AVG V/s AVAST

[foodchain]

For what its worth I would just suggest an external hard drive and simply cleaning your entire internal hard drive of just about everything. Virus software wont ever be able to protect everything. Plus its just lame having to hold all that overhead run time wise when using a computer I think.

 

Also computer technology advances so fast its almost like a motherboard is something you have to buy anytime you want to upgrade anymore.

[jeremyhfht]

It's kind of sad how often people format. I haven't needed to format my computer in over two years. It runs just as fast as a recently formatted one (thanks to my changes).

 

Excepting user errors, the only reason you would have to format is because of the registry. As it grows, so too do slowdowns. Since a lot of Microsoft applications end up scanning the whole registry every time they run (or so it seems). Fortunately a registry cleaner does a good job of cleaning out the useless registry entries.

[foodchain]

I just don’t see how it can keep up with the change is all. People that develop a virus for instance obviously must be more then good at it, I really just don’t trust the software to back my computer in time against such. Personally most all of it is open source enough for any group of hackers to have it for whatever devious purpose. Plus the data and performance I think is all that matters.

 

Also for what its worth most name brand computer suppliers don’t go to great lengths in providing relevant data about systems they sell, your computer might have a two year economic focus after purchase, this would mean most everything else because it all follows the money.

 

As for security I have three different firewalls along with like two different security programs running in the background and my settings really are pretty constrained overall, I do like those pop-ups. Yet that darn addware or whatever still somehow finds a way in, along with a pop-up from clicking a link about twice a month.

[5614]

It's kind of sad how often people format. I haven't needed to format my computer in over two years. It runs just as fast as a recently formatted one (thanks to my changes).

 

Excepting user errors, the only reason you would have to format is because of the registry. As it grows, so too do slowdowns. Since a lot of Microsoft applications end up scanning the whole registry every time they run (or so it seems). Fortunately a registry cleaner does a good job of cleaning out the useless registry entries.

I check through the Services list, eliminate unnecessary background processes, do registry cleanups, defrag etc., but I still find that after a year, and certainly 2, if I were to format it would be a bit quicker.

[Norman Albers]

I appreciate the discussion, folks. Until recently I hardly knew a trojan from a condom. How is it that 40% of the papers(pdf) I had assembled in a folder, from friends emails and web sources, were infected? There is material, like "photon-photon scattering" which is important to me.

[dichotomy]

I've been using the freeware AVAST for 5 years and can not fault it. There is a non-free "pro" version available, targeted at the business market.

 

Spybot has served me well too, when I can be bothered using it.

[Norman Albers]

Yo, dichotomy, those are the two I used but starting most of a year ago I have been trashed. The loss of flash drive was what I first noticed. I did open a handful of those stupid (Russian-sounding) penis enlargement spam mails which I receive ceaselessly, and take opportunity to curse them well, after being told not to open anything.

[dichotomy]

A manually activated 'thorough scan' of all storage devices and memory with freebie Avast is what I do every now an then. It take sometime to complete but it does pick up viruses that are not always seen by the automatic scanner. I generally just delete any mail I don't recognise, no matter how enticing the claims may be.

[Norman Albers]

I am happy to report that I am going back and forth with relative ease, installing and uninstalling AVAST and AVG. The latter makes you reload the 2MEGs of Updates but that's not long. So maybe every week or two I'll change modes.

[Norman Albers]

Yes this seems to be working well, alternating one week on each. They keep taking out different things, and AVAST got a DELF entry.

[eruheru]

I read a review on a new antivirus software (can't remember the name) that directs all internet traffic on the computer into a virtual drive so that if any viruses are downloaded they stay in the virtual drive and can't spread to the rest of the computer. It's really cool because it doesn't need to check files against a periodically updated list and can stop viruses that aren't well known yet.

[Norman Albers]

Cool, eruheru. I still cannot get into SAFE MODE. Another thing I'd like to learn is how some of the papers, from supposedly happening physics sources I had downloaded through e-mail recommendations from colleagues, got infected.

[Norman Albers]

I am still in the same position, as I don't feel like paying another $75 to have it last only two days. Last weekend I was totally dead in the cyberwater for three days - could not get in or out. Then by itself, the next day I could. It was the weekend of Coptic Easter ????????? You tell me. . . . Today NPR describes hacking in China on most Chinese trying to make social or political statements.

[Daecon]

I tried downloading Avast but it (the downloading) didn't work.

[Norman Albers]

Try a different source.

[YT2095]

Free AVG is quitting at the end of May!

 

I`v no idea what will replace it (if anything) so it looks like a Pay-For or nothing at worst case.

[Dak]

AVG free 7.5 is quitting at the end of may (also known as the end of december, apparently).

 

It's being replaced with AVG free 8.0

[Norman Albers]

I have continued alternating weeks with AVAST and AVG. They seem to catch different items. It also seems, like the radio show mentioned, that the bad guys are winning..... As weeks go on, the setup download I need gets longer, so I just re-downloaded the whole most recent AVAST and will do the same when the AVG 8.0 comes around. Thanks for that 'heads-up'.

[Softix]

100 avg i have used avast and most of the time it let the virus infect the computer

[Norman Albers]

I am badly hacked by Chinese pigs. I am unceasingly intruded upon by "Liu-liu" something, and have a bogus WARNING page, and get 'syscleaner' intrusion. I now cannot download AVAST, and get something with 'selfextract' failure. They are winnning. We are now in the same boat, Transdecimal.

[healthypi]

I've been using the freeware AVAST for 5 years and can not fault it. There is a non-free "pro" version available, targeted at the business market.

 

Spybot has served me well too, when I can be bothered using it.

 

same here. generally, i haven't encountered any problem with my AVAST.

[Norman Albers]

Thanks, I will again try to use SPYBOT, which I did for a while. I was just hijacked four times trying to get here. With any luck these jerks are under Szechuan rubble.

[iNow]

Norman - You really need to stop with the racist anti-Chinese nonsense you've been spouting for the past few months.

 

Chinese people are not bad any more than black people are. Many of your frustrations are valid, but the moment you direct them against the entire Chinese populace and state that you hope they died in the earthquake this weekend you become a hateful bigot with no ability to see the true source of the challenges you face in the world.

[Norman Albers]

iNow, I do not know who you think you are talking to.

[iNow]

I have friends there who died. I take exteme offense to your recent use of broad brush strokes when you attribute your problems with specific entities or your desire to make humanitarian issues in the country better to some larger "China is bad" and "Chinese should die" mentality. It disgusts me.

 

I am badly hacked by Chinese pigs. I am unceasingly intruded upon by "Liu-liu" something.

 

I was just hijacked four times trying to get here. With any luck these jerks are under Szechuan rubble.

 

It's okay to be frustrated, but not to use that frustration as a reinforcement for a generalized hate.