Looking for a quiet no nonsense scanner

  • Thread starter Thread starter Colin Steadman
  • Start date Start date
C

Colin Steadman

I've been using McAfee VirusScan Online for the past 9 months and been
getting increasingly frustrated and annoyed by it. It is constantly
nagging me to update it, asking me if I'd like to buy some other
Mcafee software, warning me about some new virus threat or telling me
that it has just installed some update. I do not want, did not ask
for, have not given my permission and cannot get rid of these annoying
pop-ups. And neither can their support staff (complete inadequacy of
service).

I thought I was paying for antivirus protection that would update
itself over the net. I had not considered that this would come at the
expence of being constantly pested by it, it really makes my blood
boil. If I want more software I'll make my own enquiries thank you
very much. I dont need some upperty piece of software popping up
every five minutes trying to sell me stuff. It wouldn't be so bad if
I could just turn it off, but there is no option to do this.

I would therefore appreciate it if anyone could recommend another
anti-virus product that will just sit there in the background doing
its job, updating itself when needed, and will only ever bother me if
it has actually found and eliminated some viral threat. The only
exception is another Macfee product, I've totally lost faith in what I
had previously thought of as a reputable company. Lately I could not
be more disinterested and disappointed in McAfee.

TIA,

Colin
 
I've been using McAfee VirusScan Online for the past 9 months and been
getting increasingly frustrated and annoyed by it. It is constantly
nagging me to update it, asking me if I'd like to buy some other
Mcafee software, warning me about some new virus threat or telling me
that it has just installed some update. I do not want, did not ask
for, have not given my permission and cannot get rid of these annoying
pop-ups. And neither can their support staff (complete inadequacy of
service).

I thought I was paying for antivirus protection that would update
itself over the net. I had not considered that this would come at the
expence of being constantly pested by it, it really makes my blood
boil. If I want more software I'll make my own enquiries thank you
very much. I dont need some upperty piece of software popping up
every five minutes trying to sell me stuff. It wouldn't be so bad if
I could just turn it off, but there is no option to do this.

I would therefore appreciate it if anyone could recommend another
anti-virus product that will just sit there in the background doing
its job, updating itself when needed, and will only ever bother me if
it has actually found and eliminated some viral threat. The only
exception is another Macfee product, I've totally lost faith in what I
had previously thought of as a reputable company. Lately I could not
be more disinterested and disappointed in McAfee.

TIA,

Colin
Click to expand...

For once I managed to be the first! In this group when people ask for
a good scanner the answer is always Nod32 www.nod32.com .

Jari
 
Colin Steadman said:
Nod32? Never heard of this one. Is it reliable and unobstrusive?
Click to expand...

http://www.nod32.com

Reliable? Sure, its an adequate scanner. Unobtrusive? There is no
unobtrusive on-access scanner, but Nod is probably less intrusive than
most. On the other hand, if "unobtrusive" is what you want, you can
register F-PROT for Windows for $25, ditch the on-access scanner and
just use the excellent command line scanner as needed.
 
Nod32? Never heard of this one. Is it reliable and unobstrusive?
Click to expand...

In a word, yes. I'm an ex-NAV, ex-McA, ex-AVP/KAV user, so you
/know/ I have a basis for obtrusive behavior comparisons.
As for reliability, since I practice safe-hex, and have for years,
I tend to get very few bombs. However, it has snared files in
email and usenet groups, so I know it works. As to whether it's
close to 100% or not, who can tell, really?
I note that they've (Eset.com) put out nearly daily updates for a past
couple of weeks during this last round of hyperactive virusers.

Gunther
 
I've been using McAfee VirusScan Online for the past 9 months and been
getting increasingly frustrated and annoyed by it.
Click to expand...

I would therefore appreciate it if anyone could recommend another
anti-virus product that will just sit there in the background doing
its job, updating itself when needed, and will only ever bother me if
it has actually found and eliminated some viral threat.
Click to expand...

<snip>

I also recommend NOD32. I used KAV for 2 years, but found it a bit
confusing and unintuitive and therefore migrated to NOD32 after
reading many good things about that here. As far as I can see, it's
excellent. It does exactly what you describe. I'm into my second year
with it now, and the new (to me) version is even simpler than the last
one.

Good luck with whatever you choose,
 
In Message-ID:<[email protected]> posted on
I note that they've (Eset.com) put out nearly daily updates for a past
couple of weeks during this last round of hyperactive virusers.
Click to expand...

If update frequency is an indication of merit, and I think it is, f-prot
has been releasing at least daily updates and sometimes more often.
 
Shirley Worrall said:
<snip>

I also recommend NOD32. I used KAV for 2 years, but found it a bit
confusing and unintuitive and therefore migrated to NOD32 after
reading many good things about that here. As far as I can see, it's
excellent. It does exactly what you describe. I'm into my second year
with it now, and the new (to me) version is even simpler than the last
one.

Good luck with whatever you choose,
Click to expand...

Take a look at PC-Cillin from Trend Micro
 
In a word, yes. I'm an ex-NAV, ex-McA, ex-AVP/KAV user, so you
/know/ I have a basis for obtrusive behavior comparisons.
As for reliability, since I practice safe-hex, and have for years,
I tend to get very few bombs. However, it has snared files in
email and usenet groups, so I know it works. As to whether it's
close to 100% or not, who can tell, really?
I note that they've (Eset.com) put out nearly daily updates for a past
couple of weeks during this last round of hyperactive virusers.

Gunther
Click to expand...


Well thats made my mind up. I'll download the free trial and see how
it works for me (got my fingers burnt once, going to trial properly
this time). I dont care about losing the last few months of McAfee's
licence anymore, life to short to have to put up with it, its got to
go!

Thanks to everyone who contributed here.

Colin

[Next part only for adults]

PS If any McAfee staff are reading this, please tell whoever it was
who came up with the idea of alienating your customers by spamming the
soul out of them with unwanted sales pitches ect.. that he's a
comeplete knob jockey!
 
PS If any McAfee staff are reading this, please tell whoever it was
who came up with the idea of alienating your customers by spamming the
soul out of them with unwanted sales pitches ect.. that he's a
comeplete knob jockey!
Click to expand...


Ah...so mail spam was the problem. Well, there are two check boxes
when you register McAfee Anti-Virus that you simply leave unchecked if
you don't want their "special offers". That would explain why I don't
get them.
 
Ditching the f-prot real time protector is not a good idea. It's what
keeps your system from getting infected.
 
hop-head said:
Ditching the f-prot real time protector is not a good idea. It's what
keeps your system from getting infected.
Click to expand...

umm... no it isn't...

you've aparently fallen into the install, update, and forget trap...
you think having some program running in the background will magically
protect you from all the bad stuff out there... it won't...

f-prot is a tool... it is to be used as *part* of ones efforts to
remain virus free... you don't need the 'real-time protector' for this
purpose as you can just as easily scan all the new things you introduce
to the computer... (ok, maybe it's not "just as easy", but it is *just
as possible*, and similarly effective... and someone wanted a small
footprint...)

really, if you access your XYZ program today and f-prot's real time
protector scans it, and then you access it again tomorrow, why should
f-prot's real time protector scan it again? it wasn't infected before
and viruses don't pop up out of thin air...
 
hop-head said:
Ditching the f-prot real time protector is not a good idea. It's what
keeps your system from getting infected.
Click to expand...

A good point for most users. However, if your "real time protection"
ever does this, it is an indication that something else is wrong. You
should never be so lax as to allow your "realtime AV" to save your
butt.
 
Charlie wrote:

chuck, there seems to be something wrong with your news reader... it
doesn't seem to be able to handle the concept of "threads"...
Yes Kurt in theory...if you as a human person will not ever forget to
scan all inbound data. Not just attached files and obvious
downloads. How about manually scanning email
Click to expand...

no need... either keep your email client fully patched so that the
auto-execution exploits don't work, or don't use a client that has
auto-execution exploits in the first place... then all you need worry
about are the attachments - save to disk and scan those...
, malicious web pages,
Click to expand...

html can't hurt you... other more active content should be turned off
by default... only turn it on for sites you know you can trust...
java
malware...huh??
Click to expand...

turn off java except for those rare occasions when you really need it
(at sites you know you can trust)...
So if you are a human being that is always 100% mindful to manually
scan 100% of everything then in theory your way is effective and only if
you can scan totally every byte of data that comes in...you know like
real-time AV's do??? However I submit that like the rest of us Kurt you
too are human, fallible, and on occasion forgetful.
Click to expand...

that's your perception... the OP wanted something light on computing
resources... forgoing the real-time component entirely is as light as
it gets...
BTW if there are any other users that ever use your machine you'll need
to make sure they are also 100% mindful all the time and are fully
trained in your "malware regimen". Sounds like the "tail wagging the dog"
Click to expand...

thankfully, i have this computer all to myself... my mother can screw
up her own computer if she wants (though she's actually pretty good
about not doing so)...
Nice post but not practical for 99% of the "real world computer users"
which do not want to have to "remember" and then do scanning "manually".
Click to expand...

yes, yes... 'real world users' want to 'install and forget'...

that's why they have more problems than i do... they don't take as much
care, they don't try to gain/maintain as much awareness, etc... not
making the effort to *remember* things - installing some program and
then ignoring the issue as though it's no longer an issue - that's
going to get them into more trouble than if they were to actually try
and put forth the effort to keep themselves safe... relying on some
program to keep themselves safe is no better, in fact it's worse
because the program can't make intelligent decisions based on context,
and the program won't magically minimize their exposure to risk (only
informed decisions can do that)...

there are many ways to stroll down the highway (information or
otherwise) - some are relatively safe, others are bound to see you
become road pizza...
 
I have been using fix it utils scanner for a couple of years, you hardly
know it is there till it snares a threat and then it locks you out of it
till it is dead......
You can't even open a folder containing a virus as it will not let you,
(unless you insist) From the trend micro family IE PC Cillin ETC.

Good luck.
 
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