anti-virus??

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fionnuala
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anti-virus??

Post by fionnuala »

i know this is not directly related to framing, but estlite is on my laptop and we use the laptop for the business.

trouble is i have no anti-virus. i have been trying to contact the guy who set up my anti-virus on the desktop but he's gone awol.

can any body help me?? can i copy the anti-virus software from my desktop (ad aware, spybot, avg free) or do i have to get new stuff.? just go into websites and download??

i think the anti virus on the desktop is all free. at least i haven't paid anything since he installed it 2 years ago.

any advice is welcome. :D :D
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Post by Spit »

http://www.classicbikeart.co.uk

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Merlin
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Post by Merlin »

I use AVG which free and updated daily
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Post by w00dward »

Avast is another good AV solution.

One thing to remember though is that free software is normally only free if you are using it for personal use and not in a business. :wink:

Avast is updated daily and if you do want to buy it I don't think it is that expensive.
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Post by The Crofter »

Zone Alarm Security Suite normally retails for around £50. However they are offering a "try buy" incentive. Essentially you select a service you will subscribe to for very little cost and you get the software for £5 (ish). Worth a look. www.zonealarm.com. A single copy of ZA can be used on two machines.

Whatever you do you are playing with fire by not having anti virus / anti spyware installed. If you want free then get AVG AV & AS as soon as possible.
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Post by Mr Bojangles »

Like merlin i use AVG which is free to download
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Post by WelshFramer »

The Crofter wrote:Whatever you do you are playing with fire by not having anti virus / anti spyware installed.
Do I need it? The Wizard PC is connected to the Internet but doesn't have email and I don't use it to browse - the only websites I visit are Wizard's, Microsoft's (for OS updates) and my own.

It's behind a firewall (supplied by the router) and the rest of the network is Macs.

I'm assuming that since nobody can see it behind the firewall and it doesn't contact anything except in a very limited way, then it's safe. Is it?

I'm a bit loath to install AV software unless I really need to as they just seem to soak up the machine's power. I put Norton on a ThinkPad once and the whole thing ran so slowly as to be useless.
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Post by The Crofter »

Never rated Norton, I just remove it from PC's when people ask me !.

AVG will not slow down your PC by any appreciable amount.

No firewall is 100%.
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Post by fionnuala »

as usual a mine of information! :D

i will definately look into those options ye outlined. thanks.

by the way do i automatically have a firewall installed? or do i need to get that as well??
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Post by The Crofter »

If your router was installed correctly then you will have enabled the firewall as well. You will have to check the router documentation or whoever installed the device to confirm. However I would be very surprised if it is not switched on. As you said the way you use the system makes it unlikey that you will get a problem but there may be a day when you think "I'll just check out that site". If you are protected then you need not worry. Also make sure that the software is updated at least once a week. I think AVG free does this daily but the older versions did not which was a weak point.
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Post by fionnuala »

cheers pat. enjoy your sat nite!!
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Post by prospero »

I agree about Norton AV. Both from experience and comments from professional PC bods. :wink: I tends to want to take over your PC.

Recommend AVG. It's one of the few 'free' things I eventually coughed up for to get the full version. And that's saying something. :shock:
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Post by kev@frames »

I recommend AVG Free (Grisoft) as well, Paid for version if you use it for business.
And Zone Alarm firewall. (Zone Labs)
been usuing both for years.

Absolutely in agreement re Norton, I threw in the towel on that after numerous system take-overs, although there are special free tools to completely and thoroughly uninstall it, so if you do give it a go you can eventually get your system Norton-Free again.
I dont reckon its any better than AVG though.
markw

Post by markw »

Hate Norton - it seems to become more and more intrusive until it takes over. It seems to be the choice of new pc suppliers - I take it off straight away. I have just loaded avast and at present it seems to do the job hidden away in the background. Welshframer may be suprised if he thinks Macs are immune to attack - whilst having had an easy time for years the tables are turning and virus that attack Macs are out there.

I get almost no problems at work - at home I have kids downloading music and games - Virus can be a real problem and I have learnt the hard way that you need a reliable defense.
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Post by WelshFramer »

Well, Macs are becoming more vulnerable but, AFIK, there aren't any Mac viruses loose at the moment. There've been a few proof of concept viruses developed but that's all.

There is, however, a Trojan horse or two - but anyone who succumbs to them only has themselves to blame.

In the early days (late 80s) there were Mac viruses around - I was able to earn money as a consultant removing them from people's machines. :D
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