PC Tech Help Needed: Virus Protection Suggestions

Santa brought my oldest kid Dell's bottom o' the line laptop this year. It came with Vista and not much else (you have to travel pretty far down the line if you don't want your kid to have a webcam).

Anyway, I have McAfee for my laptop and desktop, but a few months back, it allowed a nasty Fake Alert Virus through, which I was only able to remove with the help of the tech gurus here at GRM (I was referred to Malwarebytes, which worked perfectly!).

So, what service do you suggest that I subscribe to for this unprotected laptop? Figure that it will be used for a parent's worst nightmare: AOL instant messaging, Myspace, Facebook, iPod down loads, and, once every six months or so, possibly a homework assignment.

Please help me. I am computer illiterate.

Woody wrote: It came with Vista

Too late. Already infected with the most malicious and insidious spyware on the market. Sorry.

In seriousness, I love Spybot to inoculate against spyware. I don't bother with anti-virus programs because it's so easy to not get a virus.

Teach them to back-up files, and give them the system disk to reformat the drive. Having to do that a couple times will teach them to think twice before opening that file.

AVG works quite well.

the paid ver of Malwarebytes has great reviews as well

AVG.

Kapersky is my favorite of the not-free.

I use AVG also, but I'm not techie. Was referred to me by a techie though.

I also suggest AVG, but more importantly, education.

Teach your kids about what it takes to not get a virus in the first place: don't run unknown apps, don't open email attachments, etc. etc.

I mean no offense to you or your children, but there's no patch for human stupidity. If they're not educated as to how to be smart on the internet, there's no defense that can protect you, only slow down the inevitable.

If you're really concerned about virii, though, the BEST thing you could do is get rid of Windows and install the latest version of Ubuntu Linux. Linux isn't just for nerds anymore, and Ubuntu is VERY user friendly; in fact, if you weren't trained by years of using Microsoft products, I would argue that it's more user friendly than Windows.

AVG and Spybot.

Depending on which Front end you put on Ubuntu, you would be hard pressed to say Vista is even remotely better (which it isn't). The only reason to keep Vista on the 'puter is to make warranty issues easier

+1 for Ubuntu. If you're not going to run OS X, it's the next best thing for a consumer computer.

That said, if you're sticking to Windows, AVG gets good reviews pretty much everywhere (including here, apparently).

I used to recommend Norton, but I don't anymore because it's gotten bloated and has basically made itself uncontrollable. I don't like things that don't let me have complete control. If you do get Norton, get the most basic NAV-only. Don't be tempted by the System Works mumbo-jumbo. It's even worse.

go to www.att.net. download and install their premium security. it works better than anything on web, or on software.

Never, EVER, let them use internet explorer. Go to mozilla.com and download firefox. I'd also install the adblock and no-script extensions.

Easy fix... trade it in for a Mac

as I type from my Windows PC using Internet Explorer :)

I have used AVG as well. I'm currently enjoying a free McAfee that is relatively effective and doesn't expire for another few months, so I'll ride the commercial wave for a little longer. After that I will switch back to AVG.

But, as ReverendDexter said, the key is education. The best anti-virus software is no match for the single click of an uneducated user - child or adult. I get calls once a week from my parents saying something like, "I got a popup that said my computer was infected with spyware, so I clicked SCAN..." Oh, mother.

Add me to the AVG pile, been pretty happy with it (although it's never been infected). My fiancee's laptop deals with many more sources, and just last week AVG caught a virus in some Intel video-card related .dll, no problem.

The simplest solution outside of AVG is this:

DON'T LET THEM LOG ON AND RUN USING AN ACCOUNT WITH ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVELEGES!

90% of the viruses are written with the assumption that the logged on user has administrative rights to the operating system. If you log on as a basic user, you can reduce this issue considerably. An addendum would be to ensure to set the administrator account's password to something that is secure and difficult to type in or guess. Mozilla's Firefox or Google's Chrome are both great browsers that are much more secure than Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7. There are add-on's for FireFox and IE7 that will improve the security by blocking javascript and flash from playing automatically (kills a lot of the tracking software)

NoScript for Firefox along with Ad-Block and Flash-Block will go along way towards improving the overall security of FireFox. NoScript can be set to allow javascript to run from the top-level domain automatically, to cut down on the user intervention needed. Either way, the user will need to be trained to look for and allow javascript, etc selectively on new websites they visit.

Live others have said education is the best defence. Then put on something other than IE, that will go a long way toward protecting the machine. I use Avast, it is free and I have been using it for about 5 years without any issues.

The Admin user thing will protect the machine but you have to weigh that against the hassle of having to use the admin account a lot of the time because programs that you want to run will require that account.

If it were me, I'd wipe it and install ubuntu. I don't think you can lock down a windows system enough to survive a teenager. Plus ubuntu will make the most of the lower-end hardware.

fiat22turbo wrote: DON'T LET THEM LOG ON AND RUN USING AN ACCOUNT WITH ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVELEGES!

Vista does this by design.

Whats AVG? All I can think of is WWII's Flying Tigers.

AVG = AVGAntivirus

Who we are Founded in 1991, with corporate offices in Europe, the US and the UK, AVG is focused on providing home and business computer users with the most comprehensive and proactive protection against computer security threats. With more than 80 millions active users around the world, the AVG family of security software products is distributed globally through resellers and through the Web and supports all major operating systems and platforms. Employing some of the world’s leading experts in software development, threat detection and prevention, and risk analysis. AVG is uniquely positioned to spearhead innovation in the industry. The company continues to invest in R&D, teaming with leading universities to maintain its technological edge. AVG has experienced significant growth in the last few years, becoming the world’s fourth largest vendor of antivirus software measured by installed user base. The company will continue to expand and address the needs of the global market through improved technology and broader language and platform support. What does it mean to be "tough on threats, easy on you"? Computer and internet use is an integral part of our everyday lives. Every aspect of our lives is accessible electronically, which brings considerable benefit – and, unfortunately, considerable risk. Our role is to shield you from that risk by providing powerful, easy-to-use protection that works efficiently and invisibly in the background so you can focus on using your computer, not worrying about security. As the nature of threats continues to evolve - from computer - and web-borne viruses to complex exploits designed to steal information for financial gain, the nature of protection must also evolve. Using the latest technology developed by world-renowned security experts, AVG provides real-time defenses against real-time threats. With AVG software on your system, you can safely surf the net, create online profiles, shop, bank online, download files, store data, chat, and email, safe in the knowledge that your personal and professional information will not be stolen or misused. In a nutshell, AVG enables people and businesses to use computers with confidence and without aggravation by protecting them from disruption and loss.

Free AVG Antivirus

Canoe

When my Macbook died about a year ago and Apple wanted $600 to fix it, I bought a cheap Windoze laptop.  Since I ran a corporate version of the OS for a couple of years before that I figured I could live with it.  Did not take long to decide the consumer version of that OS was unlivable and loaded Mint Linux, a variant of Ubuntu.  Won't go back.

It wasn't that long ago that Linux was a non-starter for most non-geeks since many apps ran native on Windows.  Now, since pretty much everything can run in a browser (and LibreOffice works on MS Office documents, and MS Edge is on Linux, etc.) it's actually possible to give a non-geek a Linux laptop and expect they'll be happy.

In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :

Wow, 2008!  I saw "Vista" and went hmmmm. 

I've been using Linux (Mint or Debian these days) on all my non-gaming computers since the Vista era. And nowadays Windows comes with a top-tier antivirus so there's no need to add anything else.