So the winner for best AV is [tear open envelope -->] Kaspersky

[Steve A.]

I had tried Webroot Secure Anywhere for about a month but it was turning my internet into a total slug. I'd check my connection speed and it was still around 50Mbps so the holdup was in the software I was running. When it took about 10 seconds for a Google window to pop up I said enough is enough!

SGM has been recommending Kaspersky very strongly so what the heck I gave their trial version a shot (I go in for a preliminary hearing tomorrow! ) Hopefully I will be acquitted and at that time I plan to install the paid version.

BTW I seem to remember that there was a free version of Kaspersky available about 5 years ago (it was not a limited time trial version as I recall.) Then again it might have been a free Kaspersky boot scan disk that I am thinking of...

After installing Kaspersky it was very diligent in asking me about programs trying to access my hard drive and other areas of my computer. There were 3 choice: this is a trusted program, allow once and deny access. I don't remember other AV programs being so diligent.

I had used Kaspersky before for a few years but I got pissed off at it for deleting a bunch of files during a late night scan. I think that the last straw was when it had deleted some of my Thunderbird email archives which are stored in a single file per folder. So if it found a single malicious file attached to one email it would delete the file that contained the entire folder. Ouch! (I see that there is an option now to prompt me before taking any actions on a scheduled overnight scan.)

I have a new plan to handle suspicious keygens and cracks. I will first archive them up in a 7z file, and then add that file to a ZIP archive and then add the zip file to still another 7z file. To keep the keygens from infecting my computer I will run them (if I ever do) in Sandboxie.

In addition to that I will keep some of these shady programs backed up to a flash drive that will be write protected most of the time...

Steve

[soundguruman]

Kaspersky has been the best overall, and it won't flood the computer with advertising spam.
You barely know it's there.

Panda was cheap and did a good job, but it flooded the computer with spam for panda products. Really irritating.

The Free antivirus (like avast, malware bytes, etc...etc...) leaves your security full of holes.
Loading multiple security programs, from different sources, creates system conflicts.

Systems with this installed frequently get attacked, and successfully corrupted...
The big issue is that it does not update itself, inviting new infections to pop up all the time.
And the multiple products are not designed to work together.

It is far far better to use a professional antivirus, as I said, something less than 4 cents a day.
You have new virus signatures updated all day long.
You have blocking of unauthorized connections.

But STILL, depending on your internet habits, you can be infected.
People who download "free" stuff...free screensaver pictures, free games, free icons, free apps,
you will still be attacked, no matter what antivirus you have.

People who let the little kids use the computer. You are just asking for it.

You simply have to change the habits, and develop better caution.
KNOW how these crooks attack, and avoid walking into it!

[Mick Bailey]

I used Zone Alarm for years because I got it for free. I've now been using Kaspersky for about a year and it does a much more thorough job of scanning the data stream and doesn't rely as much on file-scans. If you're on limited bandwidth, as many people are here in the UK, this can slow down data transfer and I've noticed E-mail messages are slower. I'd rather have security over speed.

The problem with home or single-user operation is cost. In business you'd use a variety of specialist products for each task and also deploy managed security appliances. You resolve issues with conflicting software. For home or small business use we're looking for Utopia in a single product. It's a compromise.

[Steve A.]

This week's Fry's ad has Kaspersky Pure 3.0 (3 user) available for free after a $60 mail-in rebate. According to the chart on their site this is their flagship product for personal home use. Shipping should be free as is the case with all purchases over $23 at Fry's. (Major appliances and other big or heavy items are excluded.) I think its great that people all over the US can get Fry's loss-leader specials delivered to their home. Their regular prices aren't much different than those on Amazon but they have some really great sales prices. Here is a link to Kaspersky Pure 3.0...

Fry's Electronics |



I should be overjoyed but I just bought the same package on eBay for $30. (Ok here is a tip which I will delete after a day or two because this site is tracked by Google. I may decide to buy a copy from Fry's to get the receipt to copy and then bring it back unopened for a refund and mailing in the UPC code from the one I bought on eBay. Yes, it is dishonest but I have screwed up many times with Fry's rebates, like misplacing the receipt until after the deadline for mailing it in. Hey, $30 is $30... ) I put 3 spinners there because it is a 3 user package.

Steve Ahola

P.S. That is a full $60 rebate and not a $30 "real" rebate plus a $30 competitive upgrade rebate that usually requires specific products that you might not have.

P.S.S. The Fry's ads are now "live"- you click on a product and you go to that product page from which you can add it to your cart. That page also has links to PDF files explaining the requirements for the rebate(s). I just checked and Trend Micro will accept a printout of the Help | About screen as proof of a competitive purchase but AVG doesn't. Trend Micro had a list of specific internet security products while AVG would accept any of them.

[Steve A.]

Kaspersky has been very vigilant, like making sure that I want to allow programs disk access. It warned me about a malicious file in an email so I had it deleted. One thing I like is that it doesn't flag every single file that looks suspicious- it has a reputation for having very few false positives.

Steve

[soundguruman]

Kaspersky has been very vigilant, like making sure that I want to allow programs disk access. It warned me about a malicious file in an email so I had it deleted. One thing I like is that it doesn't flag every single file that looks suspicious- it has a reputation for having very few false positives.

Steve

1X 8 year old child, playing "Flumville" on the internet, will render a computer inoperably fubar.
Your antivirus cannot shield you under those conditions.

The browser habits, where you go / do on internet, has a lot to do with risk of infection.
Your choice of downloading from the internet, has a lot to do with it.

Those who develop more cautious habits will have lower risk.

[big_teee]

So how does Farmville tear up a computer?
Surely they are not that fragile?

[soundguruman]

Sorry, I meant flemville.

[Mrsices]

Is flemville different from farmville?

[Mick Bailey]

Children playing on a computer is nothing new. I've designed public-access systems that have to be robust enough to cope with anything - both accidental and malicious intent. Otherwise Libraries and internet cafes couldn't operate.

[Steve A.]

Your antivirus cannot shield you under those conditions. The browser habits, where you go / do on internet, has a lot to do with risk of infection. Your choice of downloading from the internet, has a lot to do with it. Those who develop more cautious habits will have lower risk.

That is true but if you are not running a good AV you are almost guaranteed of catching something nasty. The old "no click, no harm" rule is long gone.

In ancient times you were warned not to click on anything in a suspicious email. Even better if you didn't open it at all. Nowadays some infected emails can "git" you even if you don't open them or click on anything. As for malicious sites they often have "drive-by" malware that does not need to be clicked. So just keeping your finger off the mouse button is not enough.

You kinda wonder about those old "rules"- were hackers supposed to follow those rules as though it was a game? Actually the bells and whistles that are on 98% of the sites using Java or flash or whatever seems to be what gives the hackers much more power over your computer. I liked the good old days when HTML 2.0 was king! As for emails, back when they were limited to text only they were a lot less dangerous.

Believe it or not I actually am very cautious in my browsing and only go to those shady sites which I have found to be safe.

Children playing on a computer is nothing new. I've designed public-access systems that have to be robust enough to cope with anything - both accidental and malicious intent. Otherwise Libraries and internet cafes couldn't operate.

Yeah but that takes all of the fun out of browsing!

Steve

[big_teee]

Do you guys use the Do not track, and adblocker browser add-ons?
That helps a lot.
the adblocker alone gets rid of most advertising.
I use the adblocker, do not track, personal firewall, on up to date Firefox browser, and that's it.
My firefox is currently version 27.0.1
I go everywhere, and open all or any email.
I do dump and clear all history, cache, and cookies on a regular basis.
T

[Mick Bailey]

I just clicked on the Blue diamonds from the Blue guitar link. Track 7 is particularly nice - some interesting stuff I'll try out myself. I should click on links more often.

[Steve A.]

I just clicked on the Blue diamonds from the Blue guitar link. Track 7 is particularly nice - some interesting stuff I'll try out myself. I should click on links more often.

Thanks for the kind words! I had to cheat on that number. I had gotten a vintage Jensen C12 for my Mission 5E3 kit and was so excited about it that I played until my fingers were raw. Yes, I overdid it- I couldn't play guitar for almost 6 weeks. I made recordings every Christmas and when I was recording this I was still in pain from my fingers. I forget exactly where but on a very prominent note I hit the wrong fret. I usually would have just re-recorded the track but the thought of subjecting my fingers to further abuse discouraged me from doing that. So I used the pitch shift function in Cool Edit Pro to raise that note to the right pitch.

In case you are wondering. The backing tracks were from Band in the Pocket Volumes 1 and 2, and the reverb was added in post-production.

Steve

This is a link to Track 7:

https://soundcloud.com/sssteeve/07-s...he-blue-guitar

[Mick Bailey]

Do you guys use the Do not track, and adblocker browser add-ons?

I've got Adblocker running and an interesting utility called Disconnect. This disables advertising, analytical, social and content requests from third parties. The stats are quite revealing.

A good program to view what's happening when you visit a site is the Fiddler HTTP debugging proxy. It allows you to inspect traffic and understand what's going on. Again, some surprising info about spawned connections to numerous sites - many which you wouldn't want to visit directly.