Re: Pl Help ME

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On Fri, 25 Aug 2006 07:40:16 GMT, soumyajeetmohanty via WindowsKB.com
wrote:

hi sharon once again....well lots of thanks to u for ur kind support....well
i need to know something from u regarding the anti-virus......i'm making it
simplier 4 u by making points written below...

but first my PC config
-- Manufactured By IBM
-- Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
-- OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
-- DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
-- CPU Type Intel Pentium 4 630, 3000 MHz (15 x 200)
-- System Memory 503 MB (DDR2-400 DDR2 SDRAM)
-- Video Adapter Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family (128
MB)
-- 3D Accelerator Intel GMA 900
-- L2 Cache 2 MB (On-Die, ECC, ATC, Full-Speed)

Now My Questions---

1) Which anti - virus shall i install in my system in order to have some good
effects? Previously i was using Norton Anti Virus 2005 but it slowed down as
a result i then installed AVG anti-virus 7.1 Home version...So any other
better anti-virus....

2) I dont have any anti-malware software....so is it required neccesarily if
yes then which one i should install?

3) How would i know which file is a virus affected if it is not detected by a
antivirus?

1) Choosing the right antivirus program is a personal exercise. Use a
program that rates well in independent studies, that is a good match for
your hardware and software mix and, if you're lucky, it will have a nice
usable interface as well.

I'm not a fan of Norton's. A lot of folks use AVG but I've never had good
luck with it - blue screens at startup on my setups. I've used eTrust's
EZAntivirus for years. It's a nice "light" antivirus program and usually
rates well in the independent studies. Recently, just to try something
different, I switched to using aVast! Personal Edition on my desktop and
tablet PC. It is free for home use but they do offer a pay version with a
few more features as well.

2) Modern antivirus program's are getting very good at checking for malware
as well as viruses but I still feel that it's effective to use a product
designed specifically for malware detection and removal. I use and like
Windows Defender (formally MS Anti-Spyware). I also check the system
periodically with AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy.

Spyware Blaster is another nice tool to use in conjunction with the others-
it is run once (and every now and then to apply updates). No need to leave
it running in the background. To protect, it places blocks against malware
in the registry -stopping installations before they occur. A nice effective
approach but only helpful if the malware is included in its database.

There's many solutions and other people have other favorites. These are
just ones that I personally use and like.

3) Unless you know how to open a file with a tool (hex editor or whatever)
and understand the code, you won't know if a file is a virus carrier or
not. You can take steps to avoid infection though:

New viruses are discovered constantly. The antivirus companies add those
new findings to updates. This is why it's so important to stay up to date
on definitions for the antivirus program of choice. Same goes for your
anti-malware selection.

Practice "safe hex." Not a complete list but:

Keep protection programs updated.

Don't open or run files from unknown sources - especially executables but
many file types can be "carriers" so be cautious with all files.

Manually scan a file before opening. Not a sure bet the file is not
infected but a bit better than double clicking and then hearing alarms from
the antivirus program.

If prompted to install something when you did not initiate the install or
do not know what is being installed, CANCEL!

File sharing is a BIG inroad for malware problems. Personally, I just stay
away from this activity entirely.

--
Sharon F
MS-MVP ~ Windows Shell/User
.

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