Im a technician at a local PC shop ( who the F*** isnt these days? ) and thought I would contribute a little. We specialize in virus removal so I thought I would share what Ive learned and get a some input from others.

First, the safety pack. 3 apps I suggest to any and everyone for all around security.
( I would provide links but that would be too easy. You should research before you buy into whatever some jackass online says )

AntiVir

Lavasoft AdAware

Spybot: Search and Destroy

AntiVir is for viruses, Adaware for adware, and Spybot for spyware. Simple enough. Note that most adware/spyware removers actually cover BOTH spyware and adware, which holds true for the two I suggested here. However, having multiple spyware removers is good considering that you will often detect things with one that you will not find with another.

Of course, telling you which three you should use should immediately clue any savvy internet go-er into the fact that Im just another "lamer", as the kids say, and shouldnt be trusted because Ive only used that one app. So, instead of not really helping, Im going to actually try to help ( give it a try for once, message board contributors! ). An alternative to AntiVir is the wonderful open-source ClamWin. ClamWin has found viruses on my comp AntiVir hasnt ( and vice-versa ), but keep in mind a thorough ClamWin check takes a LOOONNNGG time compared to AntiVir ( and any other anti-virus ). ClamWin also gets NIGHTLY definition updates ( something Im not aware of with any other app ) and is supported by a LARGE community ( thanks to its open-source nature ).

Then theres WinPooch. While I havent exactly unlocked this programs vast potential, it has already helped me once or twice. WinPooch, which can be associated with ClamWin making both of them even more versatile, hooks Windows API ( read up on it, I barely understand it myself ) and allows you to stop viruses from making changes WHILE theyre making them. This is both good and bad. On one hand you have to be on-hand verify whether or not something is ACTUALLY a virus, otherwise Winpooch may stop something from happening that you WANT to happen. On the other, if you ARE on-hand and you verify something IS a virus, you are given the option of allowing the virus to THINK it successfuly completed what it was trying to do when in reality it failed and was sent a fake "message" telling it everything was fine. Unfortunetly, hooking APIs with WinPooch consumes sometimes fairly noticeable system resources ( the more functions hooked the more resources consumed ). Please note that WinPooch is for EXPERIANCED USERS ONLY. While you cant quite cause your system harm ( directly... ) you can do things you will wish you hadnt. To recap, for even more anti-malware versatility, try;

ClamWin

WinPooch -- EXPERIANCED USERS ONLY --

I hope this helps. And for those with decently powered computers, AntiVir and ClamWin will work without conflicting with each other ( something that commonly happens with other antivirus applications ), providing you with TWO very thorough databases with which to check your computer with.

PLEASE NOTE: Common pay antimalware applications, such as Norton and McAfee AntiVirus, tend to be CRAP. At my shop, we suggest people have Norton or McAfee ( whichever they may have ) REMOVED and replaced with these free apps. If you have either of these ( or any pay antivirus for that matter ) youll probably want to get rid of them. Period. Not only are they poor virus scanners, they also eat up more resources neccessary, especially since both Norton and McAfee have gone "Dell" on us and started packaging everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink into their products to "add value." Let me put it this way people: If value needs to be artifically "added" , well, that tells you something...

And then theres Hijack...

Hijack This! is a techies tool. You CAN cause damage to your system with Hijack. You can disable apps you actually want, forcing a reinstallation of the program, and you can cause your system to become HIGHLY unstable by toying with it. But if you dont know what youre doing, or youre only planning on posting the log for others to filter through ( a common practice and viable option ), DONT MESS WITH HIJACK. Im overexaggerating a little, as most techs do, but not much. If you want to kill a virus that the scanners cant defeat, Hijack This! is one of the few apps that will allow you to do so ( often in conjunction with other apps ). Look into it, if you trust yourself.

I hope this helps others, and I hope others will help me ( and other others ) by contributing to my post, in a productive matter, mind you. Enjoy!

 

 

 

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o0 WOW i think i might use this information. I was wondering if you could put that into 1 or 2 paragraph.

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but the clamwin haz not the function of realtime protection.
and the warm is going in and out but only when he is scanning the disk the warm can be deleted.

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hi guys!... i am pleased someone sugest some good packages to erase viruses, spywares and adwares but you know i dont think is that serious to have tons of software installed in order to kick the malicious software from your computer.
I used to be one of those fancy users with two antiviruses in case one didnt work... but every year both of them caducated and didnt work anymore so i uninstalled them and wow and i mean wow my computer speed increase in a very positive way and since then i havent used any antivirus.
And i dont use anyantivirus now also because i never got any!, but i received lots of spywares, and what i did was just to move from IE to FireFox and the problem was solved. It was just once that i remember i received one virus, well actually worm, the famous blaster and sasser but i just downloaded some patches and everything was alright....but well this is just some guy's opinion

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To clarify, let me suggest typical user setups /w performance hits factored in;

-- Security rated on a 5 Star System --

2 Star Security:

AntiVir or ClamWin with WinPooch installed
Spybot or AdAware
Mozilla FireFox as Primary Browser

Performance Hit: Light to Medium

I was under the false impression that ClamWIn DID provide real-time protection, but a quick look-see has jogged my memory and reminded me that, while ClamWin doesnt provide real time protection, Win Pooch DOES. Associating WinPooch to ClamWin makes for a more secure system ( including real time protection ) than AntiVir alone, but as I mentioned, WinPooch can take a little technical understanding to use properly, not to mention the performance hit seen when EVERY function your computer performs is scanned for legitimacy. I suggest AntiVir and Spybot for users who would like as small a performance hit as possible, and ClamWin w/ WinPooch and AdAware for 1 GHz CPUs and up who would like an extra half-star of security.



3 Star Security:

AntiVir or ClamWin w/ WinPooch installed
Spybot
AdAware
Mozilla Firefox as Primary browser

Performance Hit: Light to Medium

This is what I suggest for most users, especially if you have a decent computer ( pretty much anything built within the last 4 to 7 years, give or take ). Youre average Dell crap-piece ( with a few adjustments ) should be able to run this setup with little noticeable effect, if any. I suggest both Spybot and AdAware because they OFTEN catch different things. Choose AntiVir for speed as ClamWin /w WinPooch might cause noticeable speed hits here ( though I doubt it if you have a white-box ).



4 Star Security:

AntiVir
ClamWin ( WinPooch optional )
Spybot
AdAware
Mozilla Firefox as Primary browser

Performance Hit: Light to Medium-High

Anyone rocking 2.0Ghz and up should be able to handle this setup with no problem. Set ClamWin to NOT run at boot, and only use it when you suspect viruses and AntiVir hasnt found any or cant get rid of them. This setup is geared more towards the... "active" browser crowd. What I mean by that is, this is a good setup if you surf LOTS of different sites, ESPECIALLY porn sites, warez sites, crack sites, and anything else illegitimate. LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR: SIN BEGATS SIN. If you surf porn sites, youre going to get adware/spyware. If you download cracks or look up serials, you will get infested with something. NOTHING WORTH HAVING IS FREE. If you do these things, this may be the setup for you. If you do these things A LOT, keep reading...



4 1/2 Star Security ( sorry, no such thing as 5 star security ):

AntiVir
ClamWin w/ WinPooch
Spybot
AdAware
Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta
HiJack This!
Knowledge
Mozilla Firefox as Primary browser

Performance Hit: Medium to Medium High

As you can see Ive added 3 things to the final list ( for now, atleast ), so allow me to explain. Microsofts AntiSpyware Beta is anything BUT beta. This is a fantastic program that is frequently updated by a massive corporation. Honestly, one could probably replace Spybot or AdAware with this and do perfectly fine for any of these setups. Hijack This! I went over in the previous post. If you know how to use it this can be a very versatile tool that can fix things no anti-malware can. And finally, knowledge is an excellent piece of software installed in all of our brains, and if used properly, can even PREVENT viruses from EVER getting onto your computer. Smart browsing ( start by installing Mozilla Firefox ) is the ONLY thing that can truely stop you from getting all that crap on your computer in the first place. If you dont know how to browser intelligently, LEARN. Ignorance on your part hurts more people than you think. Your computer could be one of the ones being used to DoS your favorite site, and you wont even know about it. Please, spend some time researching good internet browsing practices.


I appreciate someone reminding me of a very crucial part of keeping ones system secure; switch to Firefox. Just like the Macintosh, its NOT more secure, its just that not as many people have or are going to write malware for Firefox. They want to write malware for massively distributed software, like INternet Explorer or Windows. Switching to Firefox is kind of like moving from Iraq to England. Youre not really stopping all those bombs from blowing you up, youre just getting out of their way. Security issues, Im confident, will drive the open-source market to be more popular than pay-alternatives soon enough. Get in on the ground floor ( okay, at this point its kind of like getting in on the 32nd floor, but I digress ) and keep yourself more secure than those IE weiners any day.

NOTE: Since youre probably using Windows, keep in mind that Microsoft Updates can not be downloaded via Firefoxs browser ( and probably never will be ). DO NOT UNINSTALL IE. You need it for updates, you need it for certain sites that are IE only. Sorry

Ill keep retouching this topic until we can all agree on a reliable security setup. All ideas and contributions welcome. Thanks for reading

Sorry I cant keep it short! Its not in my nature....

 

 

 

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Yeah antiviruses and anti spyware really does slow down your net especially if you got kazza installed with it then your computer is pretty much nothing, I mean with kazza and antiviruses it slows down your computer so much.

Firefox I would say is the best browser in the world, mainly because it protects you from most spyware. For those who use Internet Explorer and find they are getting alot of spyware, I suggest switching to firefox.

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I would just like to point out that Kazaa comes packaged with plenty of malware and it also probably has the most viral-infected network of all the P2P programs. While I would never suggest a P2P program due to the security risk, a safer alternative would be Limewire. You wont get excellent download speeds or results ( without "going Pro" and upgrading to the pay version ), but it DOESNT come packaged with ANYTHING, its open-source ( ALWAYS a good thing ), and less likely to get taken down by some misguided branch of the US government that just cant seem to get this SIMPLE concept through its fat-f***ing head; just because people do illegal things with it, it doesnt mean EVERYONE is going to do something illegal with it...


... but who am I kidding? We're all using 'em to download Metallica songs and porn we're ashamed of, right?


... Or is that just me...

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