Recommend your PC protection!

ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi! Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">... as mine failed hard</div>So I'm now stuck using Safari on my iphone for the time being because AVG, Avira and Windows Defender all managed to miss a virus disguised as svchost.exe. Long story short it erased my system restore and almost burned my CPU out, so it seems like complete meltdown.

Before I decide to reinstall Vista (or possibly Windows 7 RC1) I was planning on using my linux stick to download some suitable protection to install before I so much as hit up Windows activation. Just wondering what everyone else is finding protects their computer without allowing old virii which shouldn't slip through the net, such as this?
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Comments

  • flying_mooseflying_moose Join Date: 2009-06-03 Member: 67676Members, Constellation
    edited June 2009
    I favor ESETs nod32 antivirus, but last I checked (late last year), the leading anti-virals were (in order from best to worst)

    CA Antivirus
    Kaspersky
    ESETs nod32
    Norton Antivirus


    And stay far away from the following
    ------------------------------------
    McAfee
    Avast
    Trend Micro
    AVG

    On a side note - I've found AVG to be complete crap in the past.
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  • WhiteZeroWhiteZero That Guy Join Date: 2004-06-24 Member: 29511Members, Constellation
    edited June 2009
    Every AV is going to miss something. Really, I'd say you were safest with Avira, as long as you were running the latest version and all that jaz. Chances are, if both AVG and Avira didn't catch it, nothing would have.

    NOD32 and Kaspersky are good alternatives.
    I usually keep an eye out <a href="http://www.av-comparatives.org/comparativesreviews/main-tests" target="_blank">here</a> for quantifiable tests.
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  • ComproxComprox *chortle* Canada Join Date: 2002-01-23 Member: 7Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS1 Playtester, NS2 Developer, Constellation, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Developer, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
    My god, stay away from Norton is all I ask. Other than that, I've heard fantastic things about NOD32. Personally, I use Avast cause I am cheap and in many years it has done my well (and even saved a few friends PC's thanks to it's boot time scan).
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  • DawormDaworm Join Date: 2009-06-22 Member: 67900Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1714849:date=Jun 30 2009, 05:01 PM:name=Comprox)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Comprox @ Jun 30 2009, 05:01 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1714849"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->My god, stay away from Norton is all I ask. Other than that, I've heard fantastic things about NOD32. Personally, I use Avast cause I am cheap and in many years it has done my well (and even saved a few friends PC's thanks to it's boot time scan).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Agreed.


    Trend > Norton in my experiences.

    However I use NOD32 at home, and on all machines I maintain (7 personal/family machines + numerous end-user clients that I get the odd-job calls about).
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  • flying_mooseflying_moose Join Date: 2009-06-03 Member: 67676Members, Constellation
    My experience with Norton is that it's very good at catching threats, but that it has to be one of the biggest resource hogs of any of the antivirus's in my list, as well as having over double the scan time as a few of them.

    Trend is just as likely to pick up your office software as a virus, I've had numerous instances of it flagging harmless applications as a such. (Especially small well programmed applications. I assumed - OH! small program! must be a virus!
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  • FaskaliaFaskalia Wechsellichtzeichenanlage Join Date: 2004-09-12 Member: 31651Members, Constellation
    Quad Core CPU + at least 8 gig of ram and also 4 physical Harddrives

    Now isntall W7 as your host and 3 VMs of your choice as guest OS. Assign every VM 1 Core and 2 Gig of RAM as well as 1 dedicated Harddrive.

    Now Outsource as much as possible to the VMs and try to seperate it.

    1 VM for general internet stuff

    1 VM for work and online banking

    1 VM for test purposes (installing new software etc)

    Use your host system when you want to play a fancy new game that doesnt run well inside a VM.
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  • CrispyCrispy Jaded GD Join Date: 2004-08-22 Member: 30793Members, Constellation
    edited June 2009
    I'm definitely considering switching to Avira now after seeing AVG perform very averagely in the anti-virus tests (talk about 'avg' hohoho!).

    ESET NOD32 and Avira perform very similarly in the tests (with high detection rates and decent scan speeds) but Avira gives more false-positives (so more annoying alerts to harmless files you need to hit 'ignore' on). However, Avira does have a free version and for some reason on the NOD32 site Avira is suspiciously missing from their competitor comparison, leading me to believe by their own omission/admission it performs just as well as their product and is free/has a free version.
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  • SvenpaSvenpa Wait, what? Join Date: 2004-01-03 Member: 25012Members, Constellation
    As many have said already, nod32 is a great anti virus. I also run it along with ThreatFire, a fancy real-time signature detection thingy. <a href="http://www.threatfire.com/" target="_blank">http://www.threatfire.com/</a>

    The only potential problem with nod32 is that Steam support has it flagged as interfering with steam but I haven't really noticed.
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  • RobRob Unknown Enemy Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 25Members, NS1 Playtester
    <!--quoteo(post=1714877:date=Jun 30 2009, 05:58 AM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Jun 30 2009, 05:58 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1714877"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Quad Core CPU + at least 8 gig of ram and also 4 physical Harddrives

    Now isntall W7 as your host and 3 VMs of your choice as guest OS. Assign every VM 1 Core and 2 Gig of RAM as well as 1 dedicated Harddrive.

    Now Outsource as much as possible to the VMs and try to seperate it.

    1 VM for general internet stuff

    1 VM for work and online banking

    1 VM for test purposes (installing new software etc)

    Use your host system when you want to play a fancy new game that doesnt run well inside a VM.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    If computer security archetypes were three-letter-organizations, you sir would be the KGB.
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  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi&#33; Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1714877:date=Jun 30 2009, 10:58 AM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Jun 30 2009, 10:58 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1714877"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Quad Core CPU + at least 8 gig of ram and also 4 physical Harddrives

    Now isntall W7 as your host and 3 VMs of your choice as guest OS. Assign every VM 1 Core and 2 Gig of RAM as well as 1 dedicated Harddrive.

    Now Outsource as much as possible to the VMs and try to seperate it.

    1 VM for general internet stuff

    1 VM for work and online banking

    1 VM for test purposes (installing new software etc)

    Use your host system when you want to play a fancy new game that doesnt run well inside a VM.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I'm still left with the dilemma of where to put my pron. Does it count as 'work'?
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  • FaskaliaFaskalia Wechsellichtzeichenanlage Join Date: 2004-09-12 Member: 31651Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1714897:date=Jun 30 2009, 02:25 PM:name=Thaldarin)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thaldarin @ Jun 30 2009, 02:25 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1714897"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm still left with the dilemma of where to put my pron. Does it count as 'work'?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Only if you produce it yourself and sell it for money.

    So keep your self made amateur flicks on the general internet VM.
    Files in general should be outsourced to a NAS or even better a SAN (if you can afford it) anyway.
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  • DawormDaworm Join Date: 2009-06-22 Member: 67900Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1714881:date=Jun 30 2009, 08:49 PM:name=Svenpa)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Svenpa @ Jun 30 2009, 08:49 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1714881"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The only potential problem with nod32 is that Steam support has it flagged as interfering with steam but I haven't really noticed.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    3 Computers with steam (connecting through net on same IP) no issues here...
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  • sherpasherpa stopcommandermode Join Date: 2006-11-04 Member: 58338Members
    I'm probably playing with fire but I rely on my Belkin router with its religious zealot-esque affinity for blocking everything and having an up-to-date WinXP.
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  • DawormDaworm Join Date: 2009-06-22 Member: 67900Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1714913:date=Jun 30 2009, 11:07 PM:name=sherpa)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (sherpa @ Jun 30 2009, 11:07 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1714913"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm probably playing with fire but I rely on my Belkin router with its religious zealot-esque affinity for blocking everything and having an up-to-date WinXP.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Well if you're concious enough of what you're doing you should be right.
    Just more than myself uses my PC so I have additional security on system.
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  • spellman23spellman23 NS1 Theorycraft Expert Join Date: 2007-05-17 Member: 60920Members
    I've been using AVG Free for a while and haven't had an issue. Granted, I typically don't screw with nasty stuff that would usually have viruses anyways.

    I also augment it with Spybot because Spybot cleans stuff up.

    I might have to check into nod32 considering the favorable reviews.
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  • CrispyCrispy Jaded GD Join Date: 2004-08-22 Member: 30793Members, Constellation
    edited July 2009
    I'm a mix between <b>Spellman</b> and <b>sherpa</b>. I rely mostly on a secure router setup that only permits network access to specific MAC addresses (really easy to set up using Netgear's router settings, you can add a 360 or even DS if you need to).

    Then I have AVG behind that (updated daily), and that's what bothers me, because if crap does get onto my PC I want to know it's very likely to be picked up. Trying out Avira now because on top of it picking up more issues it reportedly had faster scan speeds, and I generally end up canceling the AVG scan halfway through because it takes so long.

    Never had any noticeable issues using this setup wth XP Home SP3. I don't do any downloading of dubious files, though.

    [Edit] Incidentally, if anyone's interested, I just installed Avira (default settings looked good) and it scanned both my 80GB and 250GB HDDs (1h30m, almost 700,000 files) and found 0 'detections' and 1 'warning' (pagefile.sys could not be scanned since it's a system file). So it looks like the secure network and AVG were doing their job after all. I'm sticking with Avira, though, because the AVG scans took a lot longer (probably about 5x as long).

    [Edit2] Avira does have a slightly annoying 'Upgrade to Premium' popup ad that opens randomly, but it can be closed immediately.
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