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Antivirus for Windows
- Thread starter insan56
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I'm stuck using this ancient Windows 2000 PC for Internet access, and it has had AVG and Avast installed (separately at different times) and running in the background as well as having other applications that I've used to run scans.
Absoultely NONE of them actually recognise nor stop all the nasties, and this machine is constantly being infected and the only way to fix it is to manually delete entries from the Registry.
It's on a dial-up connection, so it is only used to check emails, read USENET newsgroups and visit normal, reputable websites. It is not being used to download software, music, etc. from dodgey websites.
The only real way to keep a Windows computer safe from nasties is to not take it out of the box and never turn it on.
Absoultely NONE of them actually recognise nor stop all the nasties, and this machine is constantly being infected and the only way to fix it is to manually delete entries from the Registry.
It's on a dial-up connection, so it is only used to check emails, read USENET newsgroups and visit normal, reputable websites. It is not being used to download software, music, etc. from dodgey websites.
The only real way to keep a Windows computer safe from nasties is to not take it out of the box and never turn it on.
So is mse. Tbh I was shocked how good it was went I tested it the other day. Compared to wloc which was a pile of crap mse picked up more than norton avast and avg on a full system scan.
While no computer hardware or software is perfect, I managed to run on Windows from version 3.1 all the way through XP until I switched to Mac just over a year ago. I never had a virus infect any of my computers. I used Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security for years, until I switched to AVG AntiVirus and Comodo Firewall, both free. Even with the latter, I never had an infection of any malware of any kind.
Correction: You never had an infection of any malware that you know of.
As I said above, AVG, Avast, etc. don't even recognise many of the nasties that get installed on this computer, let alone stop or remove them. I only know they are definitely there because some display an invisible window (which blocks menu / toolbar access) and some make themselves known the dial-up modem lights flickering away uploading / downloading when they shouldn't be doing anything.
It might be considered a "bonus" of using such an old slow computer as this one, but it's quite easy to spot when the machine is doing things it shouldn't be. On a faster computer you might not notice.
It wouldn't surprise me if at least 50% of Windows computer "slow down" is caused by nasties being installed that are completely missed by the so-called "anti-virus" / "security" software. Thank God we use Macs!!
Correction: You never had an infection of any malware that you know of.
As I said above, AVG, Avast, etc. don't even recognise many of the nasties that get installed on this computer, let alone stop or remove them. I only know they are definitely there because some display an invisible window (which blocks menu / toolbar access) and some make themselves known the dial-up modem lights flickering away uploading / downloading when they shouldn't be doing anything.
It might be considered a "bonus" of using such an old slow computer as this one, but it's quite easy to spot when the machine is doing things it shouldn't be. On a faster computer you might not notice.
It wouldn't surprise me if at least 50% of Windows computer "slow down" is caused by nasties being installed that are completely missed by the so-called "anti-virus" / "security" software. Thank God we use Macs!!
My statement is correct. As a computer consultant, operating system programmer and power Windows user, I kept a very tight rein on my systems and was fully aware of everything installed and running on them.
As for "dial-up modem lights flickering away" when you're not uploading or downloading anything, it sounds like you may not be computer literate enough to understand how modems work. Modems constantly send and receive data to maintain a connection, even if you're not using anything.
Just because your computer is slow or you don't understand why some things don't act as you expect, does not mean that you have a virus.
I have been working with computers for decades, so I do know exactly what the modem lights should and shouldn't be doing.
Although the "protection" software does pick up some (like "Firefox Updater.exe"), I also know for a fact that this computer does get other nasties installed which none of the so-called "anti-virus / secturity" software notices nor finds in a scan. Only manually trawling through the Registry to remove them gets rid of the problems ... at best a monthly task, if not almost weekly.
Thankfully this useless Windoze box will be going in the bin soon, replaced with a proper computer - an Apple Mac!
Buzz Bumble said:... I also know for a fact that this computer does get other nasties installed which none of the so-called "anti-virus / secturity" software notices nor finds in a scan....
How exactly am I supposed to know the actual name of the nasty if none of the software even recognises it is there?!?!?
I could tell you the name of the file I delete from the Registry (usually some gibberish like "qrpnmnt.exe") next time it happens, but I'm usually too busy just trying to get rid of the thing so I can use the computer to get Internet access.
How exactly am I supposed to know the actual name of the nasty if none of the software even recognises it is there?!?!?
I could tell you the name of the file I delete from the Registry (usually some gibberish like "qrpnmnt.exe") next time it happens, but I'm usually too busy just trying to get rid of the thing so I can use the computer to get Internet access.
Deleting a file from the Registry without knowing exactly what you're deleting is a good way to turn your Windows system into a paperweight. How do you know it's a "nasty" if you don't know what it is? It sounds very bogus to me, unless you have facts to back up your claims. What you're calling "nasties" (I assume your name for malware), could very well be legitimate applications or application components that you're simply unfamiliar with.
Because, as I said above, I know what I'm doing.
E.g. An invisible window blocks access to the menus / toolbars = nasty has been installed. Find said nasty via a process monitor and / or trawling through main parts of Registry looking for weird files that shouldn't be there, delete it from the registry (as well as the file itself obviously), and the invisible window doesn't reappear = nasty is now gone and everything still works fine. (Believe me, after trawling through the Registry for the zillionth time you know what should and shouldn't be there.)
The invisible window one is only the most obvious nasty. There are also the ones that don't do anything physcially, but upload / download when the computer is not meant to be doing either. Again, manually fix the Registry, etc. and the problem stops (until yet another nasty gets installed!).
Having this many problems with a Windows box is not normal for a 'power user'. Simply stated: if you know what you're doing, Windows is workable. Is it pleasant? Not really. Would I choose to use it over OS X? No. Am I able to run Windows without getting viruses or malware? Yes.
Just because you have had trouble keeping your computer 'clean' does not mean the rest of us are likewise incapable.
I completely agree. Many go into the Registry without understanding it completely. They delete things they don't recognize, just because they don't think it should be there, not because they understand why it's there or what it does. Just because you edit the Registry a "zillion times" doesn't mean you're doing so properly or that you understand what you're doing.
Frequent Registry editing is a sign that someone doesn't understand how to operate Windows properly. If that weren't so, Microsoft would make sure every user was familiar with the Registry. As I tell my clients when I open their Registry to clean it, "Kids, don't try this at home!" Why would I have to clean a client's Registry? Because they're neophytes and don't know how to run Windows properly, so the Registry gets corrupted.
Calling something a "nasty" instead of being computer literate enough to properly identify it is another sign that someone is not knowledgeable enough to be messing around with the Registry. If you can't say "I identified the malware named 'X' and removed it using the proper steps", then you shouldn't be touching the Registry.
The bottom line is, it IS completely possible to run Windows for years with AVG or Norton AntiVirus or many other AV programs, and never have a malware infection. Of course, it also takes good practices like not installing something you don't know and trust, not opening email attachments without thinking, etc.
You may have yourself convinced, but your comments lead me to believe otherwise.
