because I had Windows ME (which worked miserably on my laptop). Symantec, I consider, is one of the best PC virus treatment companies around - I don't doubt their abilities. I just want to know how they're program is lately. I wasn't even considering it before, but now, I'm starting to lookin into NAV (with what james recommended).

Another thing - including Kubie, anyone who has used PC-Cillan. What do you think of that Antivirus? Effective? Annoying?

[Kubie]

PC-Cillin is effective and inobtrusive, at least for me and I've used it for 3 years.
Updates are very regular.
Carl

[james8547]

My hunch is that it was mostly WinME's fault and not NAV. AVG handles system resources better than NAV but NAV (from my experience) has been relatively stable (NAV 2000-2003). It didn't give me any major problems.

I have WinME in the old P4 1.5Ghz 256mb RAM Dell. WinME doesn't handle resources well. I have to restart it every day or it will freeze up. But AVG runs quite well in the background.

[kram 2.0]

Ok, it's between PCCillan, AVG or NAV now. Does AVG (freeware) work just as well as any other paid software such as NAV? What disadvantages would it hold? Would you reommend the paid version (Pro version) for what it's worth? I have decided to just make McAfee out of question (which is what I have on my old computer - no wonder there's viruses on it :p )


Thanks,
kram

[james8547]

I'd say both NAV and AVG offer reliable protection. I'm not sure about PC-Cillin since I didn't install it. I have a copy of PC-Cillin 2002 that came with my mobo.

I went out to buy NAV because of Ghost. The image copy is very handy. It's like the last resort for me when System Restore fails.

My suggestion is to get the freeware AVG unless you plan on using ghost too. That's what I did for my old Dell since I don't need to use Ghost there.

[kram 2.0]

What's ghost?

Also, I plan to get a Asus P4P800 DX soon, but in the Newegg images, they don't show any more software than the p4p800 drivers. Was this a limited time offer or is this offered in other products?

Thanks,
kram

[bailey]

you say you want to run this at work.
is a a network that you want to run it on that will check each system on the network and run it on a server or install it on each system on the network ?
or just how do you want to use it ?

[james8547]

NAV Ghost is a way to make a back-up of your system (all the files not just system files....unlike system restore). It allows users to create a ghost-image (or mirror image) file of the HD. I use it when System Restore fails to restore my system to working condition. It's my last resort before reformatting the HD and re-installing XP.

The ASUS P4P800 Dlx should have PC-Cillin included in the CD drivers. I think it's Kubie's mobo if I'm not mistaken. I highly doubt that it was just a limited time offer but I'm not 100% sure. My bet is that newegg just forgot to include it in the description.

[Kubie]

Mornin',

The PC-Cillin AV has always came included on the mobo driver disk.
It has mobo drivers, Acrobat 5.0, the Asus hardware monitor, etc.
The AV is good for one year.

Carl

[kram 2.0]

Originally posted by bailey
you say you want to run this at work.
is a a network that you want to run it on that will check each system on the network and run it on a server or install it on each system on the network ?
or just how do you want to use it ? No, I really meant work, as how effective it was. But I do go to work where the wireless network does have a pretty decent firewall (no viruses from there so far) which is I believe a Baracuda Firewall. Not quite sure about that - would need to check with sys admin. But thanks - I was looking for the individual protection.

Also, I will go with purchasing the Asus P4P800 DX with the PCCillan until I have to renew it. At that time, I will consider whether it has served well enough to start paying for it. Thanks for letting me know about the offer - I really do appreciate all the help you guys have given me. And Carl, I do preusme you got the p4p800 (dx/non) to get pccillan (making sure its the right mobo) and do you know if Newegg does it? I am aware that previous mentioned posts say that it is likely that Newegg just forgot to put it in thier description :)

Thanks,
kram

Thanks :)
kram

[glc]

For new installs, I'd recommend the free Etrust offer, the antivirus is excellent and it also comes with Zone Alarm Pro and a 1 year subscription. I personally run Norton 2003 and am very happy with it, but Norton 2004 is one to avoid for now, it has too many issues.

Free AVG is adequate but not the best - I've never used their pay version.

[mairving]

Whatever you do, steer clear of the AV suites that include Firewalls and other junk unless you really want to break things. NAV has the best updater of them all, McAfee probably has the worst. None of them are perfect and are best used with other products like Spybot S&D, and some common sense.

[Statica]

Actually I have to disagree Mairving. Those that have known me posting here, have seen me raving about PC-Cillin for the past few years (since PC-Cillin 98, I think). Well, I have nothing but positive things to say about Trend PC-Cillin Internet Security Suite.
Yes it isnt as powerful as standalone versions of the same products (like a firewall or a spam filter), but what it is designed as is a Grade-A+ antivirus with decent add-ons that you can use or disable. Particularly useful for a person whose computing needs change when the computer is on the road.

It comes with the following:
* A very robust virus scanner
* A small personal firewall
* URL Filter
* Privacy data protection
* Spam protection

To give you some of the features I really like about the suite, and I hope you will go through the list before making your choice:
<b>General program features I like</b>
1) Extremely small footprint, that I have grown accustomed to
2) Rapid updates of any and all of the aforementioned components
3) Updates are rather smaller in size
4) Extremely customizable and no-nonsense UI, even updates can be customized to be downloaded either manually, hour intervals, automatic update (without user intervention)

<b>Antivirus features that I like</b>
1) Rapid updates in response to virus attacks. This I find particularly useful, if there is a virus that isnt on the pattern list, but is getting noteriety, Trend releases Controlled Pattern Releases that includes virus definitions for the upcoming patterns
2) Customizable scan options
3) Robust and selective realtime scanning options
4) POP Mail scan, except for the first time that I've seen it includes outgoing mailscans as well (SMTP). Cant figure out why its taken them so long, but with the # of virii transmitted through email, even outgoing mails should be scanned
5) Webmail scanning for those that wish to turn off realtime scanning (includes the common ones .. yahoo, hotmail etc)

<b>Internet filters that I like</b>
1) Small footprint, easy access firewall to block common ports, of course I don't use it, but its helpful to know that when I take my machine out of my router etc, I can enable something
2) URL filter (self explanatory)
3) Privacy data protection .. this is neat, in preventing CC or other personal information (the information can be customized, could be a phone number, or an address etc) from being transmitted through insecure methods .. aka email etc
4) Anti-spam .. can be used as a personal spam filter to directlydelete or mark a spam message
5) Wi-Fi protection. This is especially useful for me on my laptop as it allows me to one-click enable a decent measure of wi-fi protection when I am connecting to a public hotspot w/ my laptop
6) Profiles for wirewalls, which means that I can customize my level of security for different networks that I connect to

& no .. I don't work for trend micro :D

Addendum: forgot to mention that the antivirus' realtime scan engine also includes a real-time spyware detection engine and patterns as well. The good news is that I dont need to suspect spyware before I run ad-aware or anything, hopefully it will have caught some stuff that is categorized as spyware ;)

[kram 2.0]

Hey,
I found the link to <a href="http://www.asus.com">Asus</a>'s website and found deep specs on it. Overall, the mobo seems to be like everyone had recommended to me in the past - a brilliant one that can be overclocked like crazy :). It does also have this on itSupport CD -Drivers
-ASUS PC Probe
-Trend Micro? PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software (OEM version)
-ASUS LiveUpdate Utility (http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=P4P800%20Deluxe&langs=09) which, it saids "Trend Micro?". Are they questioning whether it comes with it or what the brand name is.

Thanks,
kram

[glc]

The PC-Cillin that comes with the motherboard is not the full security suite that Statica is talking about.

[kram 2.0]

Originally posted by glc
The PC-Cillin that comes with the motherboard is not the full security suite that Statica is talking about. Thanks - didn't know that. I'll take that into consideration as well (the extra 49.99 for Trend or the 30+ for NAV).

Thanks,
kram

[Statica]

You could install the old version and then buy an upgrade version for 24.95 of the entire security suite.. there is no difference, its more of a cheaper upgrade path to go from PC-Cillin 2K2 or 2K3 to PC-Cillin Internet Security Suite.

[kram 2.0]

Originally posted by Statica
You could install the old version and then buy an upgrade version for 24.95 of the entire security suite.. there is no difference, its more of a cheaper upgrade path to go from PC-Cillin 2K2 or 2K3 to PC-Cillin Internet Security Suite. I'll see if I can get an old version - thanks for the tip. Where can I find an old version? (of course, legal). I think Statica, you might be right.

Thanks,
kram

[kram 2.0]

I have one simple question:
How do you use that buy one get one free deal (which I found) and have the CD shipped to you instead of downloaded? I can't seem to find a way... Did anyone buy from there with that deal and get a hard copy?

Thanks,
kram

[enhanced08]

sorry to butt in here, but i've used McAfee for about 4 years and never had any problems with it. i got a new computer for x-mas and it came with NAV and i think they both work fine. NAV scans faster but the CPU is faster and it has more RAM than the McAfee machine.

[kram 2.0]

Yeah - actually, I've had McAfee for some time on my 98SE computer. It was a transparant firewall - it let all sorts of stuff come in even if I did update it :(. So I've decided to stay away from that. But thanks for your input - I appreciate it. I have decided to go with NAV or Pc-Cillin, strongly leaning towards PC-Cillin.

Now for the reason - I have a TrendMicro OfficeScan (network AV) and it has worked very efficiently and well, which I would like to have on a different computer. Therefore, I decided to go with a trend product. That is the reason of my first inclination towards that product.

Thanks,
kram

And still, how do you receive a hard copy of the Pc-Cillin from their website with the buyone get one free deal? I'm still haveing trouble with that.

[mikeL]

I use AVG when in Windows, in linux I don't use one, I have F-Prot installed but rarely run it.

[raftero]

i use AVG,Ad-aware-Spybot,all free and never had a problem.

[Statica]

I actually like online software distribution methods far better than keeping discs etc that are prone to scratches and "misplacement". I know it doesnt work for everyone but here's what I like about it
a) All you need is your serial numbers you got when you purchased the product. If I ever need to reinstall, I just download a fresh version of the product (of course the same version number), from the trial download section - putting in the serial number makes it a fully working copy. Its a lot more efficient consider that -
you bought PCC today, and 6 mths down the road your OS goes down and you need a reinstall .. if you had it on CD and you installed it, you would have go to through all the patches and updates that have come out. Meanwhile, if you just downloaded the trialware, the version is quite close to the most updated version.
b) The purchase site itself stores your name details etc. so you can actually download it by entering your name and serial number.


Of course you could always burn a copy onto CD and keep it.


Originally posted by kram8806
Yeah - actually, I've had McAfee for some time on my 98SE computer. It was a transparant firewall - it let all sorts of stuff come in even if I did update it :(. So I've decided to stay away from that. But thanks for your input - I appreciate it. I have decided to go with NAV or Pc-Cillin, strongly leaning towards PC-Cillin.

Now for the reason - I have a TrendMicro OfficeScan (network AV) and it has worked very efficiently and well, which I would like to have on a different computer. Therefore, I decided to go with a trend product. That is the reason of my first inclination towards that product.

Thanks,
kram

And still, how do you receive a hard copy of the Pc-Cillin from their website with the buyone get one free deal? I'm still haveing trouble with that.

[kram 2.0]

Interesting - never thought of that. I'd thought that it was a one time download thing (and no backup)... I might download it, then burn a copy.

Thanks,
kram

[brassman]

I still swear by Avast. It's been very effective AND it's free.

[kram 2.0]

<b>Resolution</B>: (as requested to post)
I decided to download the TrendMicro PC-Cillian onto my desktop (the evaluation 30 days). It worked pretty well - ran through about 3000+ virusie on my computer ( :D ). Well, it's working well so far, so I'm probably going to stick to it. I'll probably get the liscencing today or tomorrow while you can buy one get one free.

Thank you all for your help. PC Mech is truly and amazing place and you guys have helped make it the best forum I've ever been to.
kram

[whargoul]

I use NOD32. Regarded as one of the top AV's. Very quick and light on resources, usually updated daily sometimes three times a day.

[ComputerNut]

Originally posted by glc
I personally run Norton 2003 and am very happy with it, but Norton 2004 is one to avoid for now, it has too many issues.

You say that NAV 2004 has issues, but with the Live Update tool, i wouldnt think that would be such a prob. I guess you just need to wait awhile and let 2004 work up its reputation. :)