What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus, a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program cover that? Thanks for any help!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I've used the following combination for the past few months and have had no malware / virus infections, and they're all free: AntiVir AdAware SpyBot SpyWare Blaster Just make sure you update them religiously.


On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:
>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the
>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe
>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus,
>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program
>cover that?
>
>Thanks for any help!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and not recommend a specific brand of AV software. 
 Any of the current titles will be fine IF you keep the updates current.  Norton, 
McAfee, AVG, doesn't make a difference just keep it updated once you get it.  








On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:

>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the 

>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe 

>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus, 

>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program 

>cover that? 

>

>Thanks for any help! 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Why buy?Get the free AVG from Grisoft at www.grisoft.com/ .....or Goggle for "free 
antivirussoftware". W.







On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:

>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the 

>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe 

>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus, 

>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program 

>cover that? 

>

>Thanks for any help! 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

One of the most asked about questions (other then SP2) is virus's, spyware, adware, malware, and worms/trojans removal, protection/preventions, and basic questions on which is better and what-not. Here is a list of links as well as brief descriptions to to said products. Most are free or offer free, limited versions of thier products and some offer free trials. Most products listed below are totally free, asking only that you donate if you choose to and all currencies listed below are in U.S.Dollars. Some of you have products not listed below. I advise that if you do have a product not on the list and it may be a rogue product so please refer to Rogue Anti-Spyware List for further help on that. Also to the regulars of this site, If there are any more resources that I may have left off, please add them in your response. please note: before using any product, have an understanding of it, if not sure, post ask, we will assist you in anyway we can. please also further note that if any of the links are broken or the site appears to be down, click on the (--mirrors--) link next to the product name for alternate download sites..

Spyware & MalwareRemoval Utilities
Ad-Aware SE (--mirrors--) (free, and pro version available for $39.95)-advanced protection from known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components
SpyBot-Search & Destroy (--mirrors--) (free)-detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer, use along side with Ad-Aware for great protection and removal of scumware.Read the Spybot Tutorial (--mirror--) for further aid on how to use. please also note that if using already and/or if this is your first download of spybot search and destroy, on the inital scans you will read a DSO Exploit that upon fixing, returns back in other scans, in that case you need Spybot - Search and Destroy DSO Exploit Fix 1.3.1 TX NOTE: SpyBot-Search & Destroy 1.3 Final MUST be installed before this update to work properly.
CWShredder™ 2.0 (--mirrors--) (free)-Originally developed by Merijn Bellekom of the Netherlands, CWShredder™ detects and removes coolwebsearch and its variants, a must have.this newest version, 2.0 was just released: October 2004, please note CoolWWWSearch.SmartKiller (v1 and v2) is a new, real ugly variant of CoolWWWSearch. When running, it will close every browser window you use to visit a large list of anti-spyware-sites, and even will close Spybot-S&D and some other anti-spyware applications as well. So if your copy of Spybot-S&D (or the anti-spyware application of your choice) closes a few seconds after starting, or your browser closes whenever you try to visit an anti-spyware site, try CoolWWWSearch.SmartKiller (v1/v2) MiniRemoval .
a² (free, personal version available for $29.95)-This is a great and highly recommended bit of software for scanning, detecting, and removing Trojans, Worms, and Dialers.
HijackThis 1.98.2(free)- a general homepage hijackers detector and remover, please note that Hijack This is for advanced users. If you are not familiar with running processes on your computer as well as anything ever installed that could tie into your web browser, so ask for help from someone whom is familiar with this program, there is plenty of help here or on the web, or log onto and read the HijackThis tutorial
LSPFix(free)-a utility to repair a specific type of problem associated with certain Internet software. This type of software is known as a Layered Service Provider or LSP, a piece of software that can be inserted into the Windows TCP/IP handler like a link in a chain. However, due to bugs in the LSP software or deletion of the software, this chain can get broken, rendering the user unable to access the Internet.
Winsock XP Fix(XP users only) (free)- WinSock XP Fix offers a last resort if your Internet connectivity has been corrupted due to invalid or removed registry entries. It can often cure the problem of lost connections after the removal of Adware components or improper uninstall of firewall applications or other tools that modify the XP network and Winsock settings. If you encounter connection problems after removing network related software, Adware or after registry clean-up; and all other ways fail, then give WinSock XP Fix a try. It can create a registry backup of your current settings, so it is fairly safe to use. It was actually tested on a test machine that was having a Winsock problem due to some Adware removal, and after running the utility and rebooting, the connectivity was restored.

Spyware Protection Programs
SpywareBlaster 3.2(free)Prevents the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted pests in Internet Explorer, and Mozilla/Firefox
SpywareGuard 2.2 (free)- provides a real-time protection solution against spyware that is a great addition to SpywareBlaster's protection method.
MVPS Host(free)-A hosts file that will block you from connecting to known malware and adware sites
IE-SPYAD(free)-adds a long list of sites and domains associated with known advertisers, marketers, and crapware pushers to the Restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer.

Free Online/Virus Scanners
(scanners)
HOUSECALL
HOUSECALL-EUROPE ( * Microsoft Internet Explorer * Netscape (6+) * Mozilla (1+) * Firefox (all) * Opera (7.5+)... Operating Systems currently supported are: * Microsoft Windows 9x * Microsoft Windows NT * Microsoft Windows 2k/XP * Linux * Solaris)
Panda ActiveScan
Bit Defender
GFI Trojan Scan
(free software)
AVG 7.0(free, pro version around $30-$35)
Avast!(free, professional version available, one year subscribtion is $39.95)
AntiVir(free)
BitDefender Free Edition v7.0(Professional Plus Version 8.0 available for $49.95)
(Trialware)
Symantec (Norton)
McAfee
TrendMicro (PC-cillin)
Panda Software
(stand-alone utilities)
Stinger(free)
Panda's Free 38 Virus Removal Tool

Firewalls
Zone Alarm (free, pro version available for $49.95)
OutPost Free Firewall(pro version available for $39.95)
Kerio(Kerio Personal Firewall 4 is available in two flavors - the full edition and the limited free edition. After installation, KPF works as the full edition for 30 days, after which it becomes the limited free edition.Full version available for $45)
Sygate Personal(free, pro version available for $39.95)

Other Important Removal Tools
KazaaBegone(free)-A Kazaa uninstall which scans and removes all elements of all Kazaa versions, as well as all of the bundled software that comes with it.
Spybot Worm Removal(free)-W32.Spybot.Worm is a detection for a family of worms that spreads using KaZaA file sharing and mIRC. This worm can also spread to computers that are infected with common backdoor Trojan horses
sasser.removal.tool(free)

Other important links
Spywareinfo " the spyware and hijackware removal specialists"
doxdesk spyware and parasites specialist
Audit My PC Free online PC security check
security advisors
how did I get infected in the first place self explanatory
pchell a reputable spyware removal infromative site
Major Geeks a plethora of free and shareware scumware removers

just a few of many great Annoyances.org responses
virus/spyware/ADware removal
lsass.exe
Jack's ME Fix's (This site was created by our own, great Jack Gulley, for users of the infamous operating system ME, a must read if using that windows operating system)

Great Browsers that are safer to use then Internet Explorer
Mozilla/Firefox (--mirror--)
Opera

And finally, if push comes to shove (XP users only)
Clean XP Install/Reformat

There is alot of other links that i forgot to mention or just didn't put on the list. Other responses will aid you to those sites, also, installing the google toolbar to your browser or just plain using the Google Search. Get help on How to read Google Search Results first to aid you in that process.

Homepage Tools
Yahoo: Yahoo Toolbar w/Anti-Spy powered by PestPatrol (Yahoo is finally playing fair in the fight aginst spyware/ADware, and tracking cookies. the toolbar only works with IE 5.5 and higher although is rumored to have a Mozilla/Firefox and Netscape version floating around out there, the anti-spy offered is the only free version of detect and remove offered by PestPatrol, so take advantage Yahoo users the popup blocker is decent but not always effective on some popups so a good software program such as, but not limited to Pop-Up Stopper Free Edition by Panicware would be a good choice)
MSN: MSN Toobar w/Popup Blocker. (decent popup blocking, but as stated above, the use of a software version if not using SP2 (XP users only) would add and extra layer of popup blocking and malware protection.)

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

sorry,that of course should be "Google". W.







On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:

>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the 

>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe 

>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus, 

>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program 

>cover that? 

>

>Thanks for any help! 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

AVG Pro...very nice.

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Kaspersky.Ease of use,frequent updates and will find many trojans,malaware etc.

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

B, I use AVG 7.0 free version,Spyware blaster,Ad-aware SE, Spybot, sygate firewall free version, and Cwshredder in a folder to run on occassion. So far all are free and I have been virus and trojan free. Updated as often as I can. ---jabuck


On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:
>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the
>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe
>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus,
>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program
>cover that?
>
>Thanks for any help!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I was wondering... ;)

The Wereotter

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

The list above is impressive. I tried many free Antivirus . F-Prot, AVG, AnitVir, & now Avast. I am very happy with Avast, the autoupdate feature updates very easily and quickly. It also offers 6 different on Access Protection. Best of all Home edition is Free, they have a great forum site forum.avast.com for any problem you make encounter.


On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:
>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the
>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe
>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus,
>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program
>cover that?
>
>Thanks for any help!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

so was I,just caught it when I clicked post.Well ,must be getting old. W.







On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 3:10 pm, Otter wrote:

>I was wondering... ;) 

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I run Norton with no trouble at all, whether you resubscribe is up to you there are many options
As for your question on what protections you need:
The only one you can dump is the spam filter, the rest are 100% mandatory nowadays
They all do different jobs and you need all of them
The level of spyware protection you need depends largely on your surfing habits, but you do need a spyware killer
Regards, Adam Bradley


On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:
>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the
>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe
>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus,
>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program
>cover that?
>
>Thanks for any help!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

the above mentioned are very good choices... but the main key is to make sure and keep them updated without that you might as well not have anything...


On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:42 pm, B wrote:
>What is the best anti-virus software to buy? Norton came with my computer, but the
>sub is running out soon so I need to buy a new program. Should I just re-subscribe
>to Norton, or try something else like McAfee? Also...what do I need? Do I need antivirus,
>a firewall, spamblocker, spyware catcher and all of that, or will an antivirus program
>cover that?
>
>Thanks for any help!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

oh my !!..... I am going to go down the list and install the lot !!... don't the )*@#)*$@) who write these 'nasties' have lives ?? ..what a bunch of losers. Thanks for the info...


On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:54 pm, joe wrote:
>One of the most asked about questions (other then SP2) is virus's, spyware, adware,
>malware, and worms/trojans removal, protection/preventions, and basic questions on
>which is better and what-not.

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

thanks to harmony and all the othgers who suggested stuff. thanks to you all!


On Monday, November 15, 2004 at 12:54 pm, joe wrote:
>One of the most asked about questions (other then SP2) is virus's, spyware, adware,
>malware, and worms/trojans removal, protection/preventions, and basic questions on
>which is better and what-not. Here is a list of links as well as brief descriptions
>to to said products. Most are free or offer free, limited versions of thier products
>and some offer free trials. Most products listed below are totally free, asking only
>that you donate if you choose to and all currencies listed below are in U.S.Dollars.
>Some of you have products not listed below. I advise that if you do have a product
>not on the list and it may be a rogue product so please refer to Rogue
>Anti-Spyware List for further help on that. Also to the regulars of this
>site, If there are any more resources that I may have left off, please add them in
>your response. please note: before using any product, have an understanding
>of it, if not sure, post ask, we will assist you in anyway we can. please also further
>note that if any of the links are broken or the site appears to be down, click on
>the (--mirrors--) link next to the product name for alternate download
>sites..

Spyware & MalwareRemoval Utilities
Ad-Aware
>SE (--mirrors--)
>(free, and pro version available for $39.95)-advanced protection from
>known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional
>Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components
SpyBot-Search
>& Destroy (--mirrors--)
> (free)-detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer,
>use along side with Ad-Aware for great protection and removal of scumware.Read the
>Spybot Tutorial >href="http://tomcoyote.com/SPYBOT/index1.php"> (--mirror--) for further
>aid on how to use. please also note that if using already and/or if this is your
>first download of spybot search and destroy, on the inital scans you will read a
>DSO Exploit that upon fixing, returns back in other scans, in that case you need
>Spybot - Search and Destroy
>DSO Exploit Fix 1.3.1 TX NOTE: SpyBot-Search & Destroy 1.3 Final MUST
>be installed before this update to work properly.
CWShredder™
>2.0 (--mirrors--)
>(free)-Originally developed by Merijn Bellekom of the Netherlands, CWShredder™
>detects and removes coolwebsearch and its variants, a must have.this newest version,
> 2.0 was just released: October 2004, please note CoolWWWSearch.SmartKiller (v1 and
>v2) is a new, real ugly variant of CoolWWWSearch. When running, it will close every
>browser window you use to visit a large list of anti-spyware-sites, and even will
>close Spybot-S&D and some other anti-spyware applications as well.
>
>So if your copy of Spybot-S&D (or the anti-spyware application of your choice) closes
>a few seconds after starting, or your browser closes whenever you try to visit an
>anti-spyware site, try CoolWWWSearch.SmartKiller
>(v1/v2) MiniRemoval .
a²
> (free, personal version available for $29.95)-This is a great and highly
>recommended bit of software for scanning, detecting, and removing Trojans, Worms,
>and Dialers.
HijackThis
>1.98.2(free)- a general homepage hijackers detector and remover, please note
>that Hijack This is for advanced users. If you are not familiar with running processes
>on your computer as well as anything ever installed that could tie into your web
>browser, so ask for help from someone whom is familiar with this program, there is
>plenty of help here or on the web, or log onto and read the
>HijackThis tutorial
LSPFix(free)-a
>utility to repair a specific type of problem associated with certain Internet software.
>This type of software is known as a Layered Service Provider or LSP, a piece of software
>that can be inserted into the Windows TCP/IP handler like a link in a chain. However,
>due to bugs in the LSP software or deletion of the software, this chain can get broken,
>rendering the user unable to access the Internet.
Winsock
>XP Fix(XP users only) (free)- WinSock XP Fix offers a last resort
>if your Internet connectivity has been corrupted due to invalid or removed registry
>entries. It can often cure the problem of lost connections after the removal of Adware
>components or improper uninstall of firewall applications or other tools that modify
>the XP network and Winsock settings. If you encounter connection problems after removing
>network related software, Adware or after registry clean-up; and all other ways fail,
>then give WinSock XP Fix a try. It can create a registry backup of your current settings,
>so it is fairly safe to use. It was actually tested on a test machine that was having
>a Winsock problem due to some Adware removal, and after running the utility and rebooting,
>the connectivity was restored.

Spyware Protection Programs
>href="http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html">SpywareBlaster 3.2(free)Prevents
>the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and
>other potentially unwanted pests in Internet Explorer, and Mozilla/Firefox
>href="http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html">SpywareGuard 2.2 (free)-
>provides a real-time protection solution against spyware that is a great addition
>to SpywareBlaster's protection method.
MVPS
>Host(free)-A hosts file that will block you from connecting to known malware
>and adware sites
IE-SPYAD(free)-adds
>a long list of sites and domains associated with known advertisers, marketers, and
>crapware pushers to the Restricted sites zone of Internet Explorer.

Free
>Online/Virus Scanners
(scanners)
HOUSECALL
>href="http://uk.trendmicro-europe.com/enterprise/products/housecall_launch.php">HOUSECALL-EUROPE
>( * Microsoft Internet Explorer
> * Netscape (6+)
> * Mozilla (1+)
> * Firefox (all)
> * Opera (7.5+)... Operating Systems currently supported are:
>
> * Microsoft Windows 9x
> * Microsoft Windows NT
> * Microsoft Windows 2k/XP
> * Linux
> * Solaris)
Panda
>ActiveScan
Bit Defender
>href="http://www.windowsecurity.com/trojanscan/">GFI Trojan Scan
(free
>software)
AVG 7.0(free,
>pro version around $30-$35)
Avast!(free,
>professional version available, one year subscribtion is $39.95)
AntiVir(free)
>href="http://www.bitdefender.com/bd/site/products.php?p_id=24">BitDefender Free Edition
>v7.0(Professional Plus Version 8.0 available for $49.95)
(Trialware)
>href="http://nct.symantecstore.com/0001/">Symantec (Norton)
McAfee
>href="http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/personal.htm">TrendMicro (PC-cillin)
>href="http://www.pandasoftware.com/download/">Panda Software
(stand-alone
>utilities)
Stinger(free)
>href="http://www.pandasoftware.es/library/pqremove_en.htm">Panda's Free 38 Virus
>Removal Tool

Firewalls
Zone
>Alarm (free, pro version available for $49.95)
OutPost
>Free Firewall(pro version available for $39.95)
Kerio(Kerio
>Personal Firewall 4 is available in two flavors - the full edition and the limited
>free edition.
>
>After installation, KPF works as the full edition for 30 days, after which it becomes
>the limited free edition.Full version available for $45)
Sygate
>Personal(free, pro version available for $39.95)

Other Important
>Removal Tools
KazaaBegone(free)-A
>Kazaa uninstall which scans and removes all elements of all Kazaa versions, as well
>as all of the bundled software that comes with it.
Spybot
>Worm Removal(free)-W32.Spybot.Worm is a detection for a family of worms that
>spreads using KaZaA file sharing and mIRC. This worm can also spread to computers
>that are infected with common backdoor Trojan horses
sasser.removal.tool(free)

Other
>important links
Spywareinfo
>" the spyware and hijackware removal specialists"
doxdesk
>spyware and parasites specialist
Audit
>My PC Free online PC security check
security
>advisors
how
>did I get infected in the first place self explanatory

>pchell a reputable spyware removal infromative site
Major
>Geeks a plethora of free and shareware scumware removers

just a
>few of many great Annoyances.org responses
virus/spyware/ADware
>removal
lsass.exe
>href="http://users.adelphia.net/~jgulley/me/index.html">Jack's ME Fix's
>(This site was created by our own, great Jack Gulley, for users of the infamous operating
>system ME, a must read if using that windows operating system)

Great Browsers
>that are safer to use then Internet Explorer
Mozilla/Firefox
>
>(--mirror--)
Opera

And
>finally, if push comes to shove (XP users only)
Clean
>XP Install/Reformat

There is alot of other links that i forgot to
>mention or just didn't put on the list. Other responses will aid you to those sites,
>also, installing the google toolbar
>to your browser or just plain using the Google
>Search. Get help on How
>to read Google Search Results first to aid you in that process.

Homepage
>Tools
Yahoo: Yahoo Toolbar w/Anti-Spy
>powered by PestPatrol (Yahoo is finally playing fair in the fight aginst spyware/ADware,
>and tracking cookies. the toolbar only works with IE 5.5 and higher although is rumored
>to have a Mozilla/Firefox and Netscape version floating around out there, the anti-spy
>offered is the only free version of detect and remove offered by PestPatrol, so take
>advantage Yahoo users the popup blocker is decent but not always effective on some
>popups so a good software program such as, but not limited to Pop-Up
>Stopper Free Edition by Panicware would be a good choice)
MSN:
>MSN Toobar w/Popup Blocker. (decent
>popup blocking, but as stated above, the use of a software version if not using SP2
>(XP users only) would add and extra layer of popup blocking and malware protection.)
>

>src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/thebeastizme/6cbfe276.jpg">

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

s buch of butts who have nothing to do other then make all of our lives miserable!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

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