I have to agree with you. I have one (I forget which) and scan for viruses about 5 times a year. and I would NEVER run with it enabled to monitor everything - slows me down too much.
Not only that, but some of the speed never came back even after I uninstalled it.
But I'm running a Pentium 3 and win 98. I got my kids a Pentium 4 w/ Win XP Home and since they do a lot of downloads I INSIST Norton anti-virus run all the time buttoned up and even checks for updates every 4 hours. They've caught a few downloading games from Kazza. Were they real virusses or just fooling the software? Don't really know but we deleted them anyway. Since their machine is connected to the others in the house I insist on safe sex!
The amazing thing to me is I thought the machine would feel real sluggish but it doesn't, though I haven't tried running it both ways.
Two other things that makes me feel OK about the way I do it without virus scan on my machine:
1. I have stuff backed up (though even mirroring to another disk can infect the other disk before you realize it) better to also have rotating tapes so you always have a back up that is a few days (if not weeks old).
2. I always have another computer around so if one gets in trouble and has to be shut down or disconnected I can log on with another machine, download clean-up software, make boot disks, whatever. If I just had one machine I'd have more protection running on it.
FYI - for years I never got a virus. The first one I got came from a dealer when I bought a used machine. Never bought from him again. I have gotten a couple others in the past 3 years, but not much more of a hassle than other computer glitches I've experienced.
I've tried both McCaffee and Norton, and half the time, they just crashed my computer in the process of scanning. I hate 'em too.
The only anti-virus software that I ever did like was "Dr.Solomon", but unfortunately they discontinued it (I think the evil McCaffee bought them out).
Unlike the memory-greedy Norton and MacCaffee, the Dr. Solomon program didn't dig it's multi-tentacles into every nook and cranny of my operating system - you installed it, and it stayed in it's own folder and behaved and kept to itself, from whence you beckoned it to run whenever you wished. A matter of fact, I think installation amounted to nothing more than unzipping the contents of the prog into a folder and that was that.
This other crap - all it wants to do is dig, dig, dig, dig and dig its tentacles into your system and leach off of its memory.
I got an email virus today. A real one. It was called W32.Klez.H@mm. The attachment that came with this email was called Readme.bat
NAV caught this email as it was coming in. (Nice job)
What would have happened if I did not have this wonderful protection with its tentacles throughout my system! God forbid! I'll tell you what would have happened.....nothing.
First due to some email rules I have set up, this spam type email was in deleted items anyway so I would never have even considered it.
Second - In OE Express which I use, I have checked the security option "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus." Look for that under Tools / Options/ Securtity. And of course I have selected Restricted sites zone (should be the default). In Restricted Sites (in IE options) I have scripting disabled (should be the default on IE5 and higher. With active scripting disabled viruses have a hard time doing any dirty work even if you open one.
Third - it was an attachment from an unknown source. And it had an extension ending with .BAT
This ain't brain surgery. It would have never even been previewed, much less opened. Symantec says it best on their web site:
"Do not open attachments unless you are expecting them. Also, do not execute software that is downloaded from the Internet unless it has been scanned for viruses [here they are promoting their product again. Most downloaded software from reliable sources if fine]. Simply visiting a compromised Web site can cause infection if certain browser vulnerabilities are not patched."
Fourth - and yes I have all the latest Windows Update patches for IE. (Outlook Express is part of IE)
Fifth - If I somehow did get infected (which is unlikely but remotely possible) it is not the end of of the world. There are downloadable tools to fix viruses. And in worst case, a restoration from a backup could be done as John talked about in his post.
Viruses suck but so does the software that can suck the life out of your speed, especially when opening programs. Tomorrow I will post a few simple tweaks that can help. Ran outta time tonight.
I am no expert here and what works for me may not be best for you. I am just giving you my limited experience.
John R.
Has your system ever been trashed by a virus? How did it happen and what did you do to recover?
If you get a virus, you HAVE to have another computer. Immediately disconnect the infected one from the network and the internet. Log on with the other one and download removal software for that virus AFTER you have read about it.
I did get a virus. And it was found by the anti-virus software. It asked if I wanted to delete the file and I said yes.
Turns out with that particular virus it was the wrong thing to do. I don't remember the details but the virus corrupted a file needed by the Operating sytem so when that file was deleted, the OS went spastic. It was a fluke that by reading about it and pressing the PAUSE button at the right time (when was the last time you used the pause button) and typing blind - with the screen disabled - I was able to copy and rename a correct file to replace the deleted one. DON"T TRY THIS AT HOME.
As I was writing my previous thread I realized, without McAfee and Norton Anti-virus and the work they do I would not have been able to recover from the few virus attacks I have had.
As much as their programs it's their research, the info on their sites and the free software they make available when a new virus hits that I've used to help. If they didn't have some source of funds they wouldn't be able to do that.
So I don't begrudge buying their stuff once in a while - I just don't install it [g]
And yes, if you take all the precautions Igotout mentions 100% of the time you'll probably be OK. But haven't we all clicked on something by mistake once in a while?
Oh and one other thing - DON"T USE OUTLOOK. or atleast not with an address book (so that kind of defeats the purpose) too many viri are written to take advantage of it's popularity. I've been using Outlook Express but just upgraded to v6 and it's crashing so much I'm moving to Eudora.
(I just started a thread on the open forum about how the Klez virus works. It was good info I got from a technician.)
Back to this thread. I really believe Norton slows down the computer drastically especially when opening and even closing programs. I have done tests to prove it. Plus I have read it from others. (My 3 Cents,it can slow the hell out of Goldmine as it is opening and closing).
Even Symantec writes the following which helps prove my point:
_________________________________________
Keep Auto-Protect turned on (enabled) at all times to prevent viruses from infecting your computer. Auto-Protect works in the background, without interrupting your work.
Auto-Protect automatically:
1.) Detects and protects you against all types of viruses, including macro viruses, boot sector viruses and memory resident viruses and Trojan horses, worms and other malicious code.
2.) Protects your computer from viruses transmitted through the Internet, checking all files you download from the Internet, including Java Applets and ActiveX controls.
3.) Checks for viruses every time you use software programs on your computer, insert floppy disks or other removable media, modify or access documents, keeping your system safe at all times.
______________________________________
Notice the 3rd item! It checks things incessantly.....even "everytime you use software".
What I did to help my system speed was:
1. I turned of Auto Protect. It may seem like a drastic step to take but I do not think it is as bad as it appears. In all the years of visiting web sites I never got a virus from simply "visiting" a web site". I don't know, maybe it is because I have other protections in place. I think Internet Explorer 6 (fully patched) has closed lots of these kinds of loopholes as well.
And when you do download a file from the internet (or receive a file on removable media such as floppy) that you are unsure of all you have to do is scan it for viruses before opening it. Downloading a virus infected program is not activating it. The problem starts when you open that file. Also you can still catch viruses as they begin to work even if you do get one.
My BIOS has a feature that alerts me if anything is trying to modify the Boot Sector. It is an option that you can turn off or on. This is pretty cool. Kind of like virus protection built into the motherboard. If you have that feature, of course you want to activate this.
Furthermore, you still have great email protection even with Auto Protect turned off. I have read that alomst ALL viruses come through email.
2. I turned off Office Plug in. I believe it is found under Misellaneous options. It seems to be checked by default. To my knowledge it scans all Word, Excel and other Office documents when they are opened or created. To me, this is totally unnecessary. I have found Office to be faster without this nonsense. If you scan your computer regularly why do you need this?
These things helped me regain the speed of my programs without giving up my virus protection. I hope the day comes when virus protection is built into Windows or Internet Explorer so we didn't have to mess with this crap. (But then the government would probably slap another lawsuit on Microsoft for "bullying" the antivirus software makers.)
Later,
John R.
[This message was edited by igotout on October 02, 2002 at 20:41.]
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My3Cents
I have to agree with you. I have one (I forget which) and scan for viruses about 5 times a year. and I would NEVER run with it enabled to monitor everything - slows me down too much.
Not only that, but some of the speed never came back even after I uninstalled it.
But I'm running a Pentium 3 and win 98. I got my kids a Pentium 4 w/ Win XP Home and since they do a lot of downloads I INSIST Norton anti-virus run all the time buttoned up and even checks for updates every 4 hours. They've caught a few downloading games from Kazza. Were they real virusses or just fooling the software? Don't really know but we deleted them anyway. Since their machine is connected to the others in the house I insist on safe sex!
The amazing thing to me is I thought the machine would feel real sluggish but it doesn't, though I haven't tried running it both ways.
Two other things that makes me feel OK about the way I do it without virus scan on my machine:
1. I have stuff backed up (though even mirroring to another disk can infect the other disk before you realize it) better to also have rotating tapes so you always have a back up that is a few days (if not weeks old).
2. I always have another computer around so if one gets in trouble and has to be shut down or disconnected I can log on with another machine, download clean-up software, make boot disks, whatever. If I just had one machine I'd have more protection running on it.
FYI - for years I never got a virus. The first one I got came from a dealer when I bought a used machine. Never bought from him again. I have gotten a couple others in the past 3 years, but not much more of a hassle than other computer glitches I've experienced.
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TheInvisibleDan
I've tried both McCaffee and Norton, and half the time, they just crashed my computer in the process of scanning. I hate 'em too.
The only anti-virus software that I ever did like was "Dr.Solomon", but unfortunately they discontinued it (I think the evil McCaffee bought them out).
Unlike the memory-greedy Norton and MacCaffee, the Dr. Solomon program didn't dig it's multi-tentacles into every nook and cranny of my operating system - you installed it, and it stayed in it's own folder and behaved and kept to itself, from whence you beckoned it to run whenever you wished. A matter of fact, I think installation amounted to nothing more than unzipping the contents of the prog into a folder and that was that.
This other crap - all it wants to do is dig, dig, dig, dig and dig its tentacles into your system and leach off of its memory.
I hope someone revives the old Dr.Solomon prog.
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igotout
I got an email virus today. A real one. It was called W32.Klez.H@mm. The attachment that came with this email was called Readme.bat
NAV caught this email as it was coming in. (Nice job)
What would have happened if I did not have this wonderful protection with its tentacles throughout my system! God forbid! I'll tell you what would have happened.....nothing.
First due to some email rules I have set up, this spam type email was in deleted items anyway so I would never have even considered it.
Second - In OE Express which I use, I have checked the security option "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus." Look for that under Tools / Options/ Securtity. And of course I have selected Restricted sites zone (should be the default). In Restricted Sites (in IE options) I have scripting disabled (should be the default on IE5 and higher. With active scripting disabled viruses have a hard time doing any dirty work even if you open one.
Third - it was an attachment from an unknown source. And it had an extension ending with .BAT
This ain't brain surgery. It would have never even been previewed, much less opened. Symantec says it best on their web site:
"Do not open attachments unless you are expecting them. Also, do not execute software that is downloaded from the Internet unless it has been scanned for viruses [here they are promoting their product again. Most downloaded software from reliable sources if fine]. Simply visiting a compromised Web site can cause infection if certain browser vulnerabilities are not patched."
Fourth - and yes I have all the latest Windows Update patches for IE. (Outlook Express is part of IE)
Fifth - If I somehow did get infected (which is unlikely but remotely possible) it is not the end of of the world. There are downloadable tools to fix viruses. And in worst case, a restoration from a backup could be done as John talked about in his post.
Viruses suck but so does the software that can suck the life out of your speed, especially when opening programs. Tomorrow I will post a few simple tweaks that can help. Ran outta time tonight.
I am no expert here and what works for me may not be best for you. I am just giving you my limited experience.
John R.
Has your system ever been trashed by a virus? How did it happen and what did you do to recover?
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My3Cents
If you get a virus, you HAVE to have another computer. Immediately disconnect the infected one from the network and the internet. Log on with the other one and download removal software for that virus AFTER you have read about it.
I did get a virus. And it was found by the anti-virus software. It asked if I wanted to delete the file and I said yes.
Turns out with that particular virus it was the wrong thing to do. I don't remember the details but the virus corrupted a file needed by the Operating sytem so when that file was deleted, the OS went spastic. It was a fluke that by reading about it and pressing the PAUSE button at the right time (when was the last time you used the pause button) and typing blind - with the screen disabled - I was able to copy and rename a correct file to replace the deleted one. DON"T TRY THIS AT HOME.
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My3Cents
As I was writing my previous thread I realized, without McAfee and Norton Anti-virus and the work they do I would not have been able to recover from the few virus attacks I have had.
As much as their programs it's their research, the info on their sites and the free software they make available when a new virus hits that I've used to help. If they didn't have some source of funds they wouldn't be able to do that.
So I don't begrudge buying their stuff once in a while - I just don't install it [g]
And yes, if you take all the precautions Igotout mentions 100% of the time you'll probably be OK. But haven't we all clicked on something by mistake once in a while?
Oh and one other thing - DON"T USE OUTLOOK. or atleast not with an address book (so that kind of defeats the purpose) too many viri are written to take advantage of it's popularity. I've been using Outlook Express but just upgraded to v6 and it's crashing so much I'm moving to Eudora.
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igotout
(I just started a thread on the open forum about how the Klez virus works. It was good info I got from a technician.)
Back to this thread. I really believe Norton slows down the computer drastically especially when opening and even closing programs. I have done tests to prove it. Plus I have read it from others. (My 3 Cents,it can slow the hell out of Goldmine as it is opening and closing).
Even Symantec writes the following which helps prove my point:
_________________________________________
Keep Auto-Protect turned on (enabled) at all times to prevent viruses from infecting your computer. Auto-Protect works in the background, without interrupting your work.
Auto-Protect automatically:
1.) Detects and protects you against all types of viruses, including macro viruses, boot sector viruses and memory resident viruses and Trojan horses, worms and other malicious code.
2.) Protects your computer from viruses transmitted through the Internet, checking all files you download from the Internet, including Java Applets and ActiveX controls.
3.) Checks for viruses every time you use software programs on your computer, insert floppy disks or other removable media, modify or access documents, keeping your system safe at all times.
______________________________________
Notice the 3rd item! It checks things incessantly.....even "everytime you use software".
What I did to help my system speed was:
1. I turned of Auto Protect. It may seem like a drastic step to take but I do not think it is as bad as it appears. In all the years of visiting web sites I never got a virus from simply "visiting" a web site". I don't know, maybe it is because I have other protections in place. I think Internet Explorer 6 (fully patched) has closed lots of these kinds of loopholes as well.
And when you do download a file from the internet (or receive a file on removable media such as floppy) that you are unsure of all you have to do is scan it for viruses before opening it. Downloading a virus infected program is not activating it. The problem starts when you open that file. Also you can still catch viruses as they begin to work even if you do get one.
My BIOS has a feature that alerts me if anything is trying to modify the Boot Sector. It is an option that you can turn off or on. This is pretty cool. Kind of like virus protection built into the motherboard. If you have that feature, of course you want to activate this.
Furthermore, you still have great email protection even with Auto Protect turned off. I have read that alomst ALL viruses come through email.
2. I turned off Office Plug in. I believe it is found under Misellaneous options. It seems to be checked by default. To my knowledge it scans all Word, Excel and other Office documents when they are opened or created. To me, this is totally unnecessary. I have found Office to be faster without this nonsense. If you scan your computer regularly why do you need this?
These things helped me regain the speed of my programs without giving up my virus protection. I hope the day comes when virus protection is built into Windows or Internet Explorer so we didn't have to mess with this crap. (But then the government would probably slap another lawsuit on Microsoft for "bullying" the antivirus software makers.)
Later,
John R.
[This message was edited by igotout on October 02, 2002 at 20:41.]
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