[Closed] Anti Virus Software recommendations.

In built windows stuff (will be turned on automatically)

What he said (assuming W10).

Follow safe computing practices: Say "yes" to updates, don't install Flash and Java unless you actually need them, don't click on stupid crap.

I like Windows Defender which comes included with the OS, much less intrusive than the third party stuff

+1 and loads more for built in Windows Defender, especially in Win 10. Does the job just fine and there's no need any more for bloatware system hogging third party anti-virus software.

Only extra I'd advise is Malwarebytes, which is more of a malware scanner, and the free version you can just run when you want, so it isn't sitting in the background slowing the system down. I just run it after any dodgy web sites that might be malware infested or downloads I've been concerned about. I've never been hit with anything though.

Talking of extras, Spywareblaster is also worth looking at as a support app. It provides passive protection - basically, it blacklists known hostile websites. Because it's passive it works well in tandem with other AV.

You've to pay for automatic updating, but I just run it every couple of months to apply the updates manually.

Malwarebytes is fantastic, but the real value in the free version is when you already have an infection. Best not to get to the point where you need it in the first place. (-:

Kaspersky for me, never had any issue with it unlike other antivirus programs out there.

aye don't bother these days, w10 default never had an issue, have even given up running malwarebytes periodically to check.

[quote=Cougar ]don't install Flash and Java unless you actually need them

Good advice from a security perspective, but you tend to need both of those to not have your web browsing crippled. I tend to have flash set not to run automatically (mainly because it's a horrible resource hog - the sooner it gets completely ditched the better), but even that is a bit of a pain.

O&o shutup10 whilst you are at it to keep how much of you personal info you share with Microsoft.

It can also switch off some of the win 10 features you might find annoying.

+1 for Windows 10, it comes with a decent AV / Firewall / Malware product which is unobtrusive and fairly clever.

If you want a stronger solution for more high-risk users (businesses who deal with lots of email and kids who'll do anything a pop-up tells them or download anything for a Mincraft skin) I'd go with ESET.

Windows Defender in W10 didn't stop hundreds of viruses and trojans finding their way on to juniors laptop. He gave it me back completely dead. He hadn't saved any restauration points either. I brought it back to life with my Widows USB key and ran half a dozen anti-virus programmes to get rid of the crap. The remaining issues I dealt with by Googling the symptoms and manually following the advice, bar one if [b]Cougar[/b] has any ideas:

Right clicking on the Windows icon bottom left gets you a menu "programmes et fonctionalités" etc. but left clicking gets you nothing so non of the Windows programmes can be reached apart from the ones he'd put on the desktop. This is a common problem apparently and I'm at the stage where a restart is recommended which loses all his programmes and files - I've backed everything up dat files but I'm reluctant to lose programme downloads that have been paid for.

Windows Defender in W10 didn't stop hundreds of viruses and trojans finding their way on to juniors laptop.

It does sound a bit like he was running an Admin account which IMO is the commonest mistake Windows users make. Account-specific permissions to programs would maybe explain what you describe in your second paragraph.

Good advice from a security perspective, but you tend to need both of those to not have your web browsing crippled.

I can't remember the last time I saw a web site that needed Java. Flash is still around but dying, and the sooner the better. I haven't had a standalone copy of Flash installed in years and haven't missed it.

Windows Defender in W10 didn't stop hundreds of viruses and trojans finding their way on to juniors laptop.

Point the first, what johnners said.

Point the second, he failed the latter point of my first reply, "don't click on stupid crap." There's an education / training issue here. Where's the initial infection come from, what has he downloaded?

Point the third, "hundreds" is by the by as it only takes one infection to knobble the system and download friends. I looked at a machine the other day with a scan result in the order of thousands, and the highest I've ever seen is something like 13,000 hits (where a hit is an individual file or registry setting). The cause of that one was probably a single install of a torrented piece of software with a payload.

Point the fourth, what johnners said.

I dealt with by Googling the symptoms and manually following the advice, bar one if Cougar has any ideas:

With an extensive infection, the best advice is to flatten it and start again. Even if it looks clean, how can you ever be sure?

Any paid-for downloads are still paid for, you'll have licence keys or account bindings or some other proof of purchase (otherwise what happens if your hard drive dies tomorrow?)

Thanks for the detailed reply. So it's a restart. He doesn't know where the original infection came from. I know he downloads lots of music things, especially sound samples and programmes he uses in techno music composing.

It's the first time I've failed to clean up a machine but learned a lot trying.

I know he downloads lots of music things

Easy to hide a "music player" executable in such things.

It's the first time I've failed to clean up a machine but learned a lot trying.

See, I like the challenge of a clean-up, I always learn something and I take failing to succeed in a disinfection as a personal failure. In the countless cleanups I've undertaken, I've failed once.

Thing is though, it's a wrong-headed way thinking that I'm massively guilty of, and I'm letting pride and arrogance get in the way of doing the right thing. The right thing to do with many modern infections is to flatten it and start again even if you did potentially have the ability to disinfect it. Listen to Corporal Hicks.

If you're dealing with a major infection - go to the ESET website, there's a download you can save to a stick or CD, it's like a mini OS with a powerful av built in, boot to it instead of windows run scanner, then close boot to it again and scan again.

It's a free tool.

+1 for what P-Jay says. I've used the eset tool before when in trouble and use eSet when I really need to control what people have access to. For me it is the best and least intrusive of the paid for bunch but AV is often the least of your problems now. If you run a business and one of your users clicks on a stupid "Please open this file I've sent you link" from someone they know then they might lose their email password, let someone else in to look through their email and then craft a nice 'invoice' to get your finance team to send money to the wrong place. Education is the most important thing now, AV is just a backup

Thanks folks!