Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with antivirus

Stupid Blue Screen... Grumble Grumble.

Mastercheddaar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:19:51 -0800

Problems with Kaspersky Anti-Virus and XP... Blue Screens and All! More inside. 1st I am on another computer that is right beside the one that isn't working.

I will start from the beginning. I uninstalled AVG 9.0 free so I could install Kaspersky 2010. Everything went fine there (or so I'm thinking), then during kaspersky's installation it stated that there was a "newer version" of the setup file and that it was recommended that I use that version instead. Not thinking I pressed yes. It uploaded the setup file and I got an invalid file message with the normal "Retry, Cancel, Abort, Ignore" I pressed Retry a few times and nothing happened so I pressed Ignore. After I pressed Ignore it seemed to work perfectly then it blue screened me. Now when I start the computer it runs through the BIOS perfectly then goes to the WINXP loading screen, looks like it's going to load up then goes to the blue screen.

I can start the computer in Safe Mode and I can put in the XP disk and start it in Windows Recovery mode. In windows recovery I have gone through the "ListSVC" and disabled anything that had to do with Kaspersky but I'm still blue screening when I exit and restart.

I have also tried to complete the installation of Kaspersky in Safe mode but it won't let me due to not having admin privledges.

I do not have a recovery point :( and everything worked fine before I uninstalled AVG and tried to install Kaspersky.

I'm on my 2nd cup of Strong coffee and my google fu is failing me. Help Obi One Metafilter you are my only hope!!!

Any ideas?

How do I keep my new laptop new for as long as possible?

wet-raspberry — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:51:55 -0800

How do I keep my new laptop new for as long as possible? What tools and utilities should I run on to troubleshoot and minimize the risk of losing all my data yet again?

All I have though of so far is:
- scan for viruses using the antivirus software I have installed
- scan for viruses using another antivirus maker's free utility (something along the lines of Free Dr.Web)
- run Spybot Search and Destroy
- defragment

What am I missing?

Antivirus with on/off switches

DerekTheGeek — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:48:07 -0800

I am looking for some recommendations on antivirus/antimalware software for Windows. Specifically I am looking for an antivirus program that will allow me to selectively turn on/off components as needed. Some examples ...

I may want to play a game where I need as much performance as possible and would like the ability to easily disable the antivirus software.

My email service provider already scans incoming email so I don’t need scanning done on my PC.

I already have a hardware firewall so I don’t need a software firewall.

That being said I would welcome a product that contained the above features as long as it gave you the ability to disable features as needed. For example, if I took my laptop to a public library it might be very useful to have the software firewall enabled. The key for me is having the ability to disable/enable features as needed so I can save resources when needed. Also of importance is the ability to scan files on demand.

Thank you for any suggestions.

How do I make an Antivirus Pro 2010/Protection System infection go away?

momzilla — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:49:17 -0800

How do I make an Antivirus Pro 2010/Protection System infection go away? I got it bad. I cannot run any executible files. When I try to run a program I either get a rundll32.exe error, or I get the "Open With" dialog box. Regedit doesn't work, either. How can I make this go away short of formatting the HD? There are some files on the computer that I'd like to try to salvage if possible.

Is my anti-virus lying to me?

ComfySofa — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:00:48 -0800

My anti-virus say's my computer is infected, but I think it's talking bollocks... or has xearth suddenly turned evil on me? I've been using xearth for years now, with nary a hint of a problem. I think it's great, my favourite desktop thing. But today my anti-virus (CA Anti Virus) claims it's got a trojan - krypnek.

How can this be? Has xearth gone bad? Should I ditch it? I'd rather not. Should I ditch CA anti-virus? Or should I keep them both, ignore my anti-virus and exclude xearth from the virus scan?

I can't find out much about what krypnek is and what it does - only the link above. CA has bugger all about it on their site.

I'm using Win XP SP3 by the way.

Virus-free or virus hiding: is my computer Conficked or just fine?

librarylis — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:44:38 -0800

On or around April 1, my computer caught something that caused havoc with my antivirus programs but now everything seems fine--this can't be correct? On April 1 (bad news, I know), my antivirus program (Avira) warned me that it had not been able to retrieve definition updates from the internet.

It has been a frustrating saga to figure out what might be wrong; if you're not into the saga, skip to the last paragraph for an executive summary.

I immediately had Avira run a full-system virus scan, which picked up what Avira called a Trojan (dropper?) in my Temp files that was promptly quarantined. Searching Google, the only info I found to get rid of Dropper was to install MalwareBytes and run a full scan. Well...

I checked MalwareBytes, which I already had installed eight months ago, to find that it also wasn't updating. MalwareBytes did not pick anything up in its full scan. I tried re-naming MB, but the problem was not accessing it but rather updating, and renaming did nothing.

At this point, I tried TrendMicro to see if a program that was not on my computer would pick anything up. It did not.

I then tried grabbing manual updates for Avira via a USB drive from an uninfected computer. The files fail to correctly integrate with Avira.

I also know that my Adobe, Flash, and Java programs were all nagging me to update, and I had not done so for at least five months (not my brightest move).

Several days later, I checked to see if Windows Update was working, which it wasn't. The internet, yes, Update, no.

I then downloaded Avast to see if that would pick anything up. The most up-to-date version available did not pick anything up in its full system scan. Once Avast was installed, it too was unable to update.

I deleted Avast, then restarted my computer. With restart, the desktop, start menu, and system tray failed to become visible, as did a program (Rocketdock) that I installed two years ago. Restarting again did nothing, but once I restarted in Safe Mode I was able to see the desktop, start menu, etc.

However, at that point, Firefox and IE both stopped connecting to the internet. I know it wasn't my ethernet cord, and I know it wasn't the network. The network has a kick-ass automatic quarantine that I know was functioning correctly at the time, as well as some species of firewall.

I did a system restore to a point shortly before April 1st.

At the exact same time, my power cord died. With the battery dead and no AC adapter, I unplugged the ethernet cable and let the computer sit in hibernation.

Fast forward three weeks, and I was finally able to acquire a power cord and I re-connected the ethernet cable. My computer wakes up, with Firefox open and the tabs all reloaded to current information (i.e. Slate had yesterdays's articles not those from three weeks ago). Well, great.

Avira automatically starts updating, and the update goes through. MalwareBytes updates. Windows Update updates. I immediately do a full system scan, using both MB and Avira. MB once again picks up nothing, while Avira picks up another two Trojans (different ones, this time) in my Temp files. I then deleted the named files. I updated Java, then Flash, but haven't gotten to Adobe yet.

Here is the problem: my system seems fine. Antivirus programs, Update, everything that was haywire, now seem good to go. This just doesn't seem possible when the only thing I did was disconnect the computer to the internet for three weeks, and the system restore (which didn't seem to solve the problem three weeks ago).

Executive summary: Antivirus programs, Windows Update and other critical programs failed to update around April 1, Avira antivirus sees nothing but Trojans in temp files while Malware Bytes sees nothing, power cord dies and is resurrected three weeks later at which point the computer miraculously updates all problem programs and all seems well. This surely can't be right?

Tech specs: I am running Win XP (Media) on a Dell E1405, typically using Firefox 3, with Avira Antivirus, MalwareBytes, and Spybot Search and Destroy all installed and regularly updated, Windows Firewall is on and the network also runs a firewall.

Hope Me, AVG

chuckdarwin — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:32:05 -0800

Is there something similar to AVG Free Antivirus for Vista Business? Using Kaspersky, but it wants £. I figure there must be a decent free option out there. TIA.

Digital Immunodeficiency Disorder?

Rhaomi — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:44:21 -0800

My laptop's been infected by something that is interfering with all the usual solutions. Please help! After the recent hacking attempt that brought down Mefi, I scanned my laptop for any problems it may have picked up from it. AVG detected one threat, a trojan, which it promptly deleted. But that wasn't quick enough, apparently.

Now, my Windows XP setup is exhibiting weird behavior all around, and everything I've tried to do to fix it has been blocked. Here are all the symptoms:

Firewall - was originally turned off; I'm not sure for how long. I've since turned it back on.

Security software - AVG isn't detecting anything, but there's obviously something still wrong. Attempting to update the virus database throws an error. Most troubling, I cannot install the newest version of AVG as its website is blocked. Ditto for all the other major antivirus vendors -- trying to access their websites results in a page error.

Tech support sites - Same as above. Something is blocking all attempts to connect to the major tech help sites. I knew enough to check my hosts file, but can see no problems there. At least AskMe still works...

Google search - Searching Google for solutions leads to a standard results page. But when I click on a result, instead of going to the relevant page, it opens up a new tab and goes to a random spam site. This happens on Yahoo and other search sites as well. I can still get to the page I want by copying the URL and pasting, but it's slowing me down. And of course any link that points to a support site won't work.

Other browsers - I'd been using Firefox 3 up to this point, so I tried the other browsers on my system on the off chance they'd work better. No luck -- Google Chrome refuses to connect to *any* website, and Internet Explorer crashes immediately after launching.

System Restore - fed up with all the problems, I tried to roll back my system to a point before the infection. But to my great surprise, all the old system restore points have been deleted.

So to sum up: AV software is borked, security and support sites are blocked, searching is hampered, and I can't go back to an older system configuration. Any ideas?

PS: I know you are not my tech support, but like I said, all the more dedicated help sites I'd normally consult have been disappeared. Thanks for your time and patience!

Help this man scan, if you can

onshi — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:33:28 -0800

Anti-virus and anti-malware scanners mysteriously unable to update -- how to tell if I have a virus, and what to do about it? This week I started getting annoying, malware-style popups on my PC (32-bit Vista). A full scan came up with nothing beyond a few of the usual tracking cookies, so I tried updating definitions to give it another go... but both Windows Defender and Symantec AntiVirus were strangely unable to do so despite the fact that my internet connection apparently working fine in all other respects. Symantec's manual definitions download also fails inexplicably, and I installed the free version of AVG Anti-Virus only to find that it, too, has proven unable to update itself.

This may be jumping to conclusions, but I suspect that my PC is infected with something smart enough to protect itself by preventing popular anti-virus software from updating.

How can I confirm this? What should I do about it? For example, can you recommend any lesser-known but safe and reliable anti-virus scanners to which this malware is not immune? I can't afford to throw money away on Norton or some other popular anti-virus software if the same thing is going to happen.

Which anti-spyware and anti-virus programs are best at detecting and removing spyware and viruses respectively and why?

Fluffy654 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:59:58 -0800

Which anti-spyware and anti-virus programs are best at detecting and removing spyware and viruses respectively and why? Everyone seems to have a personal preference when it comes to anti-spyware and anti-virus programs. However, what I never see is any reasoning to back this up.

For the purposes of this question, I am not interested in things such as ease of use or extensive feature lists such as real time scanning. I am only interested in which anti-spyware and anti-virus programs are best at doing their respective jobs: detecting and removing spyware and viruses.

I also want to know why a particular program is better than the rest.

How can I uninstall AVG 8 antivirus software, when normal uninstall doesn't work?

LobsterMitten — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:34:16 -0800

Botched AVG 8 install on Windows XP machine, now setup program (uninstall/repair/install) hangs. The partial install is causing problems. How can we get AVG off the machine when normal uninstall won't work? Details inside on the many things we've tried. Been working with AVG help forum, but they don't seem to be addressing the specific problems I'm having.

The machine is running XP with SP2, have ZoneAlarm firewall and AdAware running.

What happened with the original installation (and subsequent attempts using the setup program):
After going through the initial menu choices, the program attempts to create or back up a bunch of files. When it gets to setup.cfg, updatecomps.cfg, or avgmwdef_us.mht (depending on the situation), the setup program stops responding, and then the computer then stops responding to the mouse or keyboard.

Symptoms:
The Email Scanner portion of AVG8 never installs, and the anti-virus scans never complete successfully.

What we have tried unsuccessfully:
I've cleaned up the registry, checked permissions, checked for file or system errors, tried running the setup program under various conditions including turning ZA firewall and AdAware off.

It's worth noting that for a time, the setup program would finish, but fail, giving me the message "Action failed for file _AVG7_avg7rsxp.sys". I haven't been able to replicate this for a couple days, though.

Ran Revo uninstaller, but since it runs the same AVG setup program, ran into the same problem.

where do my viruses come from?

stupidsexyFlanders — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:58:36 -0800

When AVG antivirus finds a virus, it tells me where it is and the filename. Is there any way to find out where it came from? I'm showing a handful of trojans and exploits over the past six months and I'm curious.

Thin Defence

Kronos_to_Earth — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:05:21 -0800

Is 'Trend Micro Antivirus plus AntiSpyware' and Spysweeper (along with the firewall) enough to keep a PC clean? I recently switched to Trend Micro; during the installation the program warned that I would have to uninstall Spybot and AdAware 2007 (free version). This leaves me with Spysweeper and whatever capability TM has in this respect. I'd like to have at least two antispyware utilities; is Trend Micro's antispyware facility as effective as either of the two that had to be removed? (The operating system is Windows XP, SP3)

Problems with antivirus software. How do I check there aren't any viruses?

Jack Alucard — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:30:27 -0800

I think my computer might have a virus. Are there any trustworthy security testing services that I can use to conclusively prove whether or not this is the case? I've owned my current laptop for less than a year, and as far as I can remember, I activated my copy of Norton Anti-virus when I first got the laptop. Unfortunately NAV decided to switch itself off last week and then it demanded that I entered the activatation code for the software; I couldn't complete the activation process because the anti-virus software wouldn't detect my internet connection.

The weird thing is the anti-virus software has started working again and Liveupdate claims that it was run yesterday, but it still displays a message saying that I'll need to activate the software within a certain number of days (before it just switched off and said that I needed to activate the software immediately).

I'm worried that this weirdness from the anti-virus is an indicator that some malware has got onto my computer.

Are there any reputable security testing companies that I can use to garauntee with 100% certainty that there's no malware on my computer? Also, how do I get someone else to scan the computer without allowing them the opportunity to copy my personal data?

Want AVG 7.5 back!!!

Rad_Boy — Sat, 03 May 2008 11:53:43 -0800

Looking for AVG Antivirus 7.5 freeware. I just installed 8.0 and I want to go back! After upgrading to Grisoft AVG 8.0 I decided I didn't like it: It's not user friendly and does way more than I want. I'd love to go back to the old version (7.5) but I had to uninstall it and I no longer have the installation files. I looked but I can't find version 7.5 anywhere. Can anyone help?

Norton stinks

gerryblog — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:01:19 -0800

Do I really need Norton installed? Last night my free update to Norton 2008 randomly killed my network connection -- from Google, it looks as though its firewalling may be a little overzealous. Uninstalling Norton brought my network back, but it also revealed how much faster my computer runs with no Norton installed: amazingly faster.

Do I really need it? What are my alternatives, if I leave Norton off?

It's a several-years old Toshiba laptop running Windows XP. Will I be clogged by viruses by the end of the day if I don't reinstall Norton 2007? Is there something else I can rely on instead that won't gum up my works?

I already use Spybot and AdAware, and I only go to "normal" sites. (I'm not downloading warez or porn.)

Protect the droids

Brandon1600 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:56:36 -0800

I am in the market for some new anti-virus software and possibly a new router. Any recommendations? I had to do an overhaul on my laptop last week, so now is as good a time as any to fine tune my internet protection. I currently have a three year old HP Pavilion laptop running Win XP SP2 through a 2WIRE DSL router using AT&T/SBC DSL. I used to use Trendmicro but it got wiped so I am looking for some recommendations. Some have suggested not running any AV at all, but this just blows my mind. The idea is that you are ok as long as you have a good physical and software firewall. I am just looking for a good set-up to protect my computer from hackers and malicious programs. Thanks

Virus protection stats?

flibbertigibbet — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:23:58 -0800

I need your help to settle a debate. Could you suggest the safest antivirus setup, within the confines of Windows XP and a wireless internet connection, with the least bloat, and provide the statistics to prove it? I need more than simple AV comparatives. I need stats on the virtues of Firefox versus IE, on using two function-differentiated user accounts (admin versus everyday, with the 'everyday' account having no admin privileges), etc. Can you help? In essence, my father trusts a bloatware "known vector" that is eating up my laptop's resources (Norton2008) to alternative setups that he claims would "let the vampires [viruses] into the house."

This is the same man who blamed the beginnings of a hard drive failure (which was at that point mainly limited to weird behaviour) on my installing Firefox and WinAmp "because [I] like to use 'weird' software just to be 'cool,'" which, you guessed it, "let the vampires into the house." He later recanted that position, given that virus scans were clean, and that the hard drive actually failed catastrophically due to a manufacturing defect.

Basically, I put in the anecdote above to prove that he prefers the things he knows, no matter their faults, to new, potentially better, solutions. This is why I need cold hard stats, lest I go crazy because of the slowness Norton's bloat brought to an otherwise pretty decent computer.

The fact is, Norton is still more efficient than some of the AVs I'm considering (AVG-free, avast!, and maybe shelling out a bit to get NOD32, etc.), but if my setup as a whole is safer that his setup, I may have a case.

Any help?

Seeking advice on anti-virus and other security software

danwalker — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:20:10 -0800

What software (or combination of software) are you using to keep your computer internet-secure these days? I work for a not-for-profit org and am finding myself increasingly responsible for its IT needs. We're about twenty people in an office, with another six or seven halfway across the country, and perhaps another half-dozen roaming the landscape as remote employees. A mix of fairly barebones Dell laptops and desktops, all running some flavour of Windows XP. Most users use 'limited' accounts, but some are admin where necessary. Everyone has MS Office and Outlook for everyday tasks, there's a lot of browsing with IE or Firefox, and not much else goes on.

Our IT intelligence isn't that hot, so we have a mishmash of various anti-virus scanners and other such software on the machines. It's mostly Avast, which scares our less-savvy users with its sirens and voices shouting out when it's done something. (I can give these users a hug and discreetly change their notification settings while they get over it, but the exercise is getting kind of annoying.)

Anyway, being a fan of Spybot S&D myself, but with very little specific anti-virus software knowledge, I'm looking for some feedback on options available out there today. What would you recommend? Is S&D ok to run alongside other AV software, or do the two clash?

(Free is better for a not-for-profit, of course, though commercial software will be considered. And the main goal here is to keep each individual machine secure - outfitting our overall network with more security and assessing the ways we communicate with remote users will be the subject of a future AskMeFi post, I'm sure.)

Simple Update-able Antivirus CD?

joshnunn — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:10:16 -0800

I'm after a bootable antivirus CD to scan a Windows XP computer. It must be fast, update-able and easy to use. I know about all the various live CDs (such as the linux variety boot CDs and Bart PE) that have all sort of utilities, but they usually take a while to set up and have far more features than I need. Additionally, when the virus definitions are out-of-date, you have to repeat the process and create the CD all over again.

What I'm after (in an ideal world) would be a program that runs on safe computer that gets daily updates like a regular antivirus program, but that instead of running scans, it could create an antivirus CD on demand that had the latest definitions on it. Kinda like a disposable antivirus CD creator.

Alternatively, just one I could download every now and again that I could just pop in a computer, run a test and reboot - no fiddling with menus and choosing the right application etc.

Am I asking too much? Does such a thing exist?

Thank you!

What are the lightest-weight antispyware and antivirus programs?

Ricket — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:29:46 -0800

What is a good lightweight anti-spyware/anti-virus application that wouldn't slow down an already old, slow computer, and would act as an extra layer on top of good behavior and careful Firefox usage? My step-sister had an old laptop (celeron 1.2ghz, 256mb ram) that she put in storage some months ago because she got tired of how slow it became over time, likely due to spyware and general clutter. We found it and now I've reformatted it, but before I give it to her I want to try and make sure she doesn't slow it down again.

In my household, all of my computers are set up to always use Firefox (no IE here!), and I use a modified HOSTS file to try and block malicious websites at the lowest level possible (google "hosts file" for more info). However, for maximum performance, and because I don't generally need it, I don't use any anti-spyware or anti-virus software, so I'm out of date on the latest and greatest.

I'm going to make sure she does the same now (she used to use IE, eww!). So I know that the likelihood of spyware is low, but I still feel like there should be one more piece of automatic protection there, since I won't be able to keep track of what sort of spyware-infested things she might get into. Is there a good free anti-spyware/anti-virus software out there that wouldn't bog the system down noticeably, yet would provide that extra little bit of protection just in case? It doesn't need to be terribly reliable, but I'm talking about something that would hopefully stop her from (for instance) opening a bad attachment from a stranger, or stumbling upon a website that isn't covered by the hosts file and asks her to download a spyware-infested installer.

Oh, and even though I posed those examples that require real-time protection, feel free to help me out with a suggestion that requires manual running; I would certainly consider it!

Thanks!
-Ricket

Help with anti virus

ok — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:42:14 -0800

What is the best anti virus software? My Panda subscription is about to expire. Is there an independent service that reviews them. I haven't had any trouble. Just wondering.

Getting rid of AVG's "Helpful" features?

jimmy — Tue, 01 May 2007 13:43:19 -0800

I've got a file (completely harmless) that my anti-virus program (AVG) sees as a security threat, and am now unable to open it. Is there any way to fix this? The file itself is just a mIRC remote scripts file, and it isn't harboring any viruses. I can't actually open it or allow any other programs to read it, although using HijackThis to kill off some of AVG's startup processes allowed me to be able to move/delete the file. Uninstalling AVG isn't really an option since it's not my box, and I'd rather just figure out how to get the program off my back about this, as this isn't the first time AVG has declared this specific file to be a security threat.

Need to carry a toolbox for boxen

bartleby — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:34:17 -0800

Anyone recommend PC tuneup software, installable to a portable drive or USB stick? Something for tuneups/cleanups, kind of like System Mechanic Portable Toolkit used to do. There used to be a couple of products, that either ran like a LiveCD or could be installed on an external drive, which could scan a random PC's local hard drives, registry, memory, etc. and clean things up/diagnose problems.

I could really use some sort of portable tuneup kit like that, but I'm not finding what I'm looking for. Anyone use something like that? Made your own and can help me with a some recommendations of what to include?

I've never needed something like this for a Mac, so Windows suggestions only please.

Antivirus for server OS at home?

jfuller — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 17:51:25 -0800

Is there a decent antivirus for MS server operating systems that doesn't cost a breathtaking amount? One of my home machines was getting very crufty. I rebuilt it dual-boot--Ubuntu on one side and, on a wild hare, an old copy of Win 2000 server on the other. I figured I'd build a tiny mini-domain for the home network. When I reached the point of doing the security setup I discovered that the free AV I have been using won't run on 2000 server. They all see "server," assume I'm a business, and insist on a different (and not free) version. AVG Free won't run; AOL's free antivirus (by Kaspersky, and reputedly pretty good) won't run. Kaspersky's own lower-price home edition no support 2K or 2K3 server. Don't even mention Symantec or Macafee, I'm not Scrooge McDuck. I'm presently using ClamWin but the scheduled scans don't seem to be running; I have to fire off the scans manually. Are there any other affordable/effective choices?