calling all geeks !

[tongue-tied lightning]

my computer has the dreaded antivirus 2009. I found some useful removal programs online, but does anyone have a sure fire way of killing this virus ?

 

thanks !

[dondoboy]

Sorry to hear it. Buying a Mac was the best virus killer I've found.

[okp greg]

http://www.superantispyware.com/ will take care of it for you. Then do yourself a favor, download firefox and only use that. and don't try to listen to an mp3 that ends in exe.

[mfwahl]

http://www.superantispyware.com/ will take care of it for you. Then do yourself a favor, download firefox and only use that. and don't try to listen to an mp3 that ends in exe.

I second this program. My antivirus subscription expired a couple of months ago. I figured I would get a free antivirus rather than renewing. Before I had a chance (within an hour of my program expiring) My computer got infected to the point where it was continuously crashing. On a suggestion from a friend I downloaded super antispyware and it cleared everything up. Then I downloaded the free version of Avast and haven't had any problems.

[Good Old Neon]

I second this program. My antivirus subscription expired a couple of months ago. I figured I would get a free antivirus rather than renewing. Before I had a chance (within an hour of my program expiring) My computer got infected to the point where it was continuously crashing. On a suggestion from a friend I downloaded super antispyware and it cleared everything up. Then I downloaded the free version of Avast and haven't had any problems.

 

I also heartily recommend Avast

[okp greg]

Yeah Avast or ClamWin should be fine for antivirus, and they're both free. Or you can try AVG, http://www.avg.com/, which is free as well. Some people think it's become a little bloated though.

[Sly like a Foxwell]

i'll agree that AVG8 has gotten a lil bloated. 7 was better, IMO. Avast sort of bugs me though. perhaps it;s all the notifications. i prefer my AV software to work, not tell me it;s working.

[mfwahl]

Avast sort of bugs me though. perhaps it;s all the notifications. i prefer my AV software to work, not tell me it;s working.

Don't ever get Zone Alarm. I used to have that, and it asked me this when I opened up IE: "Internet Explorer is trying to access the internet. Is this okay?" Zone Alarm is a great product and will learn your system over time but when you first install it, it asks for permission for everything.

 

I don''t get any notifications from Avast, except for when it updates. It's not intrusive and it's nice to know it's staying up to date.

[Analogman]

I've been told to go with this:

 

Kaspersky

 

I could never get AVG 8 to automatically update - so I went back to the old version a while back. It is my understanding that they will no longer update the old version after the end of December. I have read that a lot of people were/are having trouble with AVG 8.

[cryptique]

Sorry to hear it. Buying a Mac was the best virus killer I've found provided me with a false sense of security, which is all the comfort I need.

Fixed it for you.

 

For the most part, virus writers just haven't devoted the time and effort to attack Macs yet. That time will come.

 

Don't ever get Zone Alarm. I used to have that, and it asked me this when I opened up IE: "Internet Explorer is trying to access the internet. Is this okay?" Zone Alarm is a great product and will learn your system over time but when you first install it, it asks for permission for everything.

ZoneAlarm is great, and the free version is all that most people need. Yes, you may have to click occasional buttons to approve or deny access for certain programs (you can mark a checkbox so your answer is retained for all future requests by a particular application), but it's not a big deal at all, and really, it's not a bad thing that it shows you which programs are trying to access the net. OK, it can be a bit confusing at times (a lot of stuff that it asks you about are internal Windows components that are poorly explained) but it's a great product overall, and I recommend it highly.

[Sly like a Foxwell]

Fixed it for you.

 

For the most part, virus writers just haven't devoted the time and effort to attack Macs yet. That time will come.

 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/154780/arti...ml?tk=nl_spxblg

good reading to solidify this opinion more.

[tongue-tied lightning]

you guys are fab !!!!!!

thanks so much

 

question, should I dl the full version of SUPER antispyware ?

I usedthe free version

[Guest Speed Racer]

For the most part, virus writers just haven't devoted the time and effort to attack Macs yet. That time will come.

 

But until then, we don't have to keep up with the ever-changing world of whatever the heck it is you're talking about. I swear, this is a good foreshadowing of how I'll feel about technology in fifty years: I leave the PC world with a pretty good grasp of virus stuff, and every time I read a thread or article about anti-virus software I'm confounded. You could provide me with a list of sci-fi titles, Star Trek characters and anti-virus software and I'd be hard pressed to separate them.

[explodo]

For the most part, virus writers just haven't devoted the time and effort to attack Macs yet. That time will come.

So you admit that somebody buying a Mac right now is likely covered. Which runs counter to the advice where? I assume (which is likely where I get into trouble) that most Mac owners are aware that with the install base growing, their days of virus-free computing are on the outs.

[okp greg]

The free version is fine.

you guys are fab !!!!!!

thanks so much

 

question, should I dl the full version of SUPER antispyware ?

I usedthe free version

[Guest Speed Racer]

Exactly. Mac owners worrying about potential viruses now would be like Midwesterners salting their sidewalks in September because it's going to snow eventually...to draw a seasonal comparison...

[cryptique]

But until then, we don't have to keep up with the ever-changing world of whatever the heck it is you're talking about. I swear, this is a good foreshadowing of how I'll feel about technology in fifty years: I leave the PC world with a pretty good grasp of virus stuff, and every time I read a thread or article about anti-virus software I'm confounded. You could provide me with a list of sci-fi titles, Star Trek characters and anti-virus software and I'd be hard pressed to separate them.

It's not really that hard. Acquire an effective anti-virus application and keep it updated, then don't do anything too stupid on the internet.

 

So you admit that somebody buying a Mac right now is likely covered. Which runs counter to the advice where? I assume (which is likely where I get into trouble) that most Mac owners are aware that with the install base growing, their days of virus-free computing are on the outs.

I don't "admit" anything. I just find it ridiculous that Mac owners continue to tease PC owners about stuff like viruses when their machines are also susceptible -- and when the chief reason they've been spared so far is because of the Mac's lack of market share, which is hardly a reason to feel superior. Go ahead, Mac users, keep banging pots and pans in front of the sleeping dragon.

 

Exactly. Mac owners worrying about potential viruses now would be like Midwesterners salting their sidewalks in September because it's going to snow eventually...to draw a seasonal comparison...

Did you see Rabid Fox's link? Even Steve says it's time to worry.

[Sly like a Foxwell]

"no computer connected to the Internet is 100 percent immune to viruses and spyware,"

 

Personally , i'll laugh my ass off when teh 1st big virus attack hits the mac world.

[Guest Speed Racer]

It's not really that hard. Acquire an effective anti-virus application and keep it updated, then don't do anything too stupid on the internet.

 

And yet there's a thread about which are most effective. I see tons of tech columns with PC owners writing in who don't know which ones are effective. Which isn't to say that figuring it out is rocket science, but still not something I worry about.

 

And you know what? I work on a PC all day, I know how not to do stupid things on the internet. Nevertheless, our office has had a few major virus attacks in the past few years I've worked there. Shit happens. Teasing you all for having to weed through effective virus programs and be on the ready doesn't mean we're downloading Financial Faxing Documents from heirs to the Throne in Small Town Kenya from our inboxes. I enjoy my virus free life right now, I'll buy a Mac in the future, and I'm not about to whine if I get a virus.

[mfwahl]

I would take part in this discussion but I've already posted twice in a thread called "calling all geeks"

[explodo]

I don't "admit" anything. I just find it ridiculous that Mac owners continue to tease PC owners about stuff like viruses when their machines are also susceptible -- and when the chief reason they've been spared so far is because of the Mac's lack of market share, which is hardly a reason to feel superior. Go ahead, Mac users, keep banging pots and pans in front of the sleeping dragon.

I guess I didn't think anybody was teasing anybody. Like I said, I know we have it coming, but until then, I don't see anything wrong with enjoying the virus free world. It's a staggering departure from my not so far removed Windows life, with AVG updates and scans weekly, Spyware scans bi-weekly, etc.

[cryptique]

I guess I didn't think anybody was teasing anybody.

You weren't, but this dude was:

 

Sorry to hear it. Buying a Mac was the best virus killer I've found.

I mean, seriously, why would someone post this? It's not helpful, and it's just one more example of a Mac user being smug and obnoxious.

[Guest Speed Racer]

I mean, seriously, why would someone post this? It's not helpful, and it's just one more example of a Mac user being smug and obnoxious.

 

It's also word-of-mouth advertising, and is extremely effective. In that regard it is very helpful. You really can't reproduce the devotion of a rabid cult following. Those who don't like it, ignore it (or bite back); those who give in are likely customers for life.

 

I hated people saying that too (still do sometimes), until my Dell hard drive was eaten alive by the flavor of the week in 2004. I wasn't happy at all with Mac's OS interface at that time, but was sososo tired of viruses. Bought a Mac, haven't had a problem with viruses, and incidentally love the machine. Will I have issues with viruses in the future? Probably, but I can guarantee you it will be on a Mac and not a PC.

 

Short version: for lazy people of the world, and people who have simply had enough of Microsoft and PC stuff, 'I got a Mac and roses are coming out my ass,' might be the advice they were looking for. Or not. Just like all the other advice in the thread.