Antivirus Programs

[Gwill]

Children and teens are morons and should be judged as morons until absolutely proven to not be morons and versa.

After working in Tech-support I have to say that that's the default state for all computer users.
The user is worong unless they can prove otherwise.
I'm a complete network nazi.  I will set up computers and networks to prevent people from doing anything potentially idiotic, including simple things like changing their desktop background or running any exe-file I didn't put there.
I once took a call from a person who stated simply "There are dots on my screen."  I was afraid he somehow had got himself into command prompt when he says "many dots".  Turns out his screensaver was on; the windows travel through space one.  He never bothered to even move his mouse
before calling us.

Using a computer is a privilige.  There's a ladder, and every step has to be earned.
Play Sudoku on a spyware site:I take away your ability to right click.  If you install the smiley toolbar?  I take away your ability to left click as well!

[ThyGuy]

That's the way you have to do it to slam it into their heads, both adult and kids. I've learned you -must- make them feel like complete idiots to make them change their habits. If you don't treat them like complete and utter shit; they will think it's the computers fault that these things are happening, and not the fact that they're too dumb to breath.

[idtaminger]

I'm a complete network nazi.  I will set up computers and networks to prevent people from doing anything potentially idiotic, including simple things like changing their desktop background or running any exe-file I didn't put there.

Well, that works both ways though. One time, for some reason the library's computers all became infected w/ some nasty ass toolbar that kept bringing up giant ads every time you so much as moused near it Couldn't uninstall the stupid thing. Couldn't install a diff. browser. And since I had to do an assignment I had to patiently suffer through it.

And I've heard that it's better to go w/ a smaller antivirus company, since virus writers tend to target the big names first. I use Kaspersky now. Used to be McAfee, then Norton.

[RainbowTigress]

I got tired of Norton's hogging all my system resources, and I switched to AVG.  I haven't had any problems with it nagging me every day to download updates.  It does this automatically in the morning at 5:00 a.m. while I'm asleep. 

[Flamingo]

I did the same thing, Rainbow. I know someone who has the latest version of it installed, and you can't even cancel it's applications with Task Manager. I hate Norton.

[witch]

I use AVG but don't have it running all the time. Saturday morning when I do my (real) housework, I run backups, defrags and virus scans for my PCs. But like others have commented, I don't use IE, nor do I download every damn search bar/screensaver/screenpet I see. I did at first but soon got over it.

I'm lucky that I don't have to share my computers.

ETA: I have the new AVG - supposedly you can't set it to scan on schedule and something else has been taken from the free version.

[RainbowTigress]

I have the new AVG - version 7.5.432 - and the main limitation on scheduling is that you can only run a complete scan, you can't set up additional schedules or pick which drives/folders to scan, and it will do a basic update every day between the hours you specify (if online).  This is good enough for me at this point in time.

[Paperbladder]

They wouldn't even need to hack the password if they are logged in as the administrator at any time, all they would need to do is make a "Prevent forgotten Password" disk using a floppy or flashdrive and get right in.

The problem with people using Norton is the fact that it's $20 after rebates (One time I saw it for free) and most PCs come with a preinstalled 60 day trial.  Then, some people don't update it and get viruses along with the Norton Virus.  Sort of unrelated to this, Symantec and McAfee complained to Microsoft about Vista being too secure and complained about not getting kernel access.  Yeah, these are the kinds of people that I want to get my AV/Firewall from.

As for scanning, I've never actually come across a virus using NOD32 except for when I did the eicar test.  I scan every so often just for kicks.

[dizzy]

They wouldn't even need to hack the password if they are logged in as the administrator at any time, all they would need to do is make a "Prevent forgotten Password" disk using a floppy or flashdrive and get right in.

This is why you need case locks, a BIOS password, and (if you use GRUB) a GRUB password.

[maxon]

In addition to AV, Firewall, Spybot and AdAware, I also use Cookie Wall - I can keep the cookies I want (the one from here for instance), autodelete the ones I don't want (home page of my ISP provider) and with the general delete option (i.e. what's left) it seems to get rid of a lot of the stuff Ad-Aware and Spybot used to pick up.

[laeshanin]

Avast kicks ass. I had Norton, but it is a bloated piece of crap and costs way too much. All the people I've recommended Avast to are more than happy and, if you have Spybot as well then I'd say you're pretty much sorted.

[witch]

Bloated piece of crap indeed, my ex the techie, says Norton Internet Security can play havoc with networks, the whole package is trying to be too many things to too many people. All very Microsoft.

[RainbowTigress]

And Micro$oft is Teh_Evil.

[witch]

And Micro$oft is Teh_Evil.

Hey - I just noticed when I quoted you, RainbowTigress? What's the story behind that? Just nosey, me.

[RainbowTigress]

Just trying a more unique nickname. 

[feistyredhead]

Children and teens are morons and should be judged as morons until absolutely proven to not be morons and versa.

After working in Tech-support I have to say that that's the default state for all computer users.
The user is worong unless they can prove otherwise.
I'm a complete network nazi.  I will set up computers and networks to prevent people from doing anything potentially idiotic, including simple things like changing their desktop background or running any exe-file I didn't put there.
I once took a call from a person who stated simply "There are dots on my screen."  I was afraid he somehow had got himself into command prompt when he says "many dots".  Turns out his screensaver was on; the windows travel through space one.  He never bothered to even move his mouse
before calling us.

Using a computer is a privilige.  There's a ladder, and every step has to be earned.
Play Sudoku on a spyware site:I take away your ability to right click.  If you install the smiley toolbar?  I take away your ability to left click as well!

How do you do that? Please save my mother;s life cause if I get one more bug from those damned game sites she will not make it y'all

[RainbowTigress]

Unplug the mouse. 

[Gwill]

How do you do that? Please save my mother;s life cause if I get one more bug from those damned game sites she will not make it y'all

Depends on what operating system you're using.  With most versions of windows the easiest way is to set up a no-priveliges account for your mother and a full administrator account for yourself.  It don't think that lets you put as many (fun and cruel) restrictions as you can do with group policy on a Windows server, but it certainly helps.

[ElfPuddle]

What's the story behind that? Just nosey, me.

There's a longer story than she's apparently willing to share with you, which involves eating some guy alive (and I DO NOT mean it *that* way). This is the much tougher, much scarier, MUCH more frightening version of our gentle rainbow.

[RainbowTigress]

LOL, Elfie.

[ElfPuddle]

Well, it's true, isn't it?

[laeshanin]

Well, RainbowTigress, I sincerely hope that full oral hygiene was maintained and not just a quick rinse... These things can play havoc with your gums. I recommend chewing on the thigh bone. 

[Insanity Prelude]

I use AVG Free and I'm happy with it. Still need to download the new version though... I should really get to that... god I hate dialup.

[witch]

What's the story behind that? Just nosey, me.

There's a longer story than she's apparently willing to share with you, which involves eating some guy alive (and I DO NOT mean it *that* way). This is the much tougher, much scarier, MUCH more frightening version of our gentle rainbow.

You DID NOT mean it which way? 

My goodness Ms Tigress, what have you been up to? I'll have to make a RainbowTigress zombie in the new mad hood I want to make.

[ElfPuddle]

Surely you know me well enough to guess, witch.