[DocJohn]

We're often asked what anti-virus and anti-spyware programs we recommend that are free. Here are our current recommendations:

- Avast Home Edition (free but requires free registration)
http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html

- Spybot Search & Destroy (free)
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

Also, to ensure full functioning of our community's features, you should add psychcentral.com to your "trusted sites" in your web browser. (We regularly scan our servers every day to ensure your account's safety and security.)

Hope this helps,
DocJohn

[pachyderm]

Or, get a Macintosh

[iamtwilight]

pachyderm, a good one.

i, as a poor pc & windows user, stand up for avast. been using it for four years now and refuse to use any other antivirus software.

twilight.

[katheryn]

not sure how good it is but avg have free version of there soft ware out there on

http://www.filehippo.com/

[DocJohn]

We used to use/recommend AVG, but in recent versions it has become "bloatware" -- way too large and has way too many "reminders" to purchase the non-free version. I found it so annoying, we stopped using it and moved to avast.

[SeptemberMorn]

Lavasoft's Ad-Aware is a very good program, too. That's what I use to keep my computer clean. They have a free version at Lavasoft.com.

[pegasus]

I use AVG and never get any annoying reminders, I highly recommend it!

[Sabrina]

AVG began to slow me down. I have switched to AVAST and am very happy with it. I have also used the Spybot before and found it good.

[314159pi]

i just want to add for those of us who wish to avoid phishing scams, there is a free plugin available for firefox3 and safari3 called 'google safe browsing' where google tells your machine about fake urls before your browser is sent there and you avoid the trick.
most mail servers screen the mail with clamAV these days so it is harder to catch a virus if you use a reputable ISP. You can download your own copy of clamAV if you want to to screen your incoming mail.
the biggest trick to watch out for relates to zipped attachments in mail because the AV software generally can't screen them.
be wary of downloading software from peculiar locations on the net because code can be tampered with. if you are in the habit of downloading free software as i am, you should do it only from reliable places and learn about using checksum functions.
most importantly, even the best AV software is useless if you don't run it regularly and also back up your data.
just my two cents. i hope i have helped somebody today.
-pi

[pegasus]

BUMP!

[(JD)]

BUMP!!!
As my McAfee finally expires... I go to this!

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by DocJohn

We used to use/recommend AVG, but in recent versions it has become "bloatware" -- way too large and has way too many "reminders" to purchase the non-free version. I found it so annoying, we stopped using it and moved to avast.

I've been using AVG for five years or so and I haven't even minded paying for it. Lately, though, they've stopped providing updates for my version and are expecting me to switch to their latest one -- which, however, doesn't work with my operating system.

Thanks for the recommendation, DocJohn, and thanks, _Sky, for bumping this thread. I've started preparations to deactivate AVG and download Avast! instead.

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by Fool Zero

I've started preparations to deactivate AVG and download Avast! instead.

So, by way of an update: I did download the free version of Avast! last night -- about 2 hours via dialup (not sure exactly -- I took a nap during the second half).

It offered me more options during setup than AVG used to. For some of them, like the address of my ISP's mail server, I was worried about the right answer and was ready to enter my best guess when I discovered that one of the pulldown choices already showed my best guess. It turned out to work OK in the end.

When I clicked on the link to apply for the activation key, it opened in IE (5) even though I rarely use anything but Firefox. I filled in the info and clicked Submit -- and IE immediately crashed. I started to apply again, this time typing the address into Firefox, but before I got very far into the form the key arrived in my e-mail. Apparently IE had crashed right after submitting my request.

As I recall, AVG had pretty much insisted that I update the virus database right away. Avast! didn't insist, so I fell back on my AVG experience and did it anyway.

Yesterday, right after installing, when I tried sending test messages back and forth between two e-mail accounts there was no sign that they were getting scanned by Avast!. I tried it again today; the Avast! e-mail scanner icon appeared in the System Tray and all the right signs are in the message header. I think I have a working anti-virus again!

I went to Windows Control Panel and uninstalled AVG. There are only some small traces of it left in the Registry, not enough to bother about.

[FooZe]

Avast! seems to get very busy in the background during Windows startup. For instance, that chord ("The Microsoft Sound"?) that usually plays as the desktop appears, sounds all broken up and stuttery. Of course I could live with that, or without the sound altogether, but last night I thought I'd try tweaking some settings to see if I could get Avast! to time its loading and memory-testing a little differently.

This morning I turned on the computer, the bootup process looked a little different (no Windows "flag" logo, for instance) and just when the Microsoft Sound was supposed to start, the computer froze -- black screen with a green band across the top. I'm guessing the memory test stepped on something it shouldn't have. Waiting a full minute didn't change anything, there was no response to Ctrl-Alt-Del, and when I used the Reset button the problem turned out to be persistent.

I tried a few other things, finally restarted Windows in "Safe Mode," went into Msconfig and disabled Avast!. This time I got my normal desktop back, though with the icons all scrambled from Safe Mode.

Avast! had already said that it worked by "rerouting" incoming and outgoing e-mail through itself, in effect pretending to be a mail server. Sure enough, when I connected without Avast! my e-mail program was trying to connect to Avast! instead of my ISP. I had to go into my e-mail settings and edit the incoming and outgoing server names by hand.

When I get around to it I'll look for info on Avast!-related crashes like mine. In the meantime, I'm doing without it. I don't want to bother going back to AVG because the virus database there is now several months old with no way to update it.

[FooZe]

Update:
After a few days without virus protection, I started Avast! by clicking its Desktop icon and changed the one setting that I suspected might have caused the problem:

Program Settings > Common > [ ] (unchecked) Test memory during application startup

I put Avast! through a few of its paces, updating and scanning, then went into Msconfig and re-enabled all Avast! features (three, as I recall) on the Start list. When I restarted the computer, everything came up normally with the Avast! icons back in the system tray.

I held off for another day on entering the changes in my e-mail program that would reroute all incoming and outgoing mail through Avast!. The instructions for making these changes are available through:

Help > Setting up the Mail Program > Manual Setting of Mail Protection

I printed out the section (5 pages) to refer to when I was in my e-mail program actually making the changes. I confirmed with a test mail to myself. The header said (outgoing and incoming):

X-Antivirus-Status: Clean

Some curious adventures during all this:

-- The first two (at least) scans with Avast! found nothing but the latest one, this evening, identified a file in one of my Java folders as infected. Avast! sequestered it in the "chest" where I could look at its details. The problem is classified as "Other:Malware-gen" and the file appears to be timestamped -- tomorrow? I'm a bit surprised that Avast! turned up a problem so quickly, since AVG only spotted one virus in the five years I used it.

-- After the scan, the little icons for my browser and e-mailer disappeared from the taskbar and I had to launch these applications with the Start button. I also noticed that when I'd open a folder such as "My Documents," the little icons for the files and folders weren't showing up. After I rebooted, everything was fine.

-- Right after I'd changed the settings in my e-mail program, I started my browser and it crashed with an "illegal operation" error on the third page. I restarted it and it seems to be behaving normally. Naturally, Avast! gets the blame for everything weird that happens.

[FooZe]

Another curious development: four years ago, soon after I got this computer, I paid for a copy of the WinRAR archiving software and received the registration key by mail. WinRAR worked normally until soon after I installed Avast! -- at which point it started telling me I was using it on a free trial basis and would need to pay for it and register it in 40 days. It turned out that the registration key file, rarreg.key, had disappeared from the WinRAR directory.

I can't prove that Avast! did it (especially since I uninstalled AVG right around the same time) but if the copy I retrieved from my archives (not on the hard drive that Avast! and AVG had access to) disappears again I'll pretty much know whodunit.

I looked at the Avast! users forum and noticed references to (a.) Avast! "not liking" WinRAR and (b.) at least one of the WinRAR sites allegedly allowing malware to be downloaded through it. Even if Avast! has a legitimate gripe with my WinRAR key, though, I want it to warn me before (or at least after) doing anything with it.

[FooZe]

After leaving Avast! in what I thought was a well-behaved mode and successfully booting up my computer a few times, I ran into another freeze-up exactly like the one a week ago. The Desktop was about to be displayed, the "Microsoft Sound" started to play, and clunk! -- black screen with a green bar across the top; mouse cursor frozen in the middle of the screen; no response to the "Windows" key or to Ctrl-Alt-Del. I waited 60 seconds, then restarted in Safe Mode and handcuffed Avast!

I'm still going to use Avast! to scan with from time to time, but not let it start itself during bootup any more. As I recall, anytime I run it it tries to make itself self-starting next time and I have to follow after it (like following an elephant with a shovel, if you ask me!) and restore msconfig to the way I want it.

My WinRAR registration key is still there, so maybe that part wasn't Avast's fault anyway.

[FooZe]

... the latest [scan, 12/19/09] identified a file in one of my Java folders as infected. Avast! sequestered it in the "chest"...

Then, the next time I tried to run an application that used Java, I found I didn't have Java any more and had to download it all over again. The absence of that one file doesn't explain much; with Java reinstalled and working normally, no file like that is back on the system. It sounds as if Avast! may be doing more stuff to my system than it's admitting to.

In a scan about a week ago, Avast! identified one of the files in my old Netscape (4.5) folder as adware and moved it to a secure place. That file was timestamped 8/31/98, had apparently been on one or another of my computers for over 10 years (mostly unused for the last 5), and would have been scanned hundreds of times by AVG and Spybot S&D and several times previously by Avast! I'm not too worried about getting that Netscape disabled since I only use it occasionally for accessing e-mails from five to ten years ago.

I'm planning to keep Avast! on a short leash.

I might download Avast for viruses, but I am keeping malwarebytes for anti-malware/spyware/trojans... this software is amazing! It saved my computer, my brother's computer 9on a few occasions, my mom's computer, and even my dad's work computer!

[possum220]

I also update and scan using malwarebytes and spybot each week. To remove programs that I no longer want I use REVO Uninstaller. It is a very thorough program. MajorGeeks and FileHippo are very cool with letting you download these for free. (As always you can pay to get the full version).

Ps Fool Zero. If you download and install RevoUninstaller and remove your old Java then you can install the latest Java.

[Amanda_1981]

quick question... everytime I turn my computer on or restart it, this 'driver cure' thing pops up and acts like a sort of anti virus and does automatic scans to check my computer before it even lets me log on to anything.. I don't ever remember even downloading anything called driver scan.. has anyone heard of it and know if it is safe? Thanks! I also have AVG but I'm so computer illiterate I have no idea if I need to do the scans myself or if it does it automatically (automatic scans, updates, etc).. but it says that all security features are working and up to date, so I'm assuming that's a good thing

[pegasus]

Ah, you only need one anti-virus. I made this mistake last year. I thought that by having two anti-virus' that my computer would be doubly protected. Then it stopped working altogether. I later found out that it was equivalent to wearing two condoms! And these anti-virus things were fighting each other to protect my computer!

It's possibly that you accidently downloaded the other antivirus, stick with the one you know. Go to add/remove programmes and you should be able to stop the extra anti-virus programme.

[Amanda_1981]

Thanks peg! I know I downloaded a ton of driver stuff after I had to reformat my computer and half the stuff I downloaded I had no idea what it was, I was just told by other people to download all these drivers (mainly because I didn't have any audio anymore) so that's probably how I ended up downloading that program, because I'm the kind of person who will just download anything if it looks important (I know that's probably not a good thing though! lol).. thanks for the tip, I'll make sure to delete the driver cure one, since I am more familiar with AVG

[FooZe]

(I thought of starting a new thread about Driver Cure but it's probably too late now so I'll just continue here.)

Originally Posted by Amanda_1981

... this 'driver cure' thing pops up and acts like a sort of anti virus and does automatic scans to check my computer before it even lets me log on to anything.. I don't ever remember even downloading anything called driver scan.. has anyone heard of it and know if it is safe?

I just Googled around. It sounds a bit controversial -- some reviews here, a few of them glowing, several more complaining that the buyers don't want it, are having trouble uninstalling it, and/or haven't been able to get their money back. The "average" customer rating from 20 votes seems to be 2 stars out of 5

Here's a detailed discussion at Tech Support Guy Forums on locating and removing it: Driver Cure Problem? (thread started last March, now marked "Solved".)

The scanning tool called Hijack This, which the people at TechGuy seem to depend on constantly for identifying malware problems, is available here. I have it; it seems to be well-behaved and only runs when invited to.

------------------------------------------
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider...
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
I don't know why she swallowed the fly.

[Rhapsody]

I am on year four of using AVG and I am still happy with it and I rarely get asked to upgrade my program.... w00t to AVG!!