A serious warning for anyone using Windows and AVG free

[viking777]

This happened to my wife's computer yesterday.

She has Linux installed, but still insists on using Windows for 90% of her usage including all her time online , although she is very good about updates, virus scans and the like. Yesterday morning she switched on and all was OK. Yesterday evening she switched on and Windows wouldn't boot. I ran chkdsk from a recovery disk, but no problems reported. I booted Linux and it was fine but for one thing, there was no image on the external monitor. I unplugged the monitor, rebooted and there was Windows back again - obviously a problem with the monitor which stopped Windows from booting at all (but not Linux ).

Just to be sure I ran an antivirus check with AVG free - it wouldn't run. I tried various ways of starting it, I tried folder and even single file scans - absolutely nothing. I then checked the logs. This computer is set to do an automatic scan every day, if the machine is not powered up at the correct time it is set to postpone the scan until it can next do it. It has been working successfully like this for years. When I opened the scan history log, the last scan that actually took place was in January! All this time it had been running without performing a single scan of any sort, but that is not the worst of it.

The biggest problem here is that at no time during the last 2 months has it displayed any error, message, or warning of any kind at all. When you open the interface it shows ticks over all the installed modules and something like You are up to date and fully protected in large letters at the top of the page.

The only way to check if you have this fault is to try and run a scan manually or to check the logs.

In order to test the scheduled scan performance I waited till this morning and switched it on in time for its normal daily scan (with the machine idle) - nothing happened, but when I opend the 'scan schedule' part of the interface the 'next scan' was scheduled for tomorrow. In other words, although it had done no scan at all it thought that it had and therefore displayed no warnings.

I have uninstalled, rebooted, redownloaded then reinstalled the program to absolutely no avail, it still refuses to scan a single thing either manually or automatically.

My response to this is to uninstall it and replace it with Avast antivirus which behaves normally and we have completed two scans without any evidence of virus infection, perhaps this is due to the 'real time' functions within the AVG program protecting us, or perhaps we were just very lucky

PS Does anyone know how to fix a broken monitor

[mfdemicco]

I hardly ever to a complete scan. I rely on the realtime scans that AVG Free and other anti-virus software program provide. Complete scans slow your computer to a crawl.

[pad-thai]

You shouldn't have any problems with avast. I ran it for several years when I was running Windows, and never had a problem. I ran AVG also, but only as a cross-check. Avast is an excellent product for a freebie.

@mfdemicco
If you are talking about Windows, you are making a mistake. Resident scanning only scans the programs you execute, and in some cases your downloads. It does not scan anything else. So there's a lot of things on your system that are not being scanned. Malware is showing up in data files these days, not just exes.

[viking777]

You shouldn't have any problems with avast. I ran it for several years when I was running Windows, and never had a problem. I ran AVG also, but only as a cross-check. Avast is an excellent product for a freebie.

@mfdemicco
If you are talking about Windows, you are making a mistake. Resident scanning only scans the programs you execute, and in some cases your downloads. It does not scan anything else. So there's a lot of things on your system that are not being scanned. Malware is showing up in data files these days, not just exes.

Thanks pad-thai, Avast has been fine since I installed it. Scheduled scans now running via Windows Task Scheduler every day and virus database updates automatically from the program itself.

Seems good.

[AK Dave]

Summarized:
Don't trust somebody else's software to do YOUR job for you. Verify, confirm, and cross-check.

[viking777]

Summarized:
Don't trust somebody else's software to do YOUR job for you. Verify, confirm, and cross-check.

I'll give you my wife's telephone number and you can explain to her what HER job is (its her computer).
No good hiding in Anchorage mate, that won't be far enough away

[AK Dave]

I'll give you my wife's telephone number and you can explain to her what HER job is (its her computer).
No good hiding in Anchorage mate, that won't be far enough away

But who is responsible for maintaining it? Her, or you? ;P

Pass the buck like that doesn't work at my house. It may be her computer, or it may be the kids' netbook, but they're all my responsibility. Heck, the computers at my parents' house are somehow also my responsibility too and I never had anything to do with any purchasing decisions regarding them.

My brother buys an iPhone, takes it to our mother's house, tries to connect to her WPA2-secured wifi that SHE set up, and when he has a problem he calls ME for the wifi password. My involvement with her wifi? I gave her a short list of routers that *I* would buy if it were my money and my network, and she bought something else "because it was on sale at Fred Meyer's" and happened to be the same brand (Linksys) as one of the routers I did recommend.

So who gets called at midnight when something doesn't work right? Me.

[nono]

For me, Avast is the best antivirus for Windows..

I also use DeepFreeze..

[Fred]

AK Dave,

Please pass along your phone number so I and the many "friends" that call me can call you instead.

Fred

[optimize me]

For windows, the best antivirus I ever used - and by best I mean a wonderful compromise on excellent performance coupled with low/reasonable CPU usage - was Nod32 Antivirus. They don't offer a free version, but look around - you'll find one.

[trident]

For me, Avast is the best antivirus for Windows..

I trusted Avast for a couple of years but then it let me down in a big way and i had to reformat. Then again, any other antivirus probably wouldn't have helped in the situation either. Realising that you can still get hit through something as simple as an infected USB stick, even if you have all the security software running, was a major reason as to why I gave up Windows completely...

[waldo]

Sometimes you actually have to pay for good software. I've found Kapersky and TrendMicro to be excellent products, but they are not free.

[nitehawk]

Hmmmm,....
I haven't tried the anti-virus that have been mentioned in this thread,......
I'm using one called "MoonSecure" .....It's OpenSource,...and based on the clamav engine. (and it seems to work in 'real-time).
So far it seems to be working well (but I don't use my WXP very often)....Linux mostly.
Anyone have experience with it?

[Pierre]

Has any one tried AntiVir recently ??.
I was using a few years back , before my foray into Linux's.
- seemed ok @ the time.

( it was a freeby )

[delro]

Has any one tried AntiVir recently ??.
I was using a few years back , before my foray into Linux's.
- seemed ok @ the time.

( it was a freeby )

I've used the free version of AntiVir months ago. Fine AV software but it nags you to upgrade every time it automatically updates. It's ok, it's free, but it gets annoying because it's not "fullscreen aware" i.e. when you're playing a fullscreen game it takes away the focus.

I'm using AVG now on my Windows 7 partition and it is delightfully unobtrusive. One big problem though, I think there's a trojan running on my system (csrss.exe) and AVG can't detect it.

[lagagnon]

One big problem though, I think there's a trojan running on my system (csrss.exe) and AVG can't detect it.

http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/proce ... s.exe.html

[mitsuzero]

For me, Avast is the best antivirus for Windows..

for me, the best antivirus, is not have windows.

[lagagnon]

for me, the best antivirus, is not have windows.

Of course I agree, however, much of the malware problem in Windows needs to be placed firmly upon the user. My wife and I run a couple of Windows machines, which are behind a router and a good software firewall. We do not use continuously scanning anti-virus software. Instead we religiously follow these guidelines:

-immediate deletion of any emails or attachments for which we do not personally know the sender
-use Firefox or Opera web browsers with AdBlock equivalents
-never visit "vice" websites such as porno, warez, gambling, sex, etc websites
-never install dodgy unknown windows software

In many years now we have never had malware. I know of many friends who do likewise without having to run resource-consuming anti virus software on a continual basis - but a firewall is still a must.

A careful Windows user is highly unlikely to get infested.

[Lolo Uila]

for me, the best antivirus, is not have windows.

Yup, just uninstall Windows from the wifey's 'puter and tell her the "virus" wiped it out and she needs to start using Linux now.

[DrHu]

I'm using AVG now on my Windows 7 partition and it is delightfully unobtrusive. One big problem though, I think there's a trojan running on my system (csrss.exe) and AVG can't detect it.

Ah-hah such is a windows' user problem, I don't know what/why my system is ??
http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/proce ... s.exe.html